Ingredients:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped green onions
2 medium size jalapenos, deseeded, cut one of the jalapenos into medallion rings (about 5 rings) for the garnish. Then the remaining jalapenos chopped.
6 medium size slices of crispy fully cooked bacon, chopped
Directions:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle attachment on medium speed, mix the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper until combined.
2. On low speed, mix in 1 3/4 cups of cheddar cheese (set aside 1/4 cup for later), green onions (set aside 1 tablespoon for later), chopped jalapenos (set aside medallion rings for later), chopped bacon (set aside about 1 slice of chopped bacon for later) until combined.
3. Wearing culinary gloves or your using your bare hands, remove the jalapeno popper cheese ball mixture from the bowl, shape into a ball and place it on a cutting board or large plate. Using a flat rubber spatula, scrap the paddle attachment and the bowl of any extra cream cheese and add it to the cheese ball.
4. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese, 1 tablespoon green onion, medallion ring jalapenos and the extra chopped bacon over the top of the cheese ball. Press down on the ingredients to help hold in place as needed. No worries if a few ingredients fall off onto the cutting board, it just adds to the look and presentation for serving.
5. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, Fritos, bagel chips or toasted sliced French bread.
Notes: You can make this the night before serving. Wrap the cheese ball in plastic wrap, place the set aside garnish ingredients in a plastic Ziploc bag and refrigerate. When ready, remove cheese ball from refrigerator 20 minutes prior to serving to let it soften up. Then remove cheese ball from plastic wrap to a cutting board and add the extra garnish ingredients.
This is a mild spicy cheese ball. If you prefer medium spice, leave about a quarter of the jalapeno seeds in the chopped jalapenos.
Leftovers ideas: Serve over the top of a baked potato. Serve over hash browns for breakfast. Serve over french or waffle fries. Add a layer to your regular sandwich. Add a layer to your regular grilled cheese sandwich. Add to your toasted bagel to spice it up a notch.