Bacon Cheeseburger Bites

These delicious little bites have all the flavor of the a bacon cheeseburger ... and they just pop in your mouth.... just watch them disappear!

A perfect snack for watching the big game.... make them up ahead.. then pop them in the oven later ... after all.. you don't want to be in the kitchen and miss any of the action.

They go great with Pigs in the Blanket...

TIPS

While developing this recipe I tried it a number of ways... these tips really do make it easier... trust me..

I tried them with puff pastry... it worked.. but I felt the pastry was too tender... while it was a bit easier to work with.. I didn't feel it gave the "right feel" .. you can try using it.. but I highly recommend Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls come in numerous varieties... I tried them.... the best option turned out to be the original ones... the Butter Flake ones are good .. the Big ones are easier to work with... and yield more.. but the original... in my opinion is best... the flavor better mimics a burger bun.

The filling was a challenge to get all the flavors and taste in one little bite AND get the dough to go around it.... so here are the best tips...

I tried cooking the ground beef and just breaking it up in the pan with a spatula.. it works .. but you're stuck standing there breaking it up as it cooks... but it really doesn't get small enough... so you will end up doing the food processor step anyway....I found that cooking up a burger patty in a pan... then allowing it to cool... breaking it into pieces and putting it into a mini processor works best... you get the beef in tiny pieces.

I made the bacon in my oven as I always do... no muss no fuss no mess... click here if you don't know how to do it.

The pickles, onion and bacon... all need to go into the mini chopper too... so I did the bacon and onion together .. and the pickles with the beef... just a few pulses is all you need .... if you use a large processor.. you can try doing them all together.. I didn't do that....

Let's talk about the cheese... I do think cutting an American cheese slice into a square that fits on the dough with a little bit of border works best... I tried using shredded cheese.. and believe it or not the shreds are too big for the bite without spilling out when assembling it before baking.  The biggest issue I had with it was.. even if I chopped the shreds.. I didn't get enough cheese taste to mimic a cheeseburger... so I recommend you use American cheese slices.

As for the number of cheese slices.. you don't need many.. I lost count because we were nibbling on the pieces.

The filling mixture ingredients (all except the cheese) go into a bowl... add ketchup .. and mix it together... how much ketchup depends on how much you want ketchup.. some people load up their burgers with ketchup.. I don't ... so I added about 3 tablespoons of ketchup.

Cutting the dough... it wasn't too bad after a number of tries... simply unroll the crescent dough on a cutting board... press the diagonal perforations closed.. it forms 4 large rectangles.  Separate the rectangles... cut each of them into thirds the short way.. then in half the long way... making 6 pieces of dough resembling the size of raviolis....

Optional garnish is sesame seeds.. my first batch had them on it.. adorable little bites.. like an idiot, I forgot to take a picture.. the second batch I left the seeds off for those people who can't have seeds...it's a nice touch.. but not essential.

Each can of crescent rolls makes 12 snacks. So this recipe will make 24.

I served these in a basket with some ketchup and mustard in small ramekins for dipping.  We had another basket of Pigs in a Blanket.. and we were good to go!

I hope you enjoy these delicious little snacks!

Recipe:  Bacon Cheeseburger Bites

All you need:

2 cans Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls

2 quarter pound beef hamburgers, fully cooked

1/4 cup Hamburger Dill Pickle slices

1/4 of a small onion

3 strips of crisp bacon, fully cooked

3 tablespoons ketchup

American cheese slices

1 egg white beaten (optional) *See TIPS

sesame seeds (optional) *See TIPS

All you need to do:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil.

Unroll the crescent dough on a cutting board... press the diagonal perforations closed.. it forms 4 large rectangles.  Separate the rectangles... cut each of them into thirds the short way.. then in half the long way... making 6 pieces of dough resembling the size of raviolis.

Cut the American cheese slices into pieces that fit onto the cut pieces of dough, leaving a small border.  You will only need cheese for have the dough.  Place the cheese on have of the dough pieces.

Break the burger up into chunks and place it in a mini processor. Cut up the slices of pickle into smaller pieces and place it in the  processor with the burger chunks.  Pulse until crumbly.. only a few pulses should be necessary.  Dump the mixture into a small bowl.

Cut up the onion into small pieces and place them into the mini processor.  Break up the cook bacon strips and the pieces to the onion in the processor.  Pulse until crumbly pieces and dump into the bowl with the beef and pickle mixture.  Stir well to mix and add the ketchup and mix well.

Scoop out some filling from the bowl.. I used a heaping measuring 1/2 teaspoon... place it on top of the cheese in the center.  Take one of the pieces of dough without the cheese and place it on top of the filling.  Crimp the edges closed... it will look like a ravioli... when picking it up off of the cutting board.. fold the crimped edges under to make it look a little more like a ball... place it crimped side down on the prepared baking sheet.

 

If any of the perforations come open.. just squeeze them closed.

If using the sesame seed garnish ... lightly beat the egg white in a small bowl.  Using a pastry brush.. brush the tops of the bites and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with ketchup and/or mustard for dipping.