I have a love/hate relationship with pizza. Mostly, I love it. Our whole family loves pizza- we could eat it most days of the week and never tire of it. We love it homemade and we love to get it out as well. The hate part of the relationship is the pizza-like things that end up not quite satisfying that pizza craving. Last Christmas I decided to make a hot pizza dip, thinking it would be a huge hit with everyone. Not so much. While it did taste like pizza, it just wasn’t quite there- it was more like a pizza flavored something than actual pizza, despite the use of real ingredients.
So the first time I saw these Pepperoni Pizza Puffs at the Noble Pig blog, they called to me, but at the same time, I wasn’t convinced they were going to be true to being pizza. I filed away the idea in my brain somewhere, but promptly forgot about them. Fast forward a few weeks, and I was looking at my recipe bookmarks, and lo and behold, there they were again. As it happened, I had everything on hand to make them, and I thought it would be worth trying out for the kids for lunch one day.
Well, they certainly came together quickly enough. They are deceptively simple. Flour, baking powder, milk, egg and your pizza mix-ins. When I made these, I stuck to the recipe, but you can bet that as I was mixing, my thoughts were turning to the possibilities here. I was sticking with pepperoni and cheese, but we never top pizzas the same way twice. Y0u could probably mix just about anything into these little puffs. Sausage and mushroom, broccoli and cheese, baked potatoes and bacon bits, feta cheese and black olives- the list could go on and on! Regardless of what you want to put in your pizza bites, you must make these!
These absolutely tasted like pizza! And while I was using these as lunch, they would make an excellent quick snack, or I could totally see them as a party nibble. Quick and easy, Zander asked me the other day if I would make these again soon, so they clearly made an impression. I am very thankful to Noble Pig for sharing these delicious pizza treasures.
Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
from the Noble Pig blog
3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.
Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
Microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 Tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining1 Tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.