Garlic Fingers?!

The recipe I want to share is for garlic fingers.  Since they're a food that doesn't really exist outside of Atlantic Canada, I feel like I should give a quick explanation first.  They're basically pizza dough topped with garlic butter and mozzarella cheese, and sometimes bacon or other things.  Their regional nature is part of the reason I thought it would be fun to share this recipe.

In addition to being delicious, garlic fingers are also a food with special sentimental significance to me.  During my first year of university I was having a potluck dinner with a big group of my friends.  We actually have this potluck every year now, and it's known as the Annual Christmas Miracle Potluck.  But this was the first year, when we didn't know it was a miracle yet and it was only associated with Christmas in that they both took place in December.  At the time it was just a potluck, but it was the first one, and it was special and magical and it's the one that all the ones we have had since have failed to leave up to.  Because we all lived in residence, we couldn't make any fancy dishes, so we went to the grocery store together and everyone bought $5 worth of food.  Then we went back to campus to cook it up in the kitchenette and eat it in one of the common rooms.  It was the most ridiculous meal ever.  I don't remember what all we had, but one person had bought about 12 packages of Mr. Noodles, and then there was a block of cheese and a loaf of bread and a small cake and a bunch of other stuff.  But the very last thing to come out of the kitchen was garlic fingers (you can buy pre-made frozen ones at the store the same way you can with pizzas).  Most of us didn't realize that they were there, so we were completely surprised when the person who had bought them brought them out to the table, and we all said "Garlic fingers?!" So now it's an in-joke of ours that whenever we're surprised and exclaiming about something, we just start going "garlic fingers?!" all the time.

This recipe is one that my roommate and I found online somewhere last summer when we had a garlic fingers craving, and wondered if we could make them ourselves instead of having to buy them.  We were so pleased with how well they turned out!  They taste surprising close to the ones you could get at a pizza place.

Garlic Fingers


Make pizza dough according to your favourite pizza dough recipe (Or buy it).  I can't find my pizza dough recipe just now, otherwise I would share it, too.  Spread on pan.

Garlic butter:

1 c. butter, softened
1 tbsp. minced garlic (2-3 cloves)
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients.  When thoroughly mixed, remove from heat.  Spread enough butter on pizza dough to cover it (usually about half of the recipe).  Pour the remainder into a jar to save it for later!  It's also good on toast and pasta.

Spread grated mozzarella cheese over the dough.  Just enough to cover it in a single layer - if you use too much cheese it overwhelms the garlic taste.  Optional - sprinkle with bacon bits (or small pieces of freshly-cooked bacon).

Cook at 425F for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is browned.