I’ve partnered with Social Stars and Whirlpool® to create these Pepperoni Pizza Rolls as part of The Whirlpool® Every Day, Care™ Project. #EveryDayCare
Several months ago, my wife and I took a trip down to Texas to visit family. It was great to get out of town for a bit and reconnect with family that we aren’t able to see very often. (East Texas is a long haul from upstate New York.) Aside from seeing family, one of the highlights of the trip was the chance to reconnect with two of my best friends from my days living in Baton Rouge, LA.
I remember the day like it was yesterday. A new neighbor had recently moved into the apartment just across from my patio. I was heading out to walk my dog one evening, and it just so happened that he was out grabbing some fresh air, too. Over the course of the conversation, we realized we had a lot in common…and sure enough, we became great friends. Dale and his wife, Missy, got married a couple weeks later, and I fish-sat for them while they were gone. You know you’re good friends when you fish-sit (is that a thing?) for each other.
As it turns out, my new neighbor was quite the master with the grill (despite the picture above where a rogue burger somehow jumped off the grill). Over the course of the next year, I learned all sorts of awesome grilling tips and tricks. He taught me how to make delicious burgers and beer-can chicken, and I gladly soaked it all in. (I didn’t know it back then, but I was destined to become a food blogger! I’ve always loved food, and I’ve always loved learning new skills in the kitchen.) We had more backyard (uh, back patio) grilling parties than I can remember. Memorial Day, Labor Day, July 4th, heck even Mardi Gras…every holiday was a legitimate excuse to pull out the grill and invite friends over!
As it often happens, life intervened. They moved out to the California wine country, and I later moved off to Atlanta. My wife knew all about Dale and Missy even though she had never met them. We talked about taking a trip out to California to visit, but the trip just never happened. Fast forward 5 more years, and I find out that Dale and Missy have moved back to Texas to be closer to family. And it just so happens that our families live pretty close to one another. So when my wife and I set off on our tour across East Texas, a visit with Dale and Missy was an absolute requirement!
We caught up over some beers and pizza in a tiny sports bar in a town I’d never heard of. The topic of conversation turned to food blogging, and I attempted to describe what I do on a daily basis. I mean, most people are familiar with blogs…but it’s still difficult to describe all of the different aspects that go into posting new recipes several times a week. Somewhere in that conversation, Dale told me a story about Chancey’s Chrusties.
I’d never heard of Chancey’s, but apparently it was a restaurant in Radford, VA that closed its doors several years back. Dale traveled for work when he first graduated college, and he’d come across Chancey’s on a visit to Radford. Chrusties were Chancey’s signature item, and students would literally take turns leaving parties early on the weekend to get multiple orders of Chrusties for all of their friends. Chrusties are absolutely legendary around Radford.
Since Dale knew that I liked to experiment in the kitchen, he suggested that I recreate Chancey’s Chrusties. Given that I’ve never actually eaten a Chrustie from Chancey’s (and never will since they closed up shop several years ago), I had to rely on descriptions from Dale as well as comments on a Facebook group. Yes, there is an entire Facebook group devoted to Chancey’s Chrusties!
Once back home, I decided to take a stab at the Chrustie. From what I’ve been able to determine, the Chrustie is essentially a pizza roll. But it’s not a traditional pizza in that the recipe doesn’t call for marinara sauce. Nope, you dip Chrusties in ranch dressing. I was a little wary of how this recipe would turn out, but I quickly figured out why students would stop partying to get Chrusties before the shop closed up for the night. These things were delicious! I called them Pepperoni Pizza Rolls, and my wife and I shared a batch one night for dinner while we watched a movie. We love making pizza around our house (and I’ve shared quite a few of our pizza creations here), and these Chrusties ranked up there near the top of the list!
I’ve sent the recipe off to Dale, and I’ll have to get his opinion on how this version matches up against the original Chrustie. Similar or not, I do know that these Pepperoni Pizza Rolls make for one tasty snack! (Ok, maybe we turned these into a meal…after all, Friday night is pizza night around our house.) Even though it’s not grilling, it also felt awesome to finally repay Dale for imparting all of his grilling knowledge on me years ago. Sharing masterful grilling techniques and tasty pizza roll recipes is one way that guys show care!
