Jalapeno Popper Cups

I found this twist on the standard, deep-fried jalapeno popper on the Pillsbury website. These Jalapeno Popper Cups turned out to be a huge hit on the appetizer table at the Easter dinner that we attended. Guests snatched them all off of the plate within 20 minutes of our arrival at the party. Next time, I will double the recipe....

This recipe was really simple. It came together in 15 minutes or less.

To begin, mix the filling ingredients: diced green chiles,shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, bacon, and dried minced onion. I stirred the ingredients all together with my Pampered Chef Mix n' Scraper. I love this multi-purpose tool. It's perfect for both stirring and scraping. No need to wash both a spoon and a rubber spatula when you've got a Mix n' Scraper!

Then pop open a tube of Pillsbury Grands Jr. Golden Layer Biscuits. (The smaller-sized Jr. biscuits happen to be the perfect size for a mini-muffin tin.)

Separate each biscuit into halves.

Press each half into a mini muffin tin using your fingers or a mini-tart shaper.

Fill the cups with a heaping teaspoonful of the filling.

Then top each cup with a slice of jalapeno pepper.

Bake at 375 degrees for 13-19 minutes. Remove from the muffin tin and cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. And that's it! A no-fuss, crowd-pleasing appetizer in minutes!

Jalapeno Popper Cups from Pillsbury

INGREDIENTS:
1 can (12 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Jr. Golden Layers® refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles, drained
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz)
1/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 tablespoons cooked real bacon pieces (from 3- to 4.3-oz jar or package)
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
20 Old El Paso® pickled jalapeño slices (from 12-oz jar), drained

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 375°F. Separate each biscuit into 2 rounds. Press 1 round in bottom and up side of each of 20 ungreased mini muffin cups.
In small bowl, mix remaining ingredients except jalapeño slices. Spoon heaping 1 teaspoon mixture into each cup; top each with 1 jalapeño slice.
Bake 13 to 19 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from pan to serving platter; let stand 5 minutes. Serve warm.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft):
Bake 16 to 22 minutes.

Nutritional Information:
1 Serving (1 Appetizer)Calories 100(Calories from Fat 60),Total Fat 6g(Saturated Fat 1 1/2g,Trans Fat 1g),Cholesterol 5mg;Sodium 290mg;Total Carbohydrate 8g(Dietary Fiber 0g,Sugars 1g),Protein 2g;Percent Daily Value*:Vitamin A 0.00%;Vitamin C 2.00%;Calcium 0.00%;Iron 4.00%;Exchanges:1/2 Starch;0 Fruit;0 Other Carbohydrate;0 Skim Milk;0 Low-Fat Milk;0 Milk;0 Vegetable;0 Very Lean Meat;0 Lean Meat;0 High-Fat Meat;1 Fat;Carbohydrate Choices:1/2;*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

* Instead of pre-prepared bacon, I used 2 bacon strips, fried crispy and crumbled.