Looking for some quick wins of new things to try, I found an idea on Pinterest for making pizza crisps. They looked easy, and they looked good, and they looked like they’d make an ideal festive snack.
Trying New Things At Twixmas
I’m not sure what the official term for that time of year is, so I hope you’ll forgive me for jumping on the band wagon of using ‘Twixmas’.
For many people, the time between Christmas and new year is a heady blur of relaxing and indulging and forgetting what day it is.
For me, it’s usually a little bit more frantic as I have a go at all manner of things I’ve never done before in order to reach my goal of trying 52 new things in the year.
2024 was no exception. I had to try 14 things I’d never done in just 4 days in order to achieve the hallowed target.
Every year I tell myself that the next year I’ll be more organised. Every year I do the same thing I did at school, and leave my homework until the last minute. But, I always get it done.
Trying New Recipes
Often the time between Christmas and New Year will see me following all sorts of recipes to make things I’ve never tried cooking before.
In previous years I’ve made gingerbread from a 1741 recipe, a bread wreath, and baklava, all with varying degrees of success!
So to add another random recipe to the list, I decided to have a go at making pizza crisps from a post I had found on Pinterest.
Ingredients For Making Pizza Crisps
The recipe stated I’d only need 2 ingredients for these little morsels of salty and savoury snacking.
- Pepperoni
- Grated mozzarella
Instead of pepperoni, I used chorizo.
I also added a slice of cherry tomato, and a small sprinkling of italian herbs as I had a jar in my spice rack.
Equipment
A muffin tin was recommended for assembling and baking the crisps. I don’t think it’s essential, you could probably use a lined baking tray, but the crisps may not keep their shape so well.
Method For Making Pizza Crisps
- Firstly, I set the oven to 180°C
- Next, I lightly greased the muffin tray to make life easier for getting the crisps out and to make washing up far more straight forward.
- Then I put 2 teaspoons of the grated mozzarella into each of the muffin cups on the tray, and pushed it down with the back of the spoon to condense it together.
- On top of each ‘crisp’ I added a slice of chorizo, then a slice of tomato.
- Before putting it into the oven I sprinkled over a small pinch of the Italian herbs.
Baking
Sliding the tray into the oven, I set a timer for the suggested 8 minutes. When the alarm went off I peered through the door at the oozing and bubbling circles of delight.
The cheese was definitely melting, but they hadn’t quite crisped up around the edges like the recipe had suggested. I put them back into the oven and checked on them every 2 minutes, until they looked done, which was approximately 12 minutes.
Out Of The Oven
The delicious aromas certainly smelt as though there was a pizza cooking in the kitchen.
Each crisp looked lightly browned around the outer edge, and the chorizo had subtly crisped up and I determined that they were done.
Removing them from the tray was a breeze, so definitely don’t skip the part about greasing it!
I used a teaspoon to run around the edges and then scoop out each individual mini pizza crisp, and left them to cool a little on a plate.
The Taste Test
We decided to sample one whilst they were still warm.
Flavour
They looked very tempting, and the taste was delicious. The cheese and chorizo worked well together and the tomato slice added a complimentary hint of sweetness.
Texture
Unfortunately, the texture let these little crisps down.
Now, I don’t know about you, but to me, when something is described as ‘crisp’, it’s usually firm, has a certain crunch to it, is often dry and almost brittle. These were none of those things.
The texture was a combination of soggy and rubbery.
I thought it might have been because they were still warm, and that they might crisp up as they cooled. Nope. Once they had cooled, I put the remaining crisps into an air tight container, and sadly when we tucked into these, it was a similar experience, only cold, which was even less appealing.
Will I Be Making Pizza Crisps Again?
Despite my disappointment in how these turned out, I’m not against trying to making them again as the taste was good. There are several things I would do differently to see if it produced a crispier result. For example, I’d use less cheese for each crisp, and I’d leave them in the oven for a little longer.
I’d also be intrigued to have a go using different cheeses and different toppings. So I’m not ruling out having another go at these.
Why You Should Try Making Pizza Crisps
Just because my first attempt didn’t turn out quite as anticipated, don’t let that put you off, as there’s lots you could try with these.
They’re so easy to make, and very easy to experiment with – you could try mixing cheeses, including different herbs, or topping them with whatever you happen to have at the time.
They’re a more unusual snack that you could make for picnics and gatherings.
Taking less than 15 minutes to make and bake, they’re super quick too.
Want To Try It Yourself?
- Have a look online for ‘pizza crisp recipes’ and you’ll find lots of different sites and recipes that you can try.
Cost Of Experience
- If you need to buy the 2 ingredients that this recipe originally uses, it would cost around £4, depending on where you shop.
Recommendations
- Get creative. I’d highly recommend trying different things if you give this a go. Try making some bases thinner, adding different toppings, and perhaps add a dip?
- Get the kids involved. As this is such an easy make, it’s an ideal recipe to try with children.
- Let me know how you get on. If you give this a go, I’d love to know how yours turn out, and if you’ve any recommendations for my next attempt at making them!
I would love to make these as I am a real pizza fan (as is my husband)! These sound like such a lovely recipe, a nice cheesy treat even if the texture isn’t quite spot on.
Good luck if you give them a go, and if yours turn out to be crispy, please let me know how you did it! Whatever the consistency, I’m sure they’ll be delicious. I’m craving a pizza now… :o)
Sally