Pull-Apart Christmas Wreath Appetizer Recipe

Pull-Apart Christmas Wreath Appetizer Recipe: Make your holiday gathering special with this cheesy, garlicky, pull-apart Christmas wreath appetizer. It’s wonderfully festive and simple to throw together.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 ½ cups flour
• 6 pieces mozzarella string cheese
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• Fresh parsley
• 24 slices pepperoni
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 ounce (about ½ cup) sundried tomatoes
• 1 cup marinara sauce

Directions

1. Add the yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, and olive oil to 1 ½ cups warm water.
2. After the yeast dissolves add in the flour and stir until it is incorporated.
3. Knead the dough for a few minutes by hand.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.
5. Cut each string cheese into 4 equal pieces.
6. Cube the butter and place in a small bowl.
7. Grate or press the garlic over the butter and add the remaining teaspoon salt.
8. Microwave the garlic butter until melted, about 1 minute.
9. Chop the parsley.
10. Line an unrimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place a small bowl in the center.
11. Unwrap the dough and turn it onto a floured surface.
12. Cut the dough into equal-sized pieces, about 24 total.
13. Flatten a piece of dough and place a slice of pepperoni and a piece of the mozzarella onto the center.
14. Pull the dough around the pepperoni and cheese to form a ball.
15. Arrange the dough balls around the bowl on the parchment paper. Vary the size and placement as you wish.
16. Remove the bowl. Cover the dough and let rise for another 30 minutes.
17. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
18. Brush the wreath with half of the garlic butter.
19. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown and puffed.
20. Add the parsley to the remaining garlic butter.
21. Brush the remaining garlic butter over the baked wreath.
22. Add rosemary and sundried tomatoes as garnish.
23. Fill the small bowl with warm marinara sauce, set in the center of the wreath, and serve.

Nutrition

• Calories per Serving – 1,160
• Total Fat – 82.1 g
• Saturated Fat – 35.4 g
• Trans Fat – 2.0 g
• Cholesterol – 176.2 mg
• Total Carbohydrates – 65.0 g
• Dietary Fiber – 4.0 g
• Total Sugars – 4.2 g
• Sodium – 2,026.0 mg
• Protein – 38.9 g