Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

In keeping with the theme of football food, I have this recipe for pepperoni pizza puffs that I'd like to share with you today.  This is a modified Rachel Ray recipe.  I know, I know - a lot of people, Joe included, think she can't cook but that she's a pro at reheating ingredients.  I don't have too strong of an opinion either way, but I think that if it encourages people to try cooking at home instead of going out all the time, then it's probably a good thing - even if it IS just a matter of opening a bunch of different packages/containers and putting them all together.

At any rate, these things are so good!  I've made them a couple of times, once with the pepperoni and once without.  Without pepperoni, they pretty much taste like bread sticks.  They're still really good, but I think the pepperoni really helps pull them together.  You could probably also make these with some ground sausage or hamburger, but just make sure you brown it first so that the meat is cooked through and to prevent everything from getting really greasy.

They're also really easy to make, which is good if you're going to be making a ton of them for the football game.  It takes longer to cook them than it does to put everything together, so you can easily throw them in a little before the game starts or even at halftime when you need a second round of food.

Without any further ado...

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
To print this recipe, click here

Ingredients

3/4 c. flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

crushed red paper, to taste

garlic powder, to taste

salt & pepper, to taste

3/4 c. whole milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

1 c. cubed pepperoni

1/2 c. pizza sauce

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin.

Whisk together dry ingredients.  Add in milk and egg; stir until combined.  Stir in cheeses and pepperoni.  Let batter sit for 10 minutes.

Stir batter and divide evenly among baking cups.  Bake until puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes.

Serve with warmed pizza sauce for dipping.

Touchdown!