Palace Olive Poppers

• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 24 kalamata olives
• 3 tablespoons cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese; grated, sharp
• 9 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce; like Tabasco
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 – 3 tablespoons milk; as needed

Preheat the Easy-Bake Oven for 15 minutes. Put the butter in one of the warming trays, place on the oven top, and allow the butter to melt.

Pit the kalamata olives with an olive pitter, keeping them as whole and unbroken as possible.

Place the cream cheese in a small bowl and beat it with a spoon to soften it slightly. Using your fingers, stuff the olives with the softened cream cheese. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the cheddar cheese, flour, hot pepper sauce, and salt. Add the melted butter, and mix. Gradually add the milk, missing with each pour and adding more as needed, to create a soft dough.

Pinch off small balls of dough about the same size as the olives. Flatten each ball of dough with your fingers and wrap each olive.

Place the dough-wrapped olives in an Easy-Bake Oven pan lined with parchment paper (each pan will hold approximately three to four olives). If necessary, flatten each olive slightly so that the pan will easily pass through the baking chamber.

Bake in Easy-Bake Oven for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Server warm.

Makes 24 Servings