My kids would eat Bagel Bites every day all day this summer, but I have to put my foot down. Since I’m striving for more whole foods in my household, I’m creating pizza in a variety of ways to tame the pizza beast in my children. How do I do it?
For starters, I use this no-rise whole wheat pizza crust. Yes ladies, you heard it right, no rising or waiting, just like the Pillsbury crust dough in the dairy case. You have to measure a handful of ingredients and stir and pat it out on the pan just like the store-bought stuff, but it tastes better and it’s healthier.
I made a batch for these cute mini-muffin pizza bites. My three-year-old helped, so you can do this.
I mix up this no rise pizza crust recipe found here and place a ping-pong size amount in each mini-muffin well. Don’t you like that visual? Then I let my son flour his fingers and make a well in the center of each ball. Yes, it takes longer with a three-year-old. I also have a Pampered Chef mini-tart press; I use one end dipped in flour to press the dough down.
I didn’t have any ricotta cheese, but a little dab in the middle would be good. At this point, you can either put a dab of pizza sauce in or wait and dip them in sauce at the end. Or put a dab of carrot baby food in the middle, no kidding. Choices are good. I cut up whole slices of pepperoni into fourths for my toddler to put into the dough well. This was fun, too. Then we sprinkled a combination of cheddar and mozzarella cheese. I’m not posting exact measurements today, so don’t be alarmed, just be creative.
We baked our min-muffins for about 10-12 minutes until crispy. Keep a careful eye on them because they bake so quickly.
Dip into pizza or ranch dressing if desired. My kids just gobbled them straight from the pan. Make a double batch, cool and freeze for quick snacks, lunch and grab and go dinners. These are perfect for toddler hands and Daddy’s hands if the kids won’t smack them away-they’re that good:)
Do you get creative with your family’s pizza craving? What are your ideas for pizza mini-muffins?
