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These Halloween Witch Hat Calzones are a delicious appetizer or side dish for your Halloween menu. They are perfect for serving at Halloween parties or just for fun at home!
My family has been making this recipe for these Halloween Witch Hat Calzones since my 21-year-old son was a young kid. We found the original recipe at Better Homes & Garden when we were looking for fun Halloween ideas. I think we have made it – along with our Spider Cookies and Candy Corn Snack Mix – every year since then.
The recipe is easy and fun to make. And they are so delicious! My 10-year-old daughter loves them. I had to share this recipe with you!
Why We Love These Calzones:
- They are so easy to make. Kids can help with making them.
- The recipe uses simple ingredients.
- They are very festive, and kids love them!
- Perfect for serving up before going trick or treating!
- They are also great to serve at a Halloween party.
Ingredients Needed
- Pepperoni
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese, grated
- Cream Cheese – Softened to room temperature.
- Crescent Rolls
- Egg
- Salt, Pepper, & Italian Seasoning
- Marinara Sauce
- Optional Add-Ins: Sauteed Peppers & Onions & Italian Sausage
For the marinara sauce, we use our favorite sauce from the grocery store. Use whatever sauce you prefer to go with these calzones.
How to Make Halloween Witch Hat Calzones
First, preheat your oven to 425°F. Place parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on your baking sheet.
Why use parchment paper or a baking mat? They both help prevent sticking, reduce browning on the bottom of the calzones, and promote even baking. Also, using them makes your pan easier to clean up.
While your oven is preheating, slice up the pepperoni into small triangular pieces. If you have kitchen shears, I would highly suggest using them. The job will get done quicker by using them. If not, cut the shapes with a sharp knife.
You will need about 1/2 cup of sliced pepperoni to mix in with the cheese mixture. This cheese and pepperoni mixture will be placed on the dough for the calzones.
You will also need an additional eight to ten pepperoni slices cut into small shapes like triangles and diamonds for decorating the brim of the witch hat.
I usually do simple shapes like triangles and diamonds because they are pretty easy to cut out. If you have the time and feel creative, you can cut them into crescent moons or other fun shapes you might like.
Set the fun-shaped pepperoni aside until you are ready to use them. (Decorating the hat is one of the last steps before cooking the calzones.)
Make the Filling
In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, & Italian seasoning.
Next, using a spoon, mix the softened cream cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni together in a medium-sized bowl until well combined. (Add the peppers, onions, & sausage here if you add them.)
Note: The cream cheese needs to be softened to mix the ingredients together more easily.
Recipe Tip
To soften your cream cheese, place it on your counter for about 20-30 minutes. If you want to soften it quicker, place it on a microwave-safe plate and heat it on high for 15-20 seconds.
Assemble the Calzones
Next, take one of the crescent roll packages out of your refrigerator once you are ready to make the calzones. It is best to keep the dough cold until you are ready to use it.
Unroll the crescent rolls and separate the triangles. Place four of them on your prepared baking sheet. Set the other four triangles to the side. The second half of the triangles will be the tops of the Witch Hat Calzones.
Recipe Tip
Use one package of crescent rolls at a time and leave the second one in your refrigerator until you are ready to use it. This way, the dough will stay cold and will be easier to work with.
Slightly beat the egg and whisk in the water to make an egg wash. Then brush the edges of the triangles that are on your baking sheet with the egg. To do this step, use a basting brush or the back of a spoon.
Scoop about one and a half to two tablespoons of the cheese mixture and place that on the middle of the crescent roll. Spread out the mixture a little, stopping at the egg wash & making sure it does not go right to the edges of the dough. You will be pressing the two triangles together and will need some space at the edges.
Take the four triangles that you set aside and place them on top of the triangles with the cheese mixture. Gently press down on the edges so that the cheese mixture stays within the calzones during baking. The egg wash should work like glue to hold the two pieces together.
Recipe Tip
I have noticed that sometimes the crescent rolls are not cut all the exact same size. Make sure to take a look ahead of time to match the smaller triangles together and do the same with the larger triangles. That way, you don’t have to scramble to fit mismatched triangles together when everything is getting sticky.
Fold the bottom half of the triangle up so that it resembles the brim of a witch hat, and work the tip of the triangle, so you get the fun witch hat look. You can also fold the tip of the hat and kind of scrunch it down to make a Harry Potter sorting hat kind of look.
Brush the top of the witch hats with a little of the egg mixture. Add the fun-shaped pepperoni pieces to the brim of the hat. Then sprinkle them with dried Italian seasoning or oregano.
Recipe Tip: Place the fun-shaped pepperoni towards the top of the brim of the hat. If you place them closer to the bottom, they might not be seen as well after the dough rises.
Bake the Calzones
Bake the hats at 425°F for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Once the calzones are out of the oven, you can sprinkle a little grated Parmesan cheese over them (this is optional).
Serve with warm marinara sauce, and enjoy! This recipe is so much fun, because the hats look different every time you make them 🙂
Recipe Tips
- Using parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on your baking sheet will promote even baking, help prevent browning, and are great for easy clean-up. Silicone mats are a nice option because they are reusable.
