Jalapeno Popper Dip

I've professed my love for sports over and over again here, but to reiterate, I'm a total sports junkie. In our house it's me, and not Shane, who has football on the tv all day Sunday, and at this time of year, I'll also be glued to the tv any time the Bruins are on the ice. I rarely watch sports without a snack nearby, and lately I've been all about dips, mostly alternating between french onion and spinach-artichoke. I've flagged so many more I want to try, and am hoping to add a little more variety this winter.

This jalapeno popper dip was making the rounds on several food blogs during football season last year, but I'm sort of a wimp when it comes to spicy foods, so I was hesitant to try it. With every rave review I read, though, I became more and more intrigued. I wound up deciding to bring it to Shane's company holiday party last week, figuring there would be plenty of people to help polish it off, even if it was too spicy for me.



This is seriously the easiest snack to throw together - mix a few ingredients in a bowl, add a crunchy topping and bake for 30 minutes. The original recipe called for canned jalapenos, but I couldn't find them so I substituted fresh. I wasn't entirely sure about the heat level of canned versus fresh jalapenos, so I sort of guessed at how many to sub, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. I didn't want to bring Shane's coworkers a dish of dip with a big hole where I'd sampled it, so there was some added stress waiting for the first person to try it so I could find out how spicy it was :)

Fortunately, it all worked out fine. Better than fine actually - the dip received a ton of compliments and there were several requests for the recipe! The spicy level was good for me, there was some heat, but not so much my mouth was on fire. Like I said, though, I'm a wimp about spicy foods, so if you love them, I might recommend adding another jalapeno. Shane and I usually host a Super Bowl party every year, and I have already decided I'm adding this to the menu. Now I just need to cross my fingers that we'll be cheering for the Patriots when the time comes!

Jalapeno Popper Dip
adapted from My Baking Addiction (via Annie's Eats)

{Note: I seeded 1 of the 3 jalapenos I used, but threw in the seeds and ribs on the other two. You can substitute a 4-oz can of diced jalapenos in place of the fresh if you'd prefer.)

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles, drained
3 jalapenos, minced
1/2 cup shredded Mexican style cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, green chiles, jalapenos, and both shredded cheeses in a medium bowl. Stir together until throughly combined and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a 9x9 baking dish (or something roughly equivalent in size).

Mix the panko and Parmesan together in a small bowl using a fork. Sprinkle evenly over the dip in the baking dish. Spray the topping lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the dip is hot. Serve with tortilla chips, veggies, or any of your other favorites.