Adapted by Jennifer Deweese

This recipe can be prepared with biscuit dough or pizza dough.

1 pound Dean’s sausage, HOT works best, cooked and crumbled,
1 pizza dough or 2 cans of large biscuits (Pillsbury Grands! is a good one)
4oz cream cheese
1 cup cheddar blend or Italian blend, something that melts well
scant 1 cup pesto, optional
1/4-1/2 cup garlic butter or garlic olive oil
minced parsley
grated parmesan
red and green bell peppers, small dice, optional
pepperoni, optional (mini size works great)
black olives, sliced, optional
16 oz. marinara for dipping, optional
parchment paper

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
For pizza dough version preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for about 15 minutes.
For biscuit version preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for approximately 30 minutes.

Allow dough to relax by setting it out for about 15 minutes prior to working into a square. Press dough into a square and cut into 32 for biscuits or 36 for pizza dough. Mix cheeses and Dean’s sausage together. If you are using pizza dough this is a good time to add flavor with pesto.
Place a dollop of mixture onto center of square and press seams together to form a ball. Reserve unused portion of sausage cheese mixture to stuff mushrooms, peppers, or use as a sandwich spread. Place seam side down on parchment paper and arrange to form a Christmas tree. Bake until done and brush with garlic butter or olive oil and sprinkle with salt, parsley and other toppings of your choice. I recommend sprinkling red pepper flakes and grated parmesan cheese on both the pizza dough version as well as the biscuit version. Serve with marinara or white sausage gravy for dipping if desired. Cheers!
* This is a great recipe to make with kids!