Pepperoni Pinwheels

Growing up, Bagel Bites were the height of culinary excellence to me. I distinctly remember delicately arranging those frozen pucks on a plate, nuking in strict adherence to the package directions (or, better yet, convincing a sibling to do it), and waiting in pre-teen hunger-fueled anticipation for the microwave to sound.

Maybe I would let them cool down for a few minutes to avoid burning the life out of the roof of my mouth, but probably not. I scarfed them down while watching one of my many favorite PBS shows and reveled in doughy euphoria.

Somewhere on the road to adulthood, Bagel Bites lost their luster.

Thankfully, these pepperoni pinwheels have stepped in to fill the void.

Pepperoni pinwheels are dive bar/pub-style finger food at its best! Doughy rounds filled with mozzarella and pepperoni and topped with parmesan. People hoover these.

And they also are really easy to make. They can be on your table, ready to be so hoovered in 25 minutes.

You make these like you’re making cinnamon rolls (very sorry if that comparison ruined things for you), as in you sprinkle the filling on a rolled out piece of dough and then roll it up into a tight log and slice. Then brush with olive oil for extra crisping and bake until browned and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle with parmesan because why not?

You can use homemade pizza dough to make these if you want! I am partial to using pizza dough from the grocery store because it is so quick and easy! I’ve been buying the kind that comes in a tube and is already rolled out, but you can also get a ball of dough and just shape it into a rectangle.

OH WAIT. I need to tell you about the sauce. You can definitely eat these with plain ol’ marinara and all will be well and good in the world, but if you are wanting a life-changing, sock-rocking experience, eat these with chipotle ranch.

I can’t even tell you how good pepperoni pinwheels are dipped in chipotle ranch. To be fair, probably most things dipped in chipotle ranch would be indescribably delicious, but pepperoni pinwheels and chipotle ranch are MADE FOR EACH OTHER. If food soul mates are a thing, these are them.

Chipotle ranch has all of the rich and creamy tang of your classic ranch but with a smoky, spicy twist. And! It consists of a mere two ingredients: Ranch mixed with adobo sauce from chipotles in adobo. Add more or less adobo sauce depending on how spicy you like things. Your life will never be the same.

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Pepperoni Pinwheels

Pepperoni Pinwheels are a quick and easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer! We eat these with spicy chipotle ranch for finger food perfection.

Total Time25 mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: 4 (Makes 16 Pinwheels)

Author: Mandy Jackson

Ingredients

FOR THE PINWHEELS

• 1 (11 ounce) tube pizza crust (see note)
• 1 1/4 cups shredded mozarella
• 1/2 cups chopped pepperoni
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan

FOR THE CHIPOTLE RANCH

• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 1 1/2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotles in adobo (see note)

Directions

FOR THE PINWHEELS

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

  Combine mozzarella and pepperoni in a small bowl. Roll out pizza dough into a roughly 16 by 12 inch rectangle and sprinkle with pepperoni mixture. Beginning a longer side of the rectangle, fold over the edge and roll into a tight log. Slice into 16 even rounds and place on lined sheet pan. Brush tops and outer crust with olive oil.

  Bake 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is browned. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve with chipotle ranch.

FOR THE CHIPOTLE RANCH

• Whisk together ranch and adobo sauce.

Notes

I use Pillsbury thin crust, but any pizza dough will work! You can even make your own if you feel so inclined.

Chipotles in adobo can be found in your Mexican food aisle. I freeze whatever we don’t use in an ice cube tray so we can easily add them to future dishes.