During my Christmas vacation last year, my mom and I went to Sam’s Club. One of the ladies who hand out samples had us try some jalpeño artichoke dip. After a single bite, I was sold and convinced my mom to buy a tub of the dip. Once back at my parents’ house, I studied the ingredients to this incredibly tasty dip. Then I reverse engineered a recipe. After very little trial and error, this is my reinvented version of the dip (tweaked slightly so as to not be a total copy-cat–plus I tossed in some bacon to add crunch and an extra punch of flavor). Even my husband, who’s not particularly fond of either mayo or cream cheese, really enjoys it. It has officially become a family favorite.
The dip is composed of three kinds of cheeses: parmesan, swiss, and cream cheese. It is taken up a flavor notch with mayonnaise, which is a classic, common, and tasty component in many popular dip recipes. Bacon adds saltiness and crispiness. And spices add dimension and intrigue while diced jalapeños kick up the heat just a bit.
In selecting a can of artichoke hearts, remember to read the ingredients label. I make sure that the contents are pretty pure–usually only artichokes and salt. You can instead try to make the artichokes from scratch (I haven’t done this myself but it sounds like it’d be yummy, too).
This is a pretty versatile dip. We find it tastes the best spread on butter crackers. But it can also be used with just about any other kind of cracker, veggies, or maybe even chips. Or spread onto a slice of the bread for an extra hearty, flavorful sandwich.
This recipe can be served cold or you can pop in the oven and bake it until the cheeses have melted. Once warm, its great for serving atop toasted baguette slices during a dinner party or rolled up with some grilled, sliced chicken in a tortilla.
Wow, this looks amazing, definitely making this next time the friends are round!