Pizza Bites

My son and his friend spent the day snowboarding the other day.  Honestly, I don't know how they do it....all day outside in the freezing cold - no thank you!!  I totally live in the wrong state.  I would be much better suited to a warmer climate...but alas, here I am in beautiful Vermont.  Funny how things work out in life, huh?

I knew after a long day on the slopes they'd be hungry, so I figured it was a good time to try this recipe for these cute little pizza bites I've been holding onto for a while now.  I love to try out new recipes on my son and his friends.  Teenagers are worthy judges when it comes to food!  

They gobbled these right up in about 5 minutes.  Since I wasn't positive if that meant they loved them or they were just starving, I had to ask how they liked them.  My son said they were really good, but that they needed more pepperoni.  The next day he asked if I made some more.....I'll take that to mean he liked them!  I like this recipe - it's quick, simple and a crowd pleasure....well, a teenage crowd anyway!  Make them for the kids to snack on, or they'd be a perfect appetizer for a potluck.  The possibilities for these are endless when it comes to what "toppings" to add.  The ones I made here are pepperoni and mushroom, but really you could add whatever your heart desires.  

   
Pizza Bites (adapted from www.plainchicken.com)

3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 & 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup pepperoni, cut into fourths (or you could use mini pepperoni pieces)
1/3 cup mushrooms, chopped 1/2 cup pizza sauce
 
Preheat the oven to 375° & spray 24-cup mini-muffin tins with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder and baking powder.  Add the milk and egg, and whisk to combine. Stir in 1 cup of the mozzarella, the mushrooms & pepperoni and let set for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, divide the batter into the mini-muffin tins. Take the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and sprinkle a little on each one.  Pop in the oven and bake until puffed and golden, 20 minutes.

While that's cooking, heat the pizza sauce until warmed through (by microwave or stove-top). Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce on the side for dipping.