Cheesy Pepperoni Bites

Banana Cream Pie Murder

**Hannah's 1st Note: I tried making my own puff pastry dough once and, quite frankly, it wasn't worth the time and effort. You can buy perfectly wonderful frozen puff pastry dough at your favorite grocery store. I usually keep a package at home in my freezer. The brand I buy contains two large sheets of pastry, individually wrapped. It's fun to thaw a sheet, wrap leftovers inside, and bake them. I also use puff pastry packets to make fruit turnovers or to make little fruit tarts by using pieces of puff pastry to line the cups a cupcake pan.**

## Ingredients

**The Crust**

* 17.5-ounce package frozen puff pastry dough *(I used Pepperidge Farm—it contains 2 sheets)*
* 1 egg
* 1 Tablespoon water in a cup
* Kosher salt or sea salt to sprinkle on top *(I used Morton's Kosher salt)*

**The Filling**

* Baby Bell cheese balls in the cute little nets *(I used Baby Bell Gouda, 6 cheese balls to a package—you can also use Baby Bell Brie, or Baby Bell Cheddar if you want a variety of cheeses)*
* ¼ pound thinly-sliced pepperoni *(the kind you'd put on homemade pizza—or if you'd prefer, you can use any other fairly dry sausage, and cut it to fit the cheese)*
* 6 Kalamata pitted olives *(I got mine at the Whole Foods Grocery olive bar, but they also come jarred or canned in the grocery store)*

## Directions

* Thaw the frozen puff pastry dough according to the package directions
* While your puff pastry dough is thawing, open the package of Baby Bell cheese and start taking off the wax covering on each small ball of cheese.
* If you used jarred olives, drain them and reserve the juice in case you don't use all the olives and want to store them in a jar with juice.
* Pat the olives dry with a paper towel and place them in a bowl on the counter.
* When your puff pastry dough is thawed, preheat your oven to 400°F, rack in the middle position.
* Prepare a sheet cake pan or a cookie sheet by covering the bottom with parchment paper.
* Lay one sheet of puff pastry out flat on a very-lightly floured board.
* Use a rolling pin to "erase" the folds from the puff pastry, but don't apply very much pressure.
* When the fold marks have been erased, dust a little extra flour over the dough and roll it into an 8-inch by 12-inch rectangle. ***It helps to have a ruler or tape measure handy.***
* Cut the short side ***(8-inch side)*** into two equal pieces that will turn out to be 4 inches by 12 inches apiece.
* Cut each 12-inch side into thirds, making six squares with 4-inch sides.
* Break an egg into a cup. Add the Tablespoon of water and whisk it up briskly. This will be your egg wash.
* Cut a Baby Bell cheese ball in half horizontally, so you have two pieces. You will use one piece for every Cheesy Pepperoni Bite.
* Place half of the cheese ball in the center of a piece of puff pastry, the cut side of the cheese facing up.
* Place a piece of pepperoni on top of the cut side of the cheese.
* Cut a Kalamata olive in half and place one half on top of the pepperoni, cut side down.
* Use a pastry brush to brush the inside edges of the puff pastry square with the egg wash. This will make the edges stick together when you fold the dough over the cheese ball.
* Use a sharp knife to cut a line from one corner of the puff pastry in until it almost reaches the cheese ball.
* Repeat this action for the three other corners.
* Pick up one side of the puff pastry and fold it up over the cheese ball, pepperoni, and olive.
* Fold the opposite side of the puff pastry up over the top and press it down on the other piece that is already there. It should stick because of the adhesive properties of the egg wash.
* Repeat with the other two sides of the square, pulling the up and over the top and making sure that they stick to each other.
* Brush the top of the cheese, pepperoni, and olive packet with the egg wash.
* Sprinkle on the little Kosher salt or sea salt and place it on the parchment paper in your prepared pan or cookie sheet.
* Repeat for all 6 squares.
* Prepare the second sheet of puff pastry the same way you prepared the first, cut it into 6 squares and make 6 more appetizers.
* When all the Cheesy Pepperoni Bites have been filled, sealed, brushed with egg wash, and sprinkled with Kosher or sea salt, it's time to bake them.
* Bake your appetizers at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're golden brown on top.
* Remove the pan or cookie sheet to a wire rack and let the Cheesy Pepperoni Bites cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
* Serve your Cheesy Pepperoni Bites immediately on a pretty platter for a delicious party appetizer.

Yield: 12 crowd-pleasing appetizers.