- To soften your cream cheese, place it on your counter for about 20-30 minutes. If you want to soften it quicker, place it on a microwave-safe plate and heat it on high for 15-20 seconds.
- You will need two packages of crescent rolls. Leave the second one in your refrigerator until you are ready to use it. The dough is better to work with when it is cold.
- I have noticed that sometimes the crescent rolls are not cut all the exact same size. Make sure to take a look ahead of time to match the smaller triangles together, as well as match up the larger ones.
- Don’t forget to brush the top crescent roll with the egg mixture. By doing this, you will make sure that they will be golden and crispy on the outside.
- Place the fun-shaped pepperoni towards the top of the brim of the hat. If you place them closer to the bottom, they might not be seen as well after the dough rises.
- For the marinara sauce, we like to use our favorite sauce from the grocery store. To warm it up, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it in 15 second increments until it is the temperature you prefer. Stir it after each 15 second increment.
Looking for More Halloween Recipes?
Try some of our other favorite Halloween recipes like Halloween Dirt Cake, Peanut Butter Spider Cookies, and Candy Corn Mix.
Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a comment and rating below. I love hearing from you.
Halloween Witch Hat Calzones
Ingredients
- ½ cup pepperoni, sliced small (an additional 10 slices to decorate the hats)
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 packages crescent rolls (8 ounce each package)
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- marinara sauce, served warm
Optional Add-Ins
- ¼ cup Sauteed Peppers & Onions
- ½ cup cooked Italian Sausage
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F Place parchment paper or a silicone mat on a baking sheet. Cook the sausage, peppers, and onions if using.¼ cup Sauteed Peppers & Onions, ½ cup cooked Italian Sausage
- Slice up ½ cup of the pepperoni into small pieces. Set aside. Cut some extra pepperoni (about 8-10 additional slices) into fun shapes to decorate the hat (diamonds, triangles, crescent moons). Set those aside.½ cup pepperoni, sliced small
- In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, & Italian seasoning.¾ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- Mix together the softened cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, peppers, onions, sausage, ½ cup pepperoni, and a generous sprinkle of the seasoning mixture in a medium-sized bowl until combined well.½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated, 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- Unroll the crescent rolls into separate triangles. Place four of the triangles on the prepared baking sheet and set the other four to the side. (The triangles that are set aside will be the tops of the calzones.) If you have two baking sheets, put four on each sheet. If you only have one, do this with one tube of crescent rolls at a time. If the dough gets too warm, it can tear.2 packages crescent rolls
- Slightly beat the egg in a small bowl. Mix in the water. Brush on the egg at the edges of the crescent rolls that are on the baking sheet.1 egg, slightly beaten, 1 tablespoon water
- Spoon out 1½ to 2 tablespoons onto the center of each crescent roll.
- Take the other half of the crescent rolls and place each one on top of the crescent roll with the cheese mixture.
- Gently press together at the edges to make sure the cheese mixture stays inside the crescent rolls while baking.
- Fold up the bottom of the crescent roll so it looks like the brim of a witch’s hat. Work the tip of the hat so it looks more like a witch hat.
- Brush the witch hats with a little of the egg.
- Place a few fun shaped pepperoni pieces onto the of brim of the hat. (triangles, diamonds, crescent moons)
- Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the hats.
- Place the baking sheet in the middle of the oven and bake at 425°F for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Serve with warm marinara sauce. (I use our favorite sauce from the grocery store and warm it up in the microwave. I place the sauce in a microwave safe bowl and heat at 15 second increments until it is warm enough.)marinara sauce, served warm
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
Update Note: This recipe was originally posted earlier in 2018, but was published again in 2022 to include step-by-step directions, some optional additions, and new photos.
My daughter is a witch for Halloween this year and asked me to make these over the weekend. They were good and it made my daughter so happy to have these. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi Margo!
So happy to hear they were a hit with your family. Happy Halloween!
Jeannie
Can you use puff pastry for witch hats
I have never used them for this recipe but I think they would work out fine. If you do make them, let me know how they turn out!
Jeannie
I was looking for new ideas for my annual Halloween party that we throw for the neighborhood kids and saw this on Country Living’s website for Halloween appetizers. Not only are they cute, but they are delicious. Thanks Jeannie!
Great to hear Charlotte! It is a favorite family Halloween recipe in our house.
Jeannie
Can I bake them the night before and then warm them up at work? Or should I just build the “hats” store them overnight and cook them at work?
Thanks
HI Velina,
I have never made them ahead of time, but this is what I suggest doing…
I would bake them the night before and warm them up at work. If you have an oven or toaster oven at work, I would warm them up in there at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. (We warm up pizza the next day like that so I would think that temperature and time would work for these as well.)
You could also warm them up in a microwave if there is no toaster oven or oven at your workplace. However, they might not be as crispy warmed up in the microwave.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Jeannie
I made them ahead of time, put them on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator. Then I cooked them in the morning before I left for work. I put them in my electric roasting pan. I layered them with tin foil in between so they wouldn’t stick together. Then I just kept my roasting pan on warm until lunch. Worked great.
These are so light and fluffy. I hosted a Halloween party for the neighborhood kids and they made a great appetizer. Very cute and delicious.
HI Tammy,
Sounds like fun! I am so glad they liked them.
Jeannie