Bacon Jalapeño Popper Cheese Balls
The following recipe and photography were provided by local blogger Abby Thome of The Thome Home.
Be the host or guest with the most talked about appetizer this holiday season!
When it comes to memorable appetizers, “poppability” and flavor are the key criteria, and these Bacon Jalapeño Popper Cheese Balls get a perfect 10 on both.
Full of smooth texture from cream cheese and TRUFF mayo and finished with a smoky kick from bacon, cayenne and jalapeno peppers, these cheese ball bites will warm you up and get the party started.
Bacon Jalapeño Popper Cheese Balls
Prep time: 15min Total time: 15min
Servings: 18 Cheese Balls
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Heinen’s CARE Certified regular cut bacon, cooked
- 15 oz. Heinen’s cream cheese
- 4 Tbsp. TRUFF Mayo
- 1/2 cup chives, minced
- 4 oz. Cento sweet pimento, drained
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 1 cup Heinen’s sharp cheddar, shredded
- 3 Tbsp. shallot, diced
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Instructions
- Chop approximately ½ cup of the cooked bacon. Set aside.
- Finely chop the remainder of the cooked bacon and place it into a bowl. This will be used for the cheese ball coating.
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, combine the cream cheese, 1/2 cup cooked and chopped bacon, mayo, chives, pimento peppers, jalapeño, shredded cheddar, shallot and spices.
- Using a small cookie scoop (or 1 Tbsp. for smaller bites), scoop the cream cheese mixture into portions. Roll each portion into a ball.
- Roll the balls in the bowl of finely chopped bacon until fully coated.
- Store in the fridge until ready to serve. These can be made up to one day in advance.
- If you want to make this recipe into a dip, simply spread the cream cheese mixture onto the bottom of an 8×8 dish and sprinkle with the finely chopped bacon. Store in fridge and serve with crackers.
I love this recipe but 1/2 cup of bacon is NO where near enough to coat that amount of cheese balls. I had to fry up an additional half pound to have enough. If it wasn’t for that I’d give it 5 stars.