Pizza Muffins (or Mini Calzones)

If you’re looking for a healthier or vegan/gluten free version of those frozen pizza bites or pizza pockets, look no further! I try to keep my recipes very simple but this one is an exception. There are a lot of steps but I promise it is well worth it! And if you mess it up (like I did a couple times while creating the recipe, it will still taste amazing! I ended up with biscuits stuffed with filling and even those were great. Because of the effort required to make these, this recipe makes a lot! I freeze most of them to be able to pull out for a quick snack.

Dough:

1.5 cups full fat coconut milk*

1/4 cup ground flax seed

4 cups blanched almond flour

4 cups arrowroot powder (or tapioca starch)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

ice water

Filling:

1 3/4 cup of your favorite cheese (Kite Hill ricotta mixed with my homemade mozzarella is my personal favorite)

1 1/2 cup of your favorite tomato sauce

1 Tbsp dried italian herbs

2 tsp avocado oil

1 tsp salt

+Any of your favorite pizza toppings, broken into tiny pieces

*If using canned coconut milk, shake it well before opening to avoid separation. Warm it up a little if it is chunky or separated!

Directions:

Add coconut milk and ground flax seeds to a large mixing bowl (see note above about coconut milk). Whisk and let sit for a few minutes.
Gradually add arrowroot powder to the coconut milk mixture, stirring frequently. Add Baking powder, salt, and almond flour and stir until well combined. Add a tablespoon or two of ice water until a workable dough forms. Knead by hand or use the dough hook attachment for your mixer if it isn’t mixing well.
Note: if it is horribly sticky or looks nothing like dough but you did follow the recipe, don’t worry and read below.
To make the filling: add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well.
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Work in sections. Take out about 1/4 of the dough to start and roll out in between parchment paper until its about 1/4in thick. If it is hard to work with, refrigerate or pop in the freezer for a minute.
Note: If it is really difficult to roll out or just sticking to the paper, use arrowroot powder on your hands and roll it out like you would a pie crust on a floured surface!
At this point, you can get creative. See photos below!
-Use a mug to cut the dough into circles to place in an oiled muffin tin. The circles should be big enough to cover the bottom and sides of the muffin. Press the dough around to fit the muffin cup, then add filling. You may add a smaller circle “lid” of dough or scrap pieces of dough on top (see picture below).
-Use a bowl to make circle cut outs to place on a cookie sheet. Add filling to half of the circle, fold over, and seal with a fork.
-If your dough is a disaster or you simply want to be lazy, spoon a little dough into an oiled mini muffin tin, spread out with your fingers, and add some filling! I promise they will still taste AMAZING. Yes, I’m speaking from experience from that time I forgot about the dough in the freezer…
Once all of the pizzas are done being assembled, brush the top with a little coconut milk and ground flax seed to mimic an egg wash and help the top get a nice golden brown (optional). Use a fork to poke holes in any that need it to prevent pizza explosions!
Bake at 375F for about 25-30 minutes or until they feel hard to the touch!