Description
Celebrate Halloween with these fun and festive Witch Hat Calzones, featuring a savory blend of pepperoni, cheeses, Italian sausage, sautéed peppers and onions, all wrapped in flaky crescent roll dough. These adorable calzones are perfect for parties or a spooky snack, served warm with marinara sauce for dipping.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling
- ½ cup pepperoni, sliced small (plus an additional 10 slices for decoration)
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup sautéed peppers & onions
- ½ cup cooked Italian sausage
Dough & Seasoning
- 2 packages crescent rolls (8 ounces each)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Egg Wash
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
For Serving
- Marinara sauce, served warm
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prep baking sheets: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Cook Italian sausage, sautéed peppers, and onions if not already prepared.
- Prepare pepperoni: Slice ½ cup of pepperoni into small pieces for the filling. Cut an additional 8-10 slices into fun shapes like diamonds, triangles, and crescent moons to decorate the calzone hats later. Set both aside.
- Mix the seasoning: In a small bowl, combine kosher salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning to create the dry seasoning blend.
- Make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix together softened cream cheese, shredded mozzarella, grated Parmesan, sautéed peppers and onions, cooked Italian sausage, the small pepperoni slices, and a generous sprinkle of the seasoning blend until everything is well combined.
- Prepare crescent roll bases: Unroll the crescent rolls into individual triangles. Arrange four triangles on each prepared baking sheet and set the remaining four triangles aside; these will be the tops of the calzones. Keep dough cool to prevent tearing.
- Make the egg wash: Lightly beat 1 egg and mix in 1 tablespoon of water. Using a brush, coat the edges of the crescent roll triangles on the baking sheets with the egg wash to help seal the calzones.
- Fill the calzones: Spoon 1½ to 2 tablespoons of the cheese and meat filling onto the center of each crescent roll triangle.
- Assemble the calzones: Place a second crescent roll triangle on top of each filled triangle, carefully pressing the edges together to seal in the filling.
- Shape the witch hats: Fold up the bottom edge of each calzone to create a ‘brim’ resembling a witch’s hat. Shape the tip of the calzone into a pointed witch hat peak.
- Brush and decorate: Brush the tops of the witch hat calzones with additional egg wash. Place the shaped pepperoni pieces along the brims as decorative accents. Sprinkle more of the seasoning blend over the hats for extra flavor.
- Bake: Bake the calzones in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Optionally, sprinkle with extra grated Parmesan cheese right after baking.
- Serve: Warm the marinara sauce in the microwave in 15-second increments until hot. Serve the witch hat calzones warm with the marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Keep the crescent roll dough cool while working to prevent tearing.
- Feel free to customize the filling by adding mushrooms or other vegetables.
- Use fresh marinara sauce or your favorite store-bought variety for dipping.
- For an extra crispy crust, bake on a preheated pizza stone if available.
- These calzones are best enjoyed warm but can be reheated in the oven for best texture retention.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 calzone
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 620mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
