Elevate the humble garlic knot by thinking outside the box.

Spicy, dressed with herbs, or in its classic form, this savory snack deserves the limelight! Here's a fun way to create a mixed platter of three different kinds of garlic knots with a single base. It's a perfect appetizer that will appeal to a wide range of palates.

Ingredients:

• 1 batch, tube, or standard ball of pizza dough
• 6 T. salted butter, divided into 3 pieces, at room temperature
• olive oil for misting/brushing (approximately 2 T.)

Spices and seasonings used, to taste:

• garlic powder
• black pepper
• smoked paprika
• cayenne pepper
• crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• grated Parmesan cheese
• dried oregano
• dried parsley
• dried basil
• shredded Parmesan cheese

Method:

Start by mixing or buying your favorite pizza dough. If you want to try your hand at starting from scratch, Fleischmann's Yeast has a quick-rising pizza yeast that will have you baking in no time. Crunched for time? Store-bought fresh dough or even refrigerated tubes of pizza dough are almost as good as homemade.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and set 6 tablespoons of salted butter aside to soften while you shape your dough. Prepare two cookie sheets with aluminum foil or silicone baking mats for easier cleanup.

Flour your work surface with a light dusting of all-purpose flour and carefully roll out your dough. One standard ball or batch should yield you about 12 large or 16 smaller garlic knots. Without overworking the dough, flatten it with your fingertips and divide it into three equal portions—a pizza cutter is a perfect thing to quickly slice through it.

Basic Garlic Knots

Take one-third of the dough and cut it into 4-5 smaller pieces. Roll each one between your hands to form a 6-inch snake and quickly tie it in a knot. That's it! Repeat with the rest of the dough. Mist or brush with olive oil before baking for 12-15 minutes.

Toss the hot knots in a large mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons of salted butter, some freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Spicy Garlic Knots

Sprinkle a teaspoon of smoked paprika over the second third of the dough and then a 1/4 teaspoon of finely ground cayenne pepper. Fold the dough in half and then fourths, flatten, and knead 3 times to combine. Cut the dough into 4-5 smaller pieces and tie them into knots. Mist with olive oil before baking for 12-15 minutes.

Toss the hot knots in a large mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons of salted butter, 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, a dash of cayenne pepper, 1 finely minced clove of garlic, and 2 heaping teaspoons of grated Parmesan cheese.

Parmesan-Oregano Garlic Knots

Take the last third of the dough and sprinkle it with 1/2 teaspoon of each dried oregano, basil, and parsley. Fold and flatten, just like you did with the spicy garlic knots. Shape into knots and mist with olive oil before baking for 12-15 minutes.

Toss the hot knots in a large mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons of salted butter, 1/4 teaspoon each of the dried herbs you used, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and 2 heaping teaspoons of shredded Parmesan cheese.

Serve all three varieties with some good marinara and alfredo sauce, stand back, and watch them get devoured.

**All photos by Sarina Petrocelly

Do you have a favorite way to make garlic knots? What tips or tricks do you keep up your sleeve? Share them with us in the comments.