Nine ingredients and thirty minutes, in a 12-cup muffin tin.
The wrappers look fried and are not. A 425°F oven and a very light coat of spray blister them just as well, without a pot of oil.
Why This Recipe Works
- Pressing the wrappers into a muffin tin shapes them into cups with open corners.
- A light spray on the exposed edges is what browns and blisters them.
- A high oven crisps the wrapper before the cheese filling can soak it.
- Three cheeses give a filling that is creamy, sharp and stretchy at once.
- Seeding the jalapeño keeps the heat even rather than fierce.
Ingredient Notes
- Square wonton wrappers
- Twelve, one per cup. Their corners stand up above the rim and turn the most golden.
- Cream cheese, sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack
- Six ounces, three quarters of a cup and a third of a cup. Cream cheese gives the body; the two shredded cheeses melt and bubble.
- Jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
- One small pepper. Seeded, so the heat is steady; finely diced, so it studs the filling green.
- Green onions
- Two, sliced and split — half mixed into the filling and half scattered on top after baking.
How to Make It
Oven to 425°F, a 12-cup muffin tin sprayed lightly
Heat oven to 425°F and lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
A wrapper pressed into each cup, corners left open, sprayed
Press one wonton wrapper into each cup, leaving the corners open above the rim. Spray the exposed wrapper very lightly.
Cream cheese, cheddar, Jack, jalapeño, onion and seasoning mixed
Mix cream cheese, cheddar, Monterey Jack, jalapeño, half the green onion, garlic powder and salt.
Filling divided among the cups, baked until blistered and bubbling
Divide filling among the cups and bake 12 to 15 minutes until the wrappers are deeply golden and blistered and the cheese is bubbling.
Rested five minutes, topped with the rest of the green onion
Rest 5 minutes, then top with the remaining sliced green onion and serve warm.
How an Oven Blisters a Wonton
The wrappers come out so bubbled and golden they look deep-fried, but THE BLISTERED CUPS ARE BAKED AT HIGH HEAT IN A MUFFIN TIN, NOT DEEP-FRIED. So the blistering has to come from the oven, and three decisions produce it.
The TIN - sprayed, and the wrappers pressed INOven heated to 425°F first
A 12-CUP MUFFIN TIN LIGHTLY COATED WITH COOKING SPRAY and ONE WONTON WRAPPER PRESSED INTO EACH CUP, LEAVING THE CORNERS OPEN ABOVE THE RIM. The tin is what gives the cup shape; the corners standing up above the rim are what catch the heat and turn the deepest gold.
The SPRAY - very light, on the exposed wrapper onlyA light mist, not a coating
The EXPOSED WRAPPER SPRAYED VERY LIGHTLY. This is the step that stands in for a fryer. A thin film of fat on a dry wrapper in a 425°F oven bubbles and blisters it; a heavy coat makes it greasy and soft instead. Very lightly is the instruction.
The FILLING - three cheeses and jalapeñoDivided evenly so every cup bakes in the same time
6 oz SOFTENED CREAM CHEESE, 3/4 cup SHREDDED SHARP CHEDDAR, 1/3 cup SHREDDED MONTEREY JACK, 1 small JALAPEÑO SEEDED AND FINELY DICED, HALF of the 2 SLICED GREEN ONIONS, 1/4 tsp GARLIC POWDER and 1/8 tsp FINE SALT, mixed and DIVIDED AMONG THE CUPS. The cheese is CREAM CHEESE PLUS CHEDDAR AND MONTEREY JACK, and NO BACON goes in.
The BAKE - 12 to 15 minutes at 425°FDeeply golden, blistered and bubbling
BAKED UNTIL THE WRAPPERS ARE DEEPLY GOLDEN AND BLISTERED AND THE CHEESE IS BUBBLING - two endpoints, and both are what the photograph shows. The high oven is essential: at a moderate temperature the filling would soften the wrapper before the edges could crisp.
The REST - five minutes, then the rest of the onionFive minutes before serving
RESTED 5 MINUTES, then TOPPED WITH THE REMAINING SLICED GREEN ONION and SERVED WARM. For safety: THE CHEESE FILLING IS EXTREMELY HOT IMMEDIATELY AFTER BAKING. And to say it plainly - THE METHOD IS BAKING, NOT DEEP FRYING.
Success Tips
- Spray the exposed wrapper very lightly; too much and it goes greasy rather than crisp.
- Leave the corners standing up above the rim — they are what blister.
- Rest them five minutes; the filling is molten straight from the oven.
Serving Ideas
Twelve baked wonton cups with deep-golden blistered wrappers, filled with bubbling cream cheese, cheddar, Monterey Jack and jalapeño, topped with sliced green onion and served warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these fried?
No. They are baked in a muffin tin at 425°F. A light spray of oil on the wrappers and a hot oven give the blistered, golden finish.
Do jalapeño poppers need bacon?
Not these. The filling is cream cheese, cheddar and Monterey Jack with jalapeño and green onion — no bacon.
Can I serve them straight from the oven?
Give them five minutes first. The cheese filling is extremely hot right after baking.
