Baked Jalapeno Popper Dip

Jalapeno Popper dip is a favorite for our annual New Year's Eve party, and it is a great dip to serve at a Superbowl football party. It is hot and melty, but with the crunchy topping, it really resembles a fried popper.

My son-in-law threatened to hide with the dish and a spoon... yes. It is that good.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Ingredients

• 16 oz cream cheese (2 - 8oz packages)
• 1 Cup mayonnaise (Kraft or Best Foods)
• 1 4oz can chopped green chillies drained 
• 4 oz canned jalapeno pepper chopped 
• 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese - divided
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• In a small, microwaveable bowl, microwave the cream cheese for about 30 seconds just to soften it, making it easier to mix with the other ingredients. 
• Mix in the mayonnaise, chopped green chillies (sometimes I add in a teaspoon or so of the liquid from the can)
• Mix in the jalapeno peppers and 2/3 cup of Parmesan cheese. 
• Spray a baking pan with pam cooking spray - a deep dish pie pan or similar size baking dish, then pour the mix into the dish
• Mix the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and spread over the top of the dish
• Bake uncovered for about 10 - 15 minutes - it is ready when the dip is hot and melty and the top crust is lightly brown.

NOTES**

•  For a milder flavor, use half the canned jalapeno peppers, for more flavor you can add more. You may want to add half the jalapeno peppers and taste test it before adding more. 
• You can use fat free cream cheese / mayonnaise or low fat versions
• Remember, the flavor of the dip is only as good as the ingredients you use. In other words, do not use cheap mayonnaise. It makes a difference - Kraft or Best Foods.
• Serve with French baguette sliced thin - it is also good served with ritz crackers or Keebler® Town House crackers, but we prefer it with the sliced bread. This is the bread we used NYE. The texture was really good with the creamy dip.