Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 9- or 10-inch baking dish (preferably a pretty one – you’ll be serving the dip in it). You can also use cooking spray to coat the dish (kind of like having a Diet Coke with your fried chicken, which I also do).
In a small bowl, combine the Panko and the Parmesan, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, chilies, minced peppers, garlic powder, and the cheeses until well blended using an electric mixer or a spoon (points for exercise!). Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and sprinkle with the Panko mixture.
Bake for about 25 minutes until hot, browned and bubbly.
Video
Notes
The seeds of the jalapeños are where most of the heat is, so the number of peppers used here should not scare you, though you can use less if you like, or more, or allow some of the seeds to sneak in for additional heat. This is really not all that hot, though.
As with many of my rich and indulgent recipes, you have the option to use low-fat dairy products – I used full-fat, baby.
Serve with celery sticks (HA! Got you! Oh, you should have seen your face). I mean, yes, offer some carrots and celery on the side, BUT also serve with tortilla chips, corn chips, baguette slices, crackers, and sure, some vegetables if you feel like it.
The panko and cheese topping is quite thick, but I love the textural contrst between the topping and the creamy warm dip.
You can rewarm the dip in the oven for 10 minutes if it starts to cool and thicken up.
Leftover dip became the filling for an amazing grilled cheese sandwich
Leftover dip will last for 4 days in a container in the fridge. Reheat it in the oven or in the microwave.