Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

(Image from thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com. I was in such a hurry I forgot to snap a picture)

Today has been a long, long day. It was the first day of classes so after dropping hubby off at work at 6:45 and our pup off at Doggy Day Care (yes-we're those kind of people(: ), I had to drive the 50 minutes down to San Diego for class. Luckily, I didn't have an early class like last semester so my drive time was cut in half. After 3 long classes, driving home, grocery shopping, and picking up Lucy from day care, I arrived home to a messy house. I thought about cleaning and cooking dinner but decided leftovers would be okay and laid down on the couch for a quick nap.

An hour later, Neil comes home and wakes me up to remind me that we have our Growth Group (Bible Study) tonight and that I volunteered to make apps for this weeks meeting. I immediately freaked out because I had less than an hour and a half to put together something for 10-12 people and I hadn't planned anything. I spent about 5 minutes staring at the contents of the fridge before I remembered this recipe found on Easy as Pie. All of these ingredients are pretty much common household food items other than pepperoni but we just happened to have some in the fridge. I set to work whipping up a double batch and we made it with two minutes to spare to the meeting.

Everyone enjoyed them, especially Neil who decided these would make a perfect dinner. They were so easy to throw together and I'll definitely be making them again. I'm thinking a Hawaiian version would be delicious. One of the best things about these is how you can personalize them to whatever flavor pizza you what. Add some garlic, some onions, some peppers-anything you want! The Superbowl is coming up and these little guys will definitely be making an appearance on our menu!

*No picture but I'll be making more soon*

3/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup whole milk (I used 1% and it worked fine)

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)

4 oz pepperoni, cut into small pieces (about 1 cup)

Preheat the oven to 375º. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. (A 12-cup works fine you will just have to cook 2 batches). In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Whisk in the egg and milk. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni. Let stand for 10 minutes. (I skipped the standing part since I was in a rush).

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 tablespoon of basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining basil. Serve the puffs warm with the pizza sauce for dipping.

To freeze: Bake completely and then freeze the baked puffs in a single layer on a baking sheet in a freezer bag. To reheat, bake the frozen puffs on a baking sheet in a 35º oven for 8-20 minutes.