Snowman Pizza Buns #FoodnFlix

I’m squeezing in a very quick Christmas Eve post in tonight!

Honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d have time for this month’s Food‘n Flix (in Food ‘n Flix, participants watch the selected movie, then cook up something inspired by the film).  December is always crazy busy with school activities and Christmas preparations, so I just didn’t think there would be time.

But then, I ended up at the library with my boys and this month’s movie, The Jane Austen Book Club, hosted by Kimberly from Coffee and Casseroles, was available.  So I picked it up on a whim, hoping there would be something I could make with little time to prepare.

The movie centers around 5 women, all at different phases of their lives.   They range in age and relationship status and use the 6 Jane Austen novels as a way to connect and refocus their lives (with the help of the one attractive book club man). 

After the first 10 minutes, I was convinced I was going to hate the movie.  The life choices some of the characters made were absolutely deplorable!  Thankfully, most of the characters started to grow on me (except Prudie – I never did like her.  At all.) and make better choices and I actually ended up enjoying the movie overall!

On to the food!  There’s tons of coffee, a few nice dinners, and lot of book club style snacks!

Though it doesn’t actually appear in the movie, I decided to make pizza stuffed snowman buns.  I made these for a couple reasons: 1. This is something I’d totally make if I hosted a book club or game night, 2. I knew my kids would love them, and 3. It’s Christmas Eve, so these fit in perfectly with family movie night!

I adapted my stuffed pizza bun recipe to make little stuffed snowmen with carrot noses and red pepper and celery scarves!  They were so cute and easy to make!  You could totally use frozen bread dough for these, but I prefer my favorite bread recipe!

Snowman Pizza Buns

Inspired by Tasty

1 recipe bread dough, prepared to punch down stage

8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut in chunks

1 package mini pepperoni

1 carrot, cut in small triangles

1 stalk celery, cut in small sticks

1 red bell pepper, cut in small sticks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly spray three 9-inch cake pans with nonstick spray.

Divide the dough into 24 two-ounce pieces and 24 one-ounces pieces.   Flatten each of the two ounce pieces.  Place a chunk of mozzarella and several pieces of pepperoni in the center.  Wrap the edges around and pinch to close.  Place the stuffed bun, seam side down in the prepared pan.  Roll a small piece of dough in a ball (unstuffed) and place next to a stuffed bun, toward the center.

Continue stuffing and rolling until each of the pans is filled with 7 or 8 snowmen.  Note that there will be a bit of space between the dough balls to allow for rising.  Loosely cover the pans with a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise for 20-30 minutes.

Optional – push a carrot triangle into each snowman head and lay red pepper and celery for scarves.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the buns are lightly browned.

If not added previously, now add carrot noses and celery and red pepper scarves and serve immediately.