By request from my brother-in-law, my sister and I set about making spicy pepperoni cheesesticks to rival the ones he loved as a kid (or teen, or recently, I can’t remember). I knew we had a lot to live up to, so we made sure we were doing this right. I had been eyeing this recipe for a couple days, knowing that these jalapeño sticks would be the perfect prototype for what were trying to create. Reading the recipe I determined that pizza dough was the answer. So we used my regular pizza dough recipe, got some Tex Mex shredded cheese, some very spicy pepperoni sticks, and set about making these delicious treats. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. These came together like gangbusters, they were tasty and satisfied my brother-in-laws cravings. Success!

Spicy Pepperoni Cheesesticks

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

• 1  package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsps white sugar
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2/3 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or Tex Mex)

The Rest

• 1 package of spicy pepperoni sticks
• shredded cheddar or Tex Mex cheese (jalapeño, cheddar, mozza, etc.)
• chili powder for dusting

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, oregano, chili powder, cheese, salt, and white sugar. Stir well.
3. Add in the olive oil and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine.
   

   Kel stirs as I pour.

4. Mix well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out in a rectangle (if possible) to about 1/4 inch thickness.
6. Slice strips of dough 2 1/4 inches wide.
7. Place a pepperoni stick in the middle of the strips, place some cheese along side the pepperoni, and pull the dough around and pinch to seal all the way along the stick. Fold the ends over (cut off excess dough and reserve for more sticks) and pinch to seal.
8. Place sealed sticks on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with more cheese and some chili powder.
9. Bake for about 20 minutes, the sticks will be golden brown and the cheese will have melted. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before eating.

Heading into the oven.

Tasty.