Pizza Puffs

I've never made any secret of my love for pizza on here. I. LOVE. PIZZA. End of. I could eat it every day, all day . . . for breakfast, lunch or dinner!



Over the holidays I was food blog browsing and I found these tasty looking Pepperoni Pizza Puffs over on Lick The Bowl Clean. (Which is a very tasty blog I might add.) She, in turn, had adapted the recipe from one by Rachel Ray, who is an American cook who likes to create scrummy things for every day cooking. I have a few of her books in my library, but haven't tried any of her recipes yet . . . I wonder why? After baking these, I clearly need to take a second look at them!



These were incredibly easy to make. I didn't want to use meat in mine and so I substituted scrummy things like black and green olives, sun dried tomatoes and chopped red onion. I also pimped the cheese mixture by adding some strong cheddar and I made my own Italian spice mixture with basil, oregano, garlic and marjoram.



They are not muffins, even though they are baked in mini muffin tins. They are not quiches or frittatas. They are more like little mini yorkshire puddings . . . all crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, with full on pizza flavour. They puff up really nicely in the oven. The resting time is a big clue . . . the best yorkshire puddings, that puff up the most, always require a resting time.



Your kitchen will smell like a pizzaria big time when you bake these, which will only make your pizza loving guests even hungrier. I was so surprised at how delicious they smelled when they were baking. Pleasantly surprised!



I like to make my own pizza sauce. The recipe is the result of years of testing and trialing, a recipe which you can find here. I do think it's the best . . . but then it was created by me and I am a bit biased. It makes enough for two full pizzas, but freezes well. Do feel free to use a store bought sauce if you would prefer, or even a tasty jar of really good prepared marinara sauce!



Pizza Puffs. Do try them. They rock.



*Pizza Puffs*
Makes 24 bite sized puffs
Printable Recipe

A tasty little appetizer that most people love. I have chosen to keep mine meatless, but you can add chopped pepperoni, or chorizo or cooked and crumbledbacon if you wish.

75g of plain flour (3/4 cup)
3/4 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp dried marjoram leaves
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of chilli flakes
4 fluid ounces of milk (1/2 cup)
2 fluid ounces cream (1/4 cup)
1 large free range egg, beaten
120g of grated mozarella cheese (1 cup)
30g of grated strong cheddar cheese (1/4 cup)
45g of finely grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)
85g of chopped mixed olives (I used green and black, the dry cured with herbs) (1/2 cup)
1/2 of a small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
a small handful of chopped sunblush dried tomatoes

To serve:
your favourite pizza sauce recipe, 1/2 cup
(reserve the rest for another use in the freezer)

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a 24 hold mini muffin pan. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices and cheeses. Beat together the egg, milk and cream. Stir this into the dry mixture. Fold in the chopped olives, onions and tomatoes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Spoon into the muffin tin, dividing it equally amongst them. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until risen and golden brown.

Warm the pizza sauce through.

Serve the puffs warm along with the pizza sauce for dipping.



Over in The Cottage today, some Tortilla Veggie Melts for two.