Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

With Super Bowl Sunday quickly approaching , it's nice to have an easy, quick appetizer to add to any party. I found the recipe for these bite-sized babies from Cathy over at Noblepig.

You will want to double the recipe for these because they go FAST! For an extra bonus, they freeze well so if you find yourself with a house full of teenagers (often the case around here), you will be prepared. Also great for an after-school snack.

They have a bit of a kick to them thanks to the generous amount of pepperoni in them. If you have picky eaters, you may want to cut back on the amount of pepperoni.

The recipe calls for using a store bought pizza sauce for dipping. However, if you have some of the homemade Marinara Sauce I blogged about yesterday on hand, it is the perfect compliment. I got rave reviews from my crew for these mini bite-sized pizzas!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Adapted from Noble Pig

• 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 (or homemade marinara)
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil (opt.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 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, 15-20 minutes.

Microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 Tablespoon basil (opt). Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 Tablespoon basil (opt). Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Yield - 24 mini-muffins