Alright now before I get started, let me first say this: I love dessert. If I could, I’d eat dessert first everyday. I believe in pie, cakes, ice cream, cookies and everything in between. But here’s the a question I think we all need to consider: why do we let sugar have all the fun?
You see I think part of why I am drawn so much to desserts is because they’re (usually) cute, accessible, single-servings of deliciousness. Our savory favorites, however, tend be these large monstrosities that require a large appetite (or, back in the day, groups of people) to ensure nothing goes to waste.
Last week, after enjoying a Crumbl cookie or four, I had a realization as my sugar-fueled headache began to set in: savory foods can be dessert, too. I immediately went to the store and purchased a few simple ingredients for a turn-key experiment:
- Pre-made/canned biscuit dough
- Marinara sauce
- Pepperoni
- Italian-blend cheese
That’s it. That’s the whole list. I didn’t even need to use a basket or use a bag because it all fit in my purse after I finished at the checkout stand. The steps to assemble the “cupcake” were just as simple:
- Press the dough into the cupcake pan, split as needed if you want to fill all 12 “holes” of the pan
- Add 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce
- Top with 3-4 tablespoons of Italian cheese blend
- Tear up the pepperoni and sprinkle on top of the cheese
- Cook according to the dough’s original instructions, leaning towards the “maximum” cook time
Again, that’s it. Less than 20 minutes of cooking, and I had a dream I had began less an hour prior.
For the record, I would 10/10 do this again. I hope to repeat with my favorite homemade dough and also try out a southern version (think cornbread, chicken, etc.) in the near future. Stay tuned on that. In the meantime, what do you think of these mini deep dish pizza cupcakes? Weird or brilliant? Probably both.