Ring in the New Year's by serving this cheesy Skillet Pizza Dip Countdown Clock loaded with pepperoni and bacon. The four cheese dip is surrounded by 12 cheese-filled pizza puffs each decorated with a number on a clock.
Whenever I bring a hot Pizza Dip to a party it is a huge hit, so I thought it would be fun to turn this easy recipe into a New Year's Eve appetizer.
The dip is loaded with four different kinds of cheese, bacon, and pepperoni, plus the pizza crust puffs that surround the dip are filled with cheese too.
This dip is great all on its own, but it is so easy to dress it up for your New Year's Eve party.
Your party guests can easily break off a cheese-filled pizza puff and scoop up some dip.
There's just the right amount of dip to bread ratio and this dip stays nice and hot because it's baked and served in a skillet.
Let's make a Skillet Pizza Dip Countdown Clock
Video
Watch this video to see how easy it is to make, then check out the step-by-step instructions and recipe below.
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Ingredients
- 1 Pillsbury Classic Pizza Dough
- 3 sticks string cheese
- 1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water
- 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese softened
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 5 slices cooked bacon crumbled
- 1 cup mini pepperoni
- 1 block (an 8-ounce block) mozzarella cheese
Supplies
- cutting board
- pizza cutter or knife
- 12-inch non-stick oven-safe skillet
- pastry brush
- number cutters - Choose cutters that are between 1 and 2 inches tall.
Instructions
step 1 - make cheese-filled pizza puffs
- To keep this recipe quick and easy, use Pillsbury Pizza Dough. Unroll the dough and cut it into 12 rectangles.
- Brush egg wash over the dough.
- Cut 3 string cheese strips into 4 equal pieces and set one piece on each rectangle of dough.
- Pull the dough up over the cheese and pinch together the seams.
- Roll dough into a ball then set it into a buttered 10-inch oven-proof skillet.
- Repeat, putting all 12 dough balls around the edge of the skillet.
step 2 - fill skillet with pizza dip then bake
- Spread some pizza sauce in the middle of the skillet.
- Blend together cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, Ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and salt together then spread it in the pan.
- Top with more sauce, half of the bacon and pepperoni, and half of the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the dip for 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
You'll add the rest of the ingredients after it bakes for a while. If you add them now, they'll ooze out over the pizza puffs and won't look very nice.
step 3 - make cheese numbers and clock hands
- When the dip comes out of the oven, top with the remaining sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, bacon, and pepperoni.
- Bake for another 7-10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the pizza puffs are deep golden brown and are baked through.
- While that is baking, cut numbers out of slices of mozzarella cheese and arrange them like a clock on top of the pizza puffs.
- Cut one hour hand and one minute hand out of cheese and place in the center of the dip so that the clock looks like it is about to strike midnight.
- The cheese numbers will melt slightly on the hot pizza crust and they will stick to the baked dough.
- Serve immediately.
Related Recipes
If you are hosting or attending a New Year's Eve party, you might also enjoy making these other festive recipes.
Printable Recipe
Cheese-filled pizza puffs surround cheesy pizza dip filled with bacon and pepperoni all decorated like a countdown clock for New Year's eve.
- 1 Pillsbury Classic Pizza Dough
- 3 sticks string cheese
- 1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water
- 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese softened
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 5 slices cooked bacon crumbled
- 1 cup mini pepperoni
- 1 block (an 8-ounce block) mozzarella cheese
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Preheat oven to 350ºF.
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Grease a 10-inch oven-safe non-stick skillet (or cast-iron skillet) with some butter or non-stick baking spray.
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Brush egg wash over pieces of pizza dough.
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Set one piece of the string cheese on a square of dough.
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Attach opposing corners of the dough, then pinch around the edges to seal the dough. Pinch and roll into a ball.
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Set balls of dough around the edge of the buttered skillet, creating one row of 12.
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Combine cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and salt.
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Spoon ¼ cup pizza sauce in the bottom of the skillet.
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Spread the cream cheese mixture over top.
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Spread ½ cup pizza sauce over top and sprinkle on half of the bacon, half of the pepperoni, and half of the remaining mozzarella cheese.
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Bake for 25 minutes.
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Remove and top with remaining sauce, bacon, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese.
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Return the dip to the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes until the pizza puffs are deep golden brown and the dip is hot and bubbly.
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While the dip is baking, cut the block of mozzarella cheese into ¼ inch thick slices. Cut slices using number cutters, creating 1 through 12. Cut a minute hand and an hour hand for the clock too.
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When the dip is ready, arrange the numbers on the pizza puffs and the hands in the center of the dip creating a clock.
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Serve immediately.
- This dip is best when eaten when it comes out of the oven, but you can make this ahead and bake it before your party, then reheat it and place the cheese numbers on top before serving.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator, and reheat in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes until heated through.
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Louise Jackson
Fantastic recipes.
Karen @ Sugartown Sweets
Another party hit! This is awesome Beth! What goes better with new year's eve than pizza? Happy New Year Beth! 🙂
Beth
Thanks, Karen. 🙂
Mindy
I just finished making this and will reheat, add numbers, and serve it to the hubs and kiddos as an appetizer tonight. Thanks for the idea!
Beth
I'm so happy to hear you made this! My family and friends loved it. It re-heats well! Happy New Year.
the partiologist
I'm afraid if I made this pizza dip, I'd eat all the little rolls around the edge long before midnight! Such a fun way to serve a dip! Wishing you rest and the best in 2016!!
Beth
The cheesy rolls are hard to resist! I hope you have a wonderful New Year too.
Tavette
You are just too clever! The dip looks so good and what a great idea to have numbers on the rolls. They're the perfect size. Thanks for the tip of adding some of the ingredients after the first bake so nothing overflows.
You deserve a long winter's nap after all you've been creating this year! So much fun to open your posts and see what wonderful goodies you've created in your kitchen. From appetizers to the final course - you do it all!
Happy New Year to you, your wonderful husband and your little furball.
Tavette - S. Fla.
Beth
Happy New Year, Tavette. I am happy to report that I did get a nice winter's nap. I took 2 days this week to just rest and catch up on all those Hallmark Christmas movies I recorded, but didn't have time to watch. Normally I hate laying around all day, but I really needed the break. I am not well rested and ready to tackle the new year.
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and wish you all the best in the new year.