Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 9:51AM 
I have to admit that at the outset I was a tad skeptical of these. I'm not sure why, but I guess I really didn't expect them to be anything extraordinary. I found this recipe in a Rachael Ray magazine while I was waiting in line at the paint counter at Lowe's and thought my grandkids might like them. What I didn't expect was how much I was going to like them! They go together in no time, and are sort of a cross between a cheesy popover and a pizza in muffin form. Sort of a bite-size eggy, spicy, cheesy popover pizza muffin.
So I served them to a couple of my grandkids (3 and 6) for lunch the other day and they were a hit. Well, sort of. The 3 year-old loved them and ate three. The 6 year-old ate one, and seemed to like the first few bites, but no more. I then remembered that he doesn’t like pepperoni. I used turkey pepperoni, and even these are a little spicy. I quickly regretted the fact that I hadn’t made some with just cheese (the way he likes his pizza).
Then I began to realize that you could really make these with anything that you put on your favorite pizza…pepperoni is just the beginning. Sausage bits, olives, mushrooms, red peppers or just plain cheese. The possibilities are limitless!
They’re fun, they’re good, they’re easy, and if you don't have any kids around, you'll get em all to yourself.
Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
Printable Recipe
Adapted from EverydayRachael Ray
3/4 cup flour3/4 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 marinara)
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
Preheat oven to 375o. 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 remaining 1 Tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.
*I used sliced, chopped Turkey pepperoni.
Note: I cooked mine at 375 degrees convection and they were done in 15 minutes. You might want to check on these before the 20-25 minutes.
Reader Comments (7)
I saw her make this on her morning show & I thought hmm, those seemed like magical creations they were so puffy & easy to throw together. I'm glad you posted the recipe because I'm going to try them. I would have swore she put the sauce in too but I guess not.
Barb, I do hope you try these. They're quite wonderful. She did use sauce, but it does not go in the pizza puff, but is for dipping - and it's a must! Bon appetit!
I was wondering if you tried making these ahead and freezing them. I'm having a graduation party for about 80 people and I was hoping to make these ahead, freeze them, them bake to warm and put them out in chafing dishes to keep warm. let me know. Thanks!
They freeze really well and reheat beautifully. Have a great party!
I just made these Pepperoni Puffs and they really need a boost of seasonings. Felt they were bland. Salt would help and some other kind of herbs probably. They baked up very pretty. Just would advise adding salt, or garlic salt or the chopped onions in the jar for a boost. Will make them again and experiment with different herbs to give them a better taste.
i jsut came across this via pintrest and i think they look awesome, was wondering if anyone has tried to make them in a regular size (12) cupcake/muffin pan..
I haven't tried these in the larger muffin pans, but I don't know why that wouldn't work. Just cook them a little longer and I think they would be fine. Let us know how they come out, Diane.