Friday, September 28, 2012

Jalapeno Popper Wontons


I absolutely love my in-laws, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to be able to say that. Not only are they a fabulous, fun group of people, they're also very good (and creative) cooks. They are definitely my sort of people. I always look forward to holidays with them, because I know the food is going to be just as fantastic as the company.

When we got together for a Labor Day cookout recently, Joe's grandma and cousin were on the same page when it came to their appetizer offerings. Joe's grandma made an incredible jalapeno popper dip, and his cousin walked in with a casserole dish full of jalapeno popper wontons, announcing, "If you want any of these you'd better get them now, because I ate five of them on the drive here." Once I tried one, I could see why: They were absolutely delicious and addictive. So addictive that I had to make my own version of them at home.

Now, I'm sure there are a lot of recipes out there for these, but here's what I did. I decided to fry my wontons rather than bake them (like Joe's cousin did), because I like a really, really crispy texture. For the filling, I used cream cheese, shredded cheddar, and fresh jalapenos, and I sprinkled the wontons with coarse salt when they were finished frying. I thought about adding bacon to the filling, but in hindsight (I can't believe I'm saying this...) I'm glad I didn't. I think the bacon would have made them too heavy.

With the measurements below, I had enough filling to make an entire package of wontons. They take some time to make, it's true, but to say they're worth it would be a massive understatement. These wontons are a perfect football snack, a real crowd-pleaser, and I know I'll make them over and over again.

Jalapeno Popper Wontons

1 package refrigerated square wonton wrappers
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Vegetable oil for frying
Coarse salt

1. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, jalapenos, and cheddar cheese. Arrange wontons in a single layer on a baking sheet.

2. Add 1 teaspoon of the filling to the center of each wonton (don't overfill them). Dip your fingers in a bowl of water and run your wet fingers around all edges of each wonton. Fold the wontons over the filling, pinching the edges to seal to make a triangle and removing any air bubbles.

3. Fry wontons in batches in hot oil until browned and cripsy. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with coarse salt. Serve warm.

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am definitely trying this ... and soon! It's always nice to see new appetizer recipes. My Husband's family does an appetizer party on Christmas Eve each year and it's always the same - BBQ meatballs, Little Weenies etc.

Abby said...

Those are one of the best things I've ever seen! Like Amy, my family does a big Christmas Eve party. Perfect!

Allison said...

Pinning this as a "one of the first things I make when I can eat dairy again" recipe

Gina, A Hungry Teacher said...

Wow, I need to make these ASAP! They look a-w-e-s-o-m-e!

Wallflower said...

These look soooo good! I might try and bake them just to see how it goes. I'm sure they are wonderful fried though :} Thanks for sharing

Unknown said...

I will definitely be making these really soon! They look so tasty and combine some of my favorite things: cream cheese, jalapenos, wontons! :)

Anonymous said...

I make these as well, but I add onion to mine and I do fry them as they taste the best.

Anonymous said...

Wow! I made these tonight and they are so delicious and easy. The recipe made about 30 and I wanted to eat them all myself. Unfortunately for me, my greedy family wouldn't let me.

Cheryl P said...

I'd like to bake these rather than fry them. Any idea what temp and for how long?

Thanks :)

Amanda said...

Made these tonight. They tasted great. I must not have gotten all the air bubbles out though because they puffed up to the point where there wasn't enough filling in them. Also, next time I will need to halve the recipe as these were way too many for just my husband and me.

Geri said...

I love your site but you don't provide an easy way to print your recipes. I end up using 5 pages of paper to print 1 recipe. Can't you provide a printer icon to simplify the process? Thanks.

Anonymous said...

just had a delivery from my seafood guy and i now know what i am going to do with the 1 lb of shrimp I haven't eaten or vacuum sealed yet...
everything is better with stuffed with shrimp ;)

Anonymous said...

Geri, when you go to print, choose print preview and you can change the options to only print page 1 .. Hope that helps :)

Anonymous said...

I'm going to try baking them at 350 for 5 mins on each side... Hopefully turns out good

Anonymous said...

How did they turn out Baked?

Anonymous said...

Has anyone ever tried preparing these the night before and refrigerating them overnight then frying the next day?

Kathleen Raye said...

These are great!!! My store didn't have wonton wrappers so I used eggroll wrappers and cut them in fourths. Also, I baked them. MUCH healthier. 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or so, no need to turn them. Perfection! It does make a few dozen, hope ya'll are hungry!

Anonymous said...

Copy & paste to Word.

Adrienne @ Whole New Mom said...

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Anonymous said...

Can these be backed? Has any one tried that technique?

Anonymous said...

*Baked

rmmckinley said...

I just tried it and failed miserably with the oil :) but I took the rest, put a little melted butter on the top of each, and baked them at 375 for about 5-6 minutes.

Thanks for the recipe! Gave you credit in my blog http://wp.me/p3Qw4Z-1E

Unknown said...

yes. you have to keep a damp paper towel over them or they will dry out.

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Sana said...

Going to make these for a party this weekend! can't wait!

Anonymous said...

I made this tonight.. just i used 1 1/2 Jalapeno's. I'm from Hawaii so i added a small piece of Spam.. Winner in this house :) My son an his gf couldnt stop eating them.

Anonymous said...

i wanna make these and add bacon!

Anonymous said...

Haven't read all comments.
Just want to say, the possibilities with won ton and egg roll wraps are ALMOST endless. The good thing with these are. We can try different things at 1 time without breaking budget. Although I have not tried this yet.... Sooo a must :) Thank You

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Anonymous said...

Oh, spam... Good idea! Num, Num

Anonymous said...

Ohh spam now that would be a treat for sure!
Thanks for that idea!

Anonymous said...

Made these tonight and they were delish!!! Thanks for the recipe! Will def be making these again.

SNOOKIE SMILES said...

I know l'll love these. I will be making them. Maybe I'll add a small piece of pineapple for the kids who don't like hot stuff n maybe I'll add it wit the hot peppers. Thank you for sharing.

Unknown said...

It gave me great quinces, and the recipe that I am not happy, I am very grabs! thank you in advance
I board a good recipe already dealt a site like this
recette couscous

Couscous recipe
Tajine Marocain
Recette cookies
Recette crepe
gateau au yaourt
Recette moelleux au chocolat
Dessert rapide
Recette tiramisu

Anonymous said...

I'm going to add crabmeat!!

Unknown said...

Definitely going to make these. Think I will add chopped onion, garlic and cilantro. Thanks for the recipe.

Unknown said...

It didnt turn out well at all

Anonymous said...

Could do this in a Air Fryer too