Jalapeño shooters or jalapeno poppers, what’s in a name, eh? This spicy and cheesy delight is an absolute treat if spicy food pleases your palate. I first had these at Longhorn Steakhouse, and thought it was so much like an Indian pakora ( fritters) and oh so yum! Most Indian fritters are coated with a chickpea batter though! I was mighty impressed with the way it was presented. That inspired me to shoot some of my pictures in a similar manner. These baked jalapeno poppers are perfect as an appetizer for a party, and a sure shot crowd pleaser. Or simply gorge on it as a snack. I have kept it healthier as I decided to bake them rather than deep frying. I dislike deep frying things unless it really plays a crucial part in the texture of a dish. And here the baked version works out very well:) The jalapeno shooters aren’t that spicy if seeded, plus the cheesy filling kind of offsets it. Keep your glass of water ready though, lol :p
I’ve tried making these before, but they didn’t turn out as cheesy as I was expecting. Upon a little research, I found a great tip from here of using cream cheese as the filling, which actually made sense, coz it packed really well, and melts beautifully! Another difficult part here is the breading! It’s not as simple to bread a jalapeño because of its smooth and glossy skin. So picked up a couple of tips from the same site as well. So here’s my version of these shooters that I served along with Sriracha-mayo dip. I know you probably are thinking as if the jalapenos aren’t spicy enough, I go ahead and serve this with a sriracha dipping sauce. But it works beautifully, the creaminess of the mayo and the hint of sweetness from the honey elevate these shooters to a whole new level. Besides the dip isn’t really spicy. Feel free to use a dip of your choice.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE BAKED JALAPENO POPPERS
1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F 2.Make a sharp slit lengthwise on the jalapeños, remove the seeds and ribs. Refer pics (Please refer very important notes below, before starting off anything on tips of how to prep up the jalapenos).
3.In a mixing bowl, add together cream cheese along with shredded fresh mozzarella cheese. Add onion powder, parsley/cilantro and granulated garlic, mix well to form a smooth mixture. In 3 separate shallow bowls place flour, milk or beaten eggs and breadcrumbs. Season each with salt and pepper generously.
4.Stuff jalapeños with the cheese mixture. Pack tightly.
5.Dredge the stuffed jalapeños in milk, then flour, then milk and then breadcrumbs. Repeat the breading procedure more than twice if required. Do the same for the remaining jalapeños. Transfer the breaded jalapeños on a metal rack, above a baking tray (refer pic) or on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, sprayed with oil. Spray the breaded jalapeños with a non-stick baking spray, bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
6.Serve with Sriracha mayo dip or with a dip of your choice. For the dip, add mayo in a bowl, whisk till smooth, add Sriracha and honey, mix all the ingredients well.
NOTE A word of caution: If you are attempting to make this for the first time, please do wear gloves. The seeds and the rib of jalapeno are rather spicy, and touching them with your bare hands will result in burns. Please wash your hands well with soap after handling these chillies, before touching your face or eyes.
HOW TO MAKE JALAPENO POPPERS?
I hope you enjoyed this easy baked jalapeno poppers recipe. Do share your feedback with me if you happen to try it out! I would love to hear from you! You can write to me at [email protected]. You can also follow me on : Facebook @ Aromaticessence Pinterest @ Aromatic Essence Instagram @ aromatic_essence77 Twitter @ freda_dias Regards, Freda
