9.05.2012

Pizza Muffins

 One of the unexpected joys of blogging has been my daughters' reaction to the blog.  Not only do they love to read it, but they are constantly making suggestions for new posts.  "You should totally blog that, mom," has become a common refrain around here.

Last week the younger of the two announced that she had an idea for a recipe: pizza muffins, pizza baked in a muffin tin.  I told her we'd give it a try.  "But will you blog it?" she asked.

Little girl, this one's for you!

Like many of the things I make around here, there was a lot of winging it with this recipe.  (I often picture more experienced cooks reading this blog and shaking their heads in disbelief.)

I started with the prepared pizza dough from Fresh and Easy.  Trader Joe's also has wonderful pre-made dough and theirs comes in whole wheat too.  (Apologies to my mother who made us pizza from scratch, including homemade dough, every single Saturday night of my childhood.)

So after spraying my muffin tins with cooking spray, my daughter and I made twelve balls of dough.  We rolled each one flat and put them in the tins.  They kind of shrunk up and pulled away from the sides but that didn't matter in the end.

Wow these muffin tins look grungy.   I swear I wash them.  Let's just call them "well-loved."   

You can top/fill your muffins with whatever ingredients you'd like.  The first time I made them I actually used ground up meatloaf as a filling and it was wonderful.  (And yes, that's the same meatloaf recipe found here.)  This time we used pepperoni, olives, sauce and mozzarella.


We had different combos in each cup.  We put in the meat first (for those that had meat), then the olives...


...and then the sauce.

Finally we topped the whole thing with cheese and popped them in the oven.

Not only did my daughter come up with the idea, she also helped clean up while the muffins were in the oven.  Love that kid.

They emerged looking beautiful (despite the grungy muffin tins ;)


And they were as tasty as they were pretty.  If I make them again I might use a little less dough and a little more filling.  Beyond that, I'd say they were perfect.



Many thanks to my little chef for the inspiration!

Update:  For those who asked.  I simply used the baking directions (time and temp) that came with the dough.  I did not pre-bake the dough and it seemed to work out just fine.
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32 comments

  1. These look so delicious! My husband always asks if something is going on the blog when I take his picture..lol. :)

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  2. Well "Mom" I'm glad you blogged about this idea. Pizza muffins sound like a perfect solution for my household of 2 folks cause if we get a regular pizza we'd stuff ourselves finishing it, and I know you can freeze pizza slices, but it isn't pretty ;) Muffins on the other hand should freeze easily and on top of that this is pre-sized portion control. I just have to find out why my Trader Joe's doesn't carry the whole wheat pizza crust. Let the chef know this was a great idea.

    Robin @ happilyhomeafter.blogspot.com

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  3. You certainly have the makings of a star chef on your hands. I love thee creativity of turning the pizza into muffins. Your daughter is Grace's new culinary hero :). Watch out Food Network, you've got some competition.

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  4. Oh my! I want some!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  5. This idea is so much fun, Elena! I did want to share a little idea - instead of white or wheat, you might try our Rosemary Focaccia Dough for a special treat.
    ~Nicole, social media manager, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market

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  6. Oooooh MY!! I will definitely be making some of these! Hubby will love em!
    Thanks so much for linking up at I Gotta Create! <3 Christina

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  7. These are simply AWESOME !
    I totally love this idea of pizza-muffins :)
    They would be great also for parties
    Pinned

    P.s - your little girl was right :) I'm glad you posted this

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! And I just checked out Have The Cake. Love it and I'm a new follower! :)

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  8. Mmmmm! Can't wait to try this easy recipe :)

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  9. Your little one is a culinary genius! Mini-Calzones in muffin tins - Yum! And by the way, all my muffin tins & pans look like that too :)

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  10. I'm suddenly starving!!! I have to make these. YUM! Pinning, give my thanks to your daughter! Winnie is right, perfect for parties.
    Stacia@ http://feathersandsunshine.blogspot.com

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  11. OMGosh! Those look AWESOME! Your daughter is a genius!
    Thanks for sharing with my Super Link Party! :-)

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  12. Those look delicious! Thanks for sharing atvStop, Look, Link!

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  13. Fabulous idea!! I've got to make these for my son's lunch!

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  14. I love quick and easy dinner options.

    I would love it if you would share this with my readers at Mealtime Monday!

    Kaylee
    www.couponingncooking.com

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  15. Wow, they look delicious. This would be perfect as afternoon snacks. Well actually a morning and evening snacks as well. Come to think of it, they would be great anytime. Thank you for sharing at my Our Favorite Things link party.

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  16. I use Trader Joe's dough too - have you tried their herb one? These look amazing - my girls would love these. We have pizza nights often and this would be a fun little change.
    Pinning!
    Kelly

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  17. Hi Elena, thank you so much for sharing your daughter's creation at Project Queen. They will be featured tomorrow morning at the highlight party.

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  18. These look like just the ticket for my boys' lunches! Thanks for the great recipe!

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  19. Congratulations! Your Pizza Muffins are one of this week's features at my Super Link Party! Come on by, check it out & grab a featured button! :-)
    http://earning-my-cape.blogspot.com/2012/09/super-link-party-18.html

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  20. I'm drooling!! LOL! I would LOVE if you would share this at my Crazy Cute Party happening right now! I've got a totally awesome giveaway that you could win just for linking up! Come on over! ;D

    Between U & Me

    Oh! And I'm your newest follower!

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  21. Those look fabulous! I'll be pinning!

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  22. These look mouth watering delish! Easy too! Thanks for sharing with my party.

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  23. What a brilliant idea! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!

    Katie
    www.funhomethings.com

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  24. This will be a huge hit with my boys. I tried something similar with chicken (blog post coming soon!) Featuring you this week at Addicted to Recipes! Please come by and grab a button! http://iamaddictedtorecipes.blogspot.ca/2012/09/scrumptious-sunday-28-features.html

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  25. Those look amazing! Just looking at them is making me hungry. I'll definitely be trying this out!

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  26. Hi Elena,
    Wow! Love it:) And what great food photos too!
    My grandson and I made "pizza balls", similiar recipe. Too much dough, not enough filling. We will have to try these next time:) Thanks for sharing:) Di{CooktheTV}

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  27. Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.
    Wine bars in Singapore

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  28. Great work. that was pretty interesting. Inspiring, as well. Thanks for sharing such inspiring experience with us. Great blog, congrats!
    Food food

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