What are the simple acts of care that you do for others on a daily basis? Whirlpool® has launched The Every day, care™ Project to highlight how simple acts of care can change the world. Care doesn’t have to be anything crazy. Perhaps you filled your wife’s car with gas when she wasn’t looking. Or maybe you took your dogs on extra long walk just because the weather was nice. These little acts can make a big difference! Click here to check out the Every day, care™ website and see how the little things can add up to big changes.
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Is it Friday night yet? I want some more Chrusties! Did you ever visit Chancey’s in Radford, VA? What was your favorite late-night food in college?
Ingredients
- 1 batch pizza dough (homemade or store-bought *see note below)
- 1 Tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cups Provolone cheese
- 4 oz. pepperoni
- Ranch dressing, for dipping
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Divide the pizza dough into two equally-sized pieces of dough.
- Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into a large rectangle (roughly 6”x12”) on a well-floured countertop.
- Brush the dough with half of the melted butter.
- Lay the dough lengthwise, and sprinkle half of the minced garlic, half of the Italian seasoning and half of the Provolone evenly over the dough. Layer half of the pepperoni on top of the Provolone. (Tip: Leave a little bit of room on each of the long edges. This will make it easier to roll the dough and pinch it together.)
- Starting with one of the long edges, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Once rolled, pinch the seam closed.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the cylinder into 12 equally sized pieces. Place the pieces cut side up on a piece of parchment paper.
- Repeat process with the remaining piece of dough.
- Bake at 425°F for 16-20 minutes, or until dough is golden brown in color.
- Serve with ranch dipping sauce.
Notes
Local pizza shops will also sometimes sell batches of their dough for a couple of dollars...and it often tastes much better than the store-bought version! Call a couple of local pizza shops in your town to see if any of them sell just their dough.
These look so delicious, David! I bet my brothers would go crazy over them!
Thank you so much, Tori…these were really delicious! I was a little skeptical about the ranch dressing instead of marinara, but it totally worked!
I just Googled Chauncey’s Chrusties and WOA – they sound like they were – ARE – quite the phenomena! And your version sounds incredible – don’t even get me started on how good it looks!
Haha…thanks, Shashi! I did the same Google search as you did to try and learn about these things. I have no idea how this version ranks up against the original, but I do know that these were really tasty. Now I want pizza rolls for breakfast! 🙂
Just like Shashi I googled Chauncey’ Chrusties and OMG they are legit. But I think your version is even more legit, since you made with your paws! Right?
#WolfpackLegit
Totally! Anything that is made with paws is totally legit…and tasty.
Woah these look so good! I love the idea of these, I think I’m going to have to make a batch of these instead of pizza next time pizza comes up on the menu for dinner!
Absolutely, Sam! We love our homemade pizza around here, but these Chrusties were delicious! They’ve definitely earned a spot in our regular rotation of weekend comfort food. 🙂
I love friends like Dale and Missy .. when you meet people and immediately hit it off . . . and these pepperoni-pizza-rolls-chrusties?!!! oh my gawd!!! delicious! and will check out the The Every day, care™ Project!!!
Thanks, Alice! Yes, life is all about those friends who you just connect with. The kind you could spend Friday AND Saturday night with, ya know? Haha!
That’s awesome that you could reconnect with Dale and Missy! Do I have to wait for Friday night to have some of these Chrusties? They are so fun and look so delicious, I may have to have some before then!
You absolutely do not HAVE to wait until Friday night. But maybe you should just sit around all week thinking about these pizza rolls. That way, you’ll be more than ready for a beer and some tasty pizza rolls by the time Friday gets here. Is it only Tuesday?!?
Oh these look awesome!!! So cute!
Thank you so much, Anne! These were super delicious indeed! 🙂
They look delicious, going to give them a try. Thanks for recipe.
No problem at all, Bernice! These bad boys are similar enough to pizza, but the ranch dipping sauce makes for a fun little twist. Now I wish I had some leftovers for breakfast…haha! 🙂
Hi David! I made jambalaya for dinner and now I want these! You have seriously messed with my plan!
Maybe these could be a midnight snack? 🙂
You can never, ever, ever go wrong with jambalaya, Dorothy! I’m all about Cajun food every night…except for pizza night. That’s when these tasty pizza rolls get to make an appearance!
