Copycat Crazy Puffs

If you’ve been on social media in the last week then you know the current fast food craze is Little Caesar’s Crazy Puffs, and you know I had to try my hand at it, so meet my Copycat Crazy Puffs! I read the description (included below) and thought to myself “oh I can do that” and then I did.

“Melty mozzarella cheese, sizzling pepperoni (or classic cheese, if you prefer), and Little Caesars’ legendary sauce are nestled inside, waiting to explode with flavor in every bite. But the fun doesn’t stop there. Each Crazy Puff gets drizzled with a buttery garlic flavor and dusted with a secret blend of Italian herbs and spices, adding layers of complexity that will tantalize taste buds everywhere.”

– Little Caesars

Copycat Crazy Puffs Ingredients

Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Copycat Crazy Puffs recipe:

• All-purpose flour, water, active dry yeast, extra virgin olive oil, fine sea salt, onion powder: These are the ingredients for the dough. I wanted it to be flavorful, so that’s why I added a bit extra salt and some onion powder. Feel free to use store bought dough to save time and effort. Trader Joe’s pizza dough is pretty great.
• Crushed tomatoes, garlic, Calabrian peppers, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar: Major components of our pizza sauce. Sugar only if you need to cut the acidity. Again, store bought pasta or pizza sauce is fine for these Copycat Crazy Puffs, too.
• Italian seasoning, cracked black pepper, garlic powder: Seasonin’s. I made my own Italian seasoning, but McCormick’s Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning is excellent too. The garlic powder gets tossed with the shredded cheeses, and the Italians seasoning is in the sauce, and sprinkled over the puffs before and after baking.
• Basil, flat-leaf parsley: Fresh herbs go in the sauce to bring a really nice herbaceous flavor to it. You can omit them, and stick with dried versions or just extra Italian seasoning.
• Low-moisture mozzarella, muenster cheese: Little Caesar’s uses a blend of mozzarella and muenster cheese, so that’s what I opted for in these Copycat Crazy Puffs.
• Garlic butter: We baste the dough with it, and we drizzle it over the tops of the cooked Copycat Crazy Puffs, too. I used Kerrygold’s Garlic and Herb butter, but my Very Garlicky Garlic Butter would be amazing.

How to Make Copycat Crazy Puffs

Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Copycat Crazy Puffs recipe:

• Begin with the Copycat Crazy Puffs Dough: In a large mixing bowl stir together the water, yeast, sugar, and salt. Let the yeast foam – it’ll take a few minutes, then add in the flour, onion powder, and tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Use a spatula to stir everything together into a sticky, shaggy dough. Sprinkle extra flour on the counter, then transfer your dough to the counter. Sprinkle a bit more flour over the top of the dough. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to knead the dough just until the extra flour has been incorporated, and the dough is less sticky. Lightly oil the same bowl you mixed the dough in. Transfer the dough back into the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Set it aside to rise while you work on the sauce.
• Make the Pizza Sauce for the Copycat Crazy Puffs: Place a medium skillet over medium high heat and add the extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add in the tomato paste, calabrian peppers, and minced garlic. Stir, allowing the tomato paste to cook in the oil. Let the peppers and garlic darken and even char a little bit for extra flavor, then add the crushed tomatoes. Stir together to combine everything, then stir in the Italian seasoning, balsamic vinegar, and cracked black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. To finish, stir in the fresh herbs. Taste, and add the sugar only if you think it’s too bitter or acidic.
• Start assembling the Crazy Puffs: Preheat your oven to 475°F and make sure a rack is at the top. Grab two 12-well muffin or cupcake pan. Oil the insides of each well with extra virgin olive oil – this well help the cups brown, and prevent sticking. If you only have one muffin pan, that’s OK, just cook in two batches. I recommend making 16–18 puffs instead of 12 as I did for the puffs pictured, so the Copycat Crazy Puffs stay flat and better resemble Little Caesar’s version. Portion your dough into 16–18 puffs. You can eyeball this, or use a kitchen scale to keep them evenly sized. Take each piece of dough and place it into the bottom of the muffin wells, then press them down into a flat layer.
• Prepare the toppings and get to topping! In a large bowl, mix together the mozzarella, muenster, and garlic powder until well combined, and arrange your pepperoni on a paper towel lined plate, in a single layer. Microwave the pepperoni for 15 seconds, just until the edges begin curling and the grease releases. Baste each dough round lightly with garlic butter, and sprinkle on a bit of Italian seasoning. Use a small dry measuring cup (around 1/2 C size should work) to firmly press the dough rounds down into the bottom and sides of the muffin well. Next, sprinkle a small amount of the mixed cheeses, about a teaspoon or so, onto the top of each dough round. Spoon a tablespoon or so of pizza sauce into the center of each one. Top this with two pieces of pepperoni, if using, and then a heaping amount of the mixed cheese.
• Bake the Copycat Crazy Puffs. Use your basting brush to drizzle garlic butter all over the top of the unbaked puffs, then dust with Italian seasoning. Finish with a little extra pizza sauce on top for razzle dazzle, then pop in the oven. Bake uncovered for 14 minutes, until the cheese around the edges has deeply browned. Tent the pan lightly with aluminum foil, and continue cooking until the dough is cooked through, and the cheese is fully browned. Pull the Copycat Crazy Puffs from the oven, baste generously with the remaining garlic butter. Repeat with the remaining ingredients if you’re cooking them in two batches. Dust all of the puffs with a bit more Italian seasoning and enjoy. Dassit!

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