24slicesuncured pepperoniLook for the larger pepperoni rounds
24piecesfresh mozzarella "pearls"These are the little, bite-sized pieces of fresh mozzarella. If you can't find them, just substitute some shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2cpizza sauce
24olive slicesblack or green - your choice
Instructions
To begin, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Using a pair of kitchen shears or the point of a sharp knife, cut 6-8 snips into the edges of a slice of pepperoni. (See the diagram in the recipe notes.)
Press the pepperoni slice into the cup of a mini muffin pan. The cuts will allow the sides to overlap and stay in the cup.
Repeat this process with all of the pepperoni slices.
Bake the pepperoni cups for about 4 or 5 minutes, or until the edges of the pepperoni begin to crisp up. Remove the pan from the oven.
If your pepperoni is greasy, carefully remove the cups to a paper towel lined plate. Wipe the grease out of the cups of the muffin pan, then replace the pepperoni cups.
Place a mozzarella "pearl" in each cup.
Spoon in about a teaspoon or so of your favorite pizza sauce into each cup.
Top each cup with an olive slice.
Bake these for about 3 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Enjoy!
Notes
Here's a diagram of the snips to make in each slice of pepperoni. Make 6-8 of them all the way around, but keep the center uncut to hold the filling.