Oh boy, I love these awesome bad guys! I made my first pizza rolls just last year and shortly after repeated, and they always were the winner! There’s something cosy in having them instead of a regular pizza. Probably it’s because when I have a large pizza, I always nervous that I might have eaten too many pizza slices. On the other hand, when you have pizza rolls, there is even no reason to count them since they are so small, right? Sounds a bit lame though. Anyways, yours look so good. Count me on please. I will be only 7 (not really hungry today) ha-ha. Nicely done!
I totally agree, Ben! I thought I would prefer a regular pizza (and perhaps I still do), but these pizza rolls were ridiculously awesome! I absolutely did NOT count how many I ate. Plus, who is to say how many is too many when it comes to mini pizza rolls? I’ll save 8 for you…how’s that sound? 🙂
That sounds great, David! Thanks a lot. 7 is enough and the last one we should give to your mail lady:)
These look soooo good! I like the idea of dipping in ranch, yum.
Thank you so much, Bianca! I was a bit skeptical about the ranch dressing…but it totally works!!
David, these pin pizza rolls look very good! Love the idea! Perfect for snacking!
Thanks, Savita…they were super delicious! …and I’m kinda sad they are all gone right now. Haha!
Whoa… I have been making pizza quite a bit lately, but pizza ROLLS? This just takes it to the next level! LOVE the look of these!
Thank you so much, Cathleen! Mix it up next time and make pizza rolls instead! I was a little skeptical about the lack of marinara sauce, but it totally works. 🙂
Diggin’ these cheesy pizza rolls and that crispy top looks most inviting to sink my teeth into. It’ll be interesting to hear his opinion on how this version matches up against the original Chrustie.
Funny too is this is a partnered post with Whirlpool and the first thing I saw on the pizza rolls was their swirl logo! Nicely done friend. 🙂
Yes, cheesy pizza treats get everyone’s attention. Next time you try to make a new friend use these as your secret weapon. GREG
Haha! I like the way you think, Greg…friendship? check! Pizza rolls to the rescue!
No need to wait until Friday to eat these. I would eat them for breakfast every day haha. Pizza is totally a breakfast food, right?
Pizza is totally breakfast food, Dannii! (It’s also lunch, snack, dinner, midnight snack…haha!)
These sound great. But I have a question. In step 6 you say, “Lay the dough lengthwise, and sprinkle half of the minced garlic, half of the Italian seasoning and half of the Provolone evenly over the upper half of the rectangle”. But in the pictures you show these goodies spread all over, and the pepperoni just in a strip down the middle. It would seem to me that if doing this as per the written steps 6 through 8, that the center of your roll is just a lot of dough, and the “fillings” are clustered around, but just inside, the outer edge. Could you please clarify this?
Geez…that does sound terribly confusing when I read back over it, Drew. Thanks for pointing that out! I believe the goal here was to make sure you could get the dough to roll up nicely. Otherwise, you’d end up with a big mess of dough and fillings falling out everywhere. But I will definitely reword this in the recipe so that is makes more sense. I apologize for the confusion…I have no idea what I was thinking when I wrote this! Haha!
I just had a serious craving for Chrusties and decided to search to see if anyone had replicated them! I will have to try these and see if it brings back memories of my RU days 😉
Hey Kayla! Did your serious craving for Chrusties have something to do with football on tv this weekend? 🙂 Let me know what you think for sure! As I wrote in the post, I never had the chance to have the real authentic Chrusties…but I did have some pretty good guidance. I do know these are delicious…but I’m curious to see if they are even in the ballpark as the real thing! Enjoy! 🙂
They were so good! My favorites were bbq chicken or just cheese. You had to use Chancey’s ranch, bottle was no comparison!
Hey Shawnna! I never had the chance to try Chancey’s, but I’ve heard such great things from my buddy. Wouldn’t that be great if we had their ranch recipe?? Either way, thanks for stopping by and commenting! 🙂
Man,,, i went to radford and i gotta say, you’re missing out big time until you have had the bbq chicken version
Other thing seriously missing here is a bomb buttermilk ranch recipe!
The crusties were awesome, but the ranch was like crack! Lol
Hey Odie! Alright…you’ve convinced me! The BBQ chicken version is in the works. I wish I had gotten a chance to try crusties. That buttermilk ranch sounds delicious. Thanks for the thoughts and inspiration!