Recently, I had a potluck to prep for. With a busy weekend ahead of me, I wanted something I could prepare ahead of time, and that could double as a Super-Bowl party snack. I wanted something crunchy, savory, and portable. My mind immediately went to egg rolls, but I am inept at rolling them and wasn't sure I had the time to devote to making a tasty filling. After some googling, I found a few recipes for crab Rangoon. There was just one issue: I don't eat crab.
Then I remembered that in my hometown, there is a restaurant that serves cream-cheese stuffed wontons with sweet-and-sour sauce. They are delicious. Crispy, chewy, creamy. Yum. That in mind, I decided to make cream-cheese-stuffed wontons with a twist: jalapenos.
These were a little time-consuming but simple to make. I chose to bake the wontons over frying them, and had only a few small explosions in the oven. Of course, I am sure I am not the first person to try this, but thought I'd share what I did since it was so easy (EDIT: I am not the first person to try this, or post a recipe online. Please note that I did come up with this on my own and probably should have googled more)! I hope you enjoy these wontons as much as I did!
Jalapeno and Cream-Cheese stuffed Wontons.
You will need:
1 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened
1/4-1/2 cup diced jalapenos (I used about a half cup, but it's up to your spice preferences). I ended up dicing up some of the pickled jalapenos I bought for a different recipe a while back
1 Package Wonton Wrappers (I bought Nasoya, which are kept in the refrigerated natural foods section at my kroger)
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil (you can substitute cooking spray) and a pastry brush.
A cup or bowl full of water.
What to do:
1. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and jalapenos until the jalapenos are evenly distributed.
2. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Working one at a time, place a wonton wrapper with a corner facing you onto a cutting board. Into the wonton, place a teaspoon of the cream-cheese filling. Moisten the two edges of the wrapper that are closest to you and fold the opposite points of your square together, to make a triangle. Pinch the edges together until they are sealed. Repeat until you run out of cream cheese or wonton wrappers.
3. Place the sealed wontons onto a non-stick cooking sheet. Lightly brush each side with the olive oil, and bake them for 7-10 minutes, until they are golden brown and crispy. When they come out of the oven they will be very hot. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving and enjoy!
