Easy Pizza Roses (Printable)

Beautiful rolled pizza dough with melted cheese and toppings, baked to golden perfection in muffin tins for an impressive Italian appetizer.

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 1 sheet refrigerated pizza dough (approximately 14 ounces)

→ Sauce & Cheese

02 - ½ cup pizza sauce
03 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (approximately 4.25 ounces)
04 - ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese (approximately 1.5 ounces)

→ Toppings

05 - 8–10 slices thinly sliced pepperoni or cooked ham (optional)
06 - ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
07 - ½ small red onion, finely sliced
08 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs

→ Garnish

09 - Fresh basil leaves (optional)

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease with cooking spray.
02 - On lightly floured surface, roll pizza dough into rectangle approximately 10 x 14 inches.
03 - Spread pizza sauce evenly over dough, leaving small border along one long edge for sealing.
04 - Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses evenly over sauce layer.
05 - Arrange bell pepper and red onion slices over cheese. Add pepperoni if using.
06 - Sprinkle dried Italian herbs evenly across topped surface.
07 - Using sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice dough into 8 strips along shorter edge (approximately 1¼ inches wide).
08 - Roll each strip tightly from one end to form spiral rose shape. Pinch end firmly to seal.
09 - Stand each rolled rose upright in prepared muffin tin cups.
10 - Bake for 18–22 minutes until golden brown and cheese is bubbling.
11 - Cool in tin for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil leaves if desired and serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • These roses look fancy but come together in under an hour
  • The spiral shape creates crispy edges and soft, cheesy centers
  • Perfect for parties because everyone gets their own adorable portion
02 -
  • Overfilling with sauce makes the center soggy, so spread thinly
  • Letting them cool 5 minutes helps the roses set and makes them easier to remove
  • The bare dough edge is crucial for sealing, otherwise they unroll in the oven
03 -
  • A sharp pizza cutter creates cleaner cuts than a knife
  • Room temperature dough rolls more easily than cold

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