"Surprise your guests at the next early morning tailgate with this breakfast treat! Perfect recipe for your tailgate menu!"
4 unbaked store-bought or homemade 9-inch piecrusts
24 8-inch cookie sticks, plus one to use as a crimping dowel
Casserole Filling
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 pound spicy pork sausage, browned and drained
3 slices of bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
1 large egg, beaten, for brushing
1:3 mixture of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan, and grease and flour a large baking sheet.
To prepare the filling: In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add shredded cheese and sausage. Last, add the torn pieces of bread, and stir everything together by hand. Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until set and slightly browned. Cut into small portions to use for the pie pop filling right away. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F.
To assemble the pie pops: Flour both sides of the two piecrusts, and then roll flat with a rolling pin. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut 24 rounds from the dough, 12 for the bottom crust and 12 for the top crust.
Lay out the 12 bottom crusts on the prepared baking sheet. Brush each bottom crust with egg white, using a silicone basting brush. Press an 8-inch-long cookie stick firmly on top of the center of each bottom crust.
Place a 1 1/2-inch piece of casserole filling in the center of each bottom crust. Place a top crust over each bottom crust and press firmly around the sides only, sealing the filling inside.
Create a cookie stick dowel by cutting a 1-inch-long piece off the end of an 8-inch-long cookie stick. Use this dowel to crimp the sealed edges of the pie pop by pressing firmly on each side of the inserted stick first, and then move counterclockwise around the edges. This will keep the stick from moving around once the pie pop is baked.
After each pop is sealed and pressed, brush more egg white on each top crust. Finally, sprinkle top crusts with the garnish mixture of salt and pepper.
Place the baking sheet of pie pops on the center rack of the oven, and bake at 375°F or 15 to 18 minutes, until the pop crusts are nice and golden. Then, place the individual pops on a cooling rack, and let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.