Mini Cheese Calzones

Chewy bread filled with gooey mozzarella and garlic, topped with toasted parmesan cheese. Pure hand-held joy. Oh, and don't even get me started about how easy these are... Frozen dinner rolls, cheese sticks, garlic, olive oil, and parm. That's it!

About the garlic granules: I chose to use garlic granules (also called granulated garlic) over garlic powder for this recipe - and it's really just a textural thing. Garlic granules are coarser - like fine cornmeal, whereas garlic powder is more flour-like. Both work here. Garlic granules are sold next to the garlic powder in the spice aisle.

Serving suggestion: My boys like to dunk their calzones in warm marinara sauce, so serve some on the side if you also like dunking! I bet pizza sauce would be amazing too...

Prep ahead friendly: Despite what you may think about yeast rolls (that they can't be refrigerated once they've risen), they're actually pretty flexible. You can assemble the calzones as described below and pop them in the fridge for up to 24 hours (cover loosely with plastic). Pull them from the refrigerator 45 minutes before baking.

Mini Cheese Calzones

12 refrigerated or frozen dinner rolls (if frozen, thaw them according to package directions)
6 cheese sticks of choice (mozzarella, mozzarella and cheddar, etc.), halved crosswise
1 teaspoon garlic granules or garlic powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Press the dinner rolls out onto the parchment paper, until about 1/4-inch thick.

 Top each roll with a piece of the cheese (1/2 cheese stick per roll).

Fold over the dough, making mini calzones. Pinch the edges together to seal. Brush with the olive oil.

Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown

Serve warm or room temperature (with warm marinara or pizza sauce if desired!).

Makes 12 mini calzones