Filled with three kinds of cheeses and extra crispy Panko, these may be the fastest-selling appetizers at your next football party!
Ever since I could remember, I didn’t really like jalapeño poppers. I don’t even know why. I actually love jalapeños but for some reason, the minute someone said “jalapeño poppers”, I was completely turned off.
I do make different variations of jalapeño poppers from time to time for Jason though. He’s a bit of jalapeño popper fiend so every time I tell him I’m going to make it for him, he’s face will just light up.
But oddly enough, these jalapeño poppers actually came together when Jason wasn’t home. See, I had to come up with a game day type appetizer and the first thing that popped into my head was jalapeño poppers. They’re the perfect finger-foods with just enough of a spicy kick. So with that in mind, I decided to bring together 3 types of cheeses and stuff them in a jalapeño, baking them to cheesy goodness perfection and topping them off with toasted Panko bread crumbs for that extra crunch.
I can’t even stand jalapeño poppers but I actually devoured these in an instant! Now maybe next time I can wrap these bad boys in bacon…
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup Panko*
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 jalapeños, halved lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- Heat olive in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add Panko and cook, stirring, until browned and toasted, about 3 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese, cheeses, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, to taste.
- Spoon the filling into each jalapeño cavity. Place on prepared baking sheet, cavity side up, and bake until the filling is runny and golden, about 15-20 minutes.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with toasted Panko.
*Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store.
