Jalapeno Popper Cheese Balls

These jalapeno popper cheese balls are cheesy, melty goodness, just like what you'd expect in your favourite jalapeno popper. The real kicker? All this goodness is enveloped in this perfect and might I add, easy two-ingredient dough! Are you intrigued? You should be! Dip these in some homemade ranch, and you have just changed your appetizer game!

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Recipe Overview
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Tips and Tricks
• Jalapeno Popper Cheese Balls
• 💬 Comments

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• They're handheld! All the flavours you know and love from traditional jalapeno poppers, but encased in dough. I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but sometimes when I am eating jalapeno poppers, the pepper will slip out of the breading and it just becomes a mess. This solves that problem!
• They are good for literally any meal! I will not lie, I have eaten these for breakfast. Go ahead, judge me.
• The dough is easy to make! No mixers or yeast needed. The recipe is so simple, that you can actually multiply it to make more of these for a crowd. They make a great party appetizer.

Recipe Overview

• Flavour: These bites are the perfect balance of creamy cheese, bright bell peppers, and brine-y pickled jalapenos. Because this recipe uses pickled jalapenos instead of fresh, they are not super spicy. If you do want a bit more of a punch, you may use fresh jalapenos and sneak in some seeds!
• Ease: The filling of these bites is very easy to make - all you need is a mixing bowl and a spoon. If you are not super familiar with making dough, and more specifically kneading dough, the dough may be a new venture. That being said, it is not hard to make! Make sure you are kneading the dough long enough for it to come together (usually around 5 mins), and use your sense of touch. If it feels too sticky or tacky, it probably is.
• Time: From start to finish, these take about an hour to get on your table. Filling the balls is a little bit more labour intensive than most of my recipes, but I promise they are so worth it!

Ingredients

For the Dough

• Self-Raising Flour: The baking powder in self-raising flour is what works in place of yeast. If you don't have self-raising flour, that's fine! You may add your own baking powder to the mix, which is measured in the recipe card.
• Greek Yogurt: It has to be greek yogurt. If you use regular yogurt, you will find that the dough will be thin, and far too sticky.
• Spices and Seasonings: Garlic powder and salt give the dough some flavour so it doesn't taste so... plain.

For the Filling

• Cream Cheese: Because you will need to mix everything into the cream cheese, make sure it is room temperature or mostly soft. Nothing is worse than fighting with a block of solid cream cheese.
• Scallions: Scallions (or green onions) add a mellow onion flavour without being too overpowering. I would strongly suggest using these instead of regular onions.
• Bell Peppers: Bell peppers are not commonly added to jalapeno poppers - I know. I like them in these, but you can also leave them out if you are not a fan. Make sure you chop them super fine, so you aren't surprised with a big chunk of pepper.
• Pickled Jalapenos: Up above I mentioned that I use pickled jalapenos to make these generally mild. Feel free to substitute with fresh jalapenos if you like a bit more of a punch.
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Freshly grated is best for the most melty outcome.
• Spices and Seasonings: Salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder are all you need to season this up.

Instructions

1. Mix Together the Filling: Mix together the ingredients for the filling, and set aside.
2. Mix the Dough: In a large bowl, add the flour, salt and garlic powder, and mix. Add the greek yogurt, and mix together with a spoon or spatula until the dough looks like step 3, above.
3. Knead the Dough: Using the heel of your hand or your knuckles, knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. If it appears to be too sticky, add some more flour.
4. Portion the Dough: Portion the dough into 8 even pieces, and roll into balls.
5. Flatten and Fill: Flatten the balls, and put a tablespoon of filling into the centre. Wrap the dough around the filling and shape in your hands into a round ball.
6. Egg Wash, Salt and Bake: Brush the balls with a mix of egg and water, top with flakey sea salt, and bake.

Tips and Tricks

• Make sure you knead the dough long enough: One of the biggest issues people have with this dough is the stickiness. Make sure you are kneading it long enough!
• Top with some Everything But the Bagel Seasoning: For a little something extra, top with everything bagel seasoning!
• Flour your Hands: You want your hands to be dry when working with the dough. Putting flour on your hands will help!
• NOTE: To save some time, you can use store-bought pizza dough, or Pillsbury biscuits / pizza dough!

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