Halloween for me always means spooky decorations and playful food. I decided this year’s theme was going to be mummies so I took traditional jalapeño poppers, added spicy chorizo sausage meatballs, and replaced the bacon wrapping with pizza dough. The combination of the heat from the jalapeño and sausage with the cool creamy cheeses and savory pizza dough made these the perfect spicy Halloween party appetizer!
If you have trouble finding chorizo meatballs, you can buy chorizo sausage and pinch meatball size chunks of meat from the casings and bake them in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through. Then allow them to cool slightly, slice them in half, and follow the directions below.
Ingredients:
8 pre-cooked chorizo meatballs, sliced in half
8 large black olives
8 jalapeño peppers, seeded and sliced in half
4 ounces and two tablespoons softened cream cheese
4 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 refrigerated pizza crust dough
Directions:
1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2) Combine the 4 ounces of cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and taco seasoning in a small bowl.
3) Spoon 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the pepper halves and place two meatball halves on top of the cheese.
4) Using a sharp knife, cut the pizza dough into ¼ inch slices then unroll the dough into strips.
5) Haphazardly wrap each jalapeno half with the thin strips of dough, leaving a space for the eyes. The wraps should look intentionally messy.
6) Transfer the mummies to the parchment-lined baking sheet and place the sheet in the oven. Bake the mummies for 18 to 22 minutes until the dough is golden brown.
7) Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place the mummies on a serving plate.
8) To make the eyes, put the remaining two tablespoons cream cheese in a pastry bag fitted with a small round decorator tip. A plastic sandwich bag with one corner cut off will work too. Squeeze two dots of the cream cheese onto