Deconstructed Jalapeno Poppers Balls

emilylh28's Note:

My favorite part of a jalapeno popper was always the cream crease and the fried breading. This recipe is super easy and lets the cream cheese play a bigger role. **Please note the preparation time is mostly chilling time. Confession, I am a huge wimp when it comes to hot food and as this recipe is written, it's a little more spicy than I'd prefer. But with fewer peppers you lose a lot of the flavor. If you love heat, you can add more jalapenos or use fresh instead of jarred which are usually much hotter. I serve with a mild salsa and ranch dip, both go well with flavors and texture.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 2 hrs
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 18 balls

• 8 ounces softened cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons jarred diced jalapenos
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/2 cup panko
• 2 eggs

Directions:

1. Mix softened cream cheese, jalapenos and salt together. (I often further chop the diced jalapenos, but that's a personal preference).
2. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to an hour.
3. Roll approximately a tablespoon worth of the mixture into a ball, then roll in the breadcrumbs. Repeat with the rest of the cream cheese mixture.
4. Beat the two eggs in a shallow bowl.
5. Dip each coated ball into the egg and then roll again in the breadcrumbs.
6. Line up the twice coated balls on a cookie sheet coated with cookie spray. I use parchment paper as well to help with clean-up.
7. Refrigerate the finished balls for at least another hour, up to overnight.
8. Cooked at 375 for 5-8 minutes. The crumbs should just start to brown and the coating crack a little, but the cheese should not be melting out.
9. They hold up best if you let them sit for a couple minutes before eating.

Reviews

[lazyme]

I'm not going to leave stars on this because it really didn't work out for us. The recipe was simple and we were really looking forward to trying them. The seasoning salt had an off flavor that we didn't care for at all. It may have been the brand that I used but we all agreed that they would have been much better without it. I might try these again some time with maybe some garlic powder instead. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Made for Spring PAC 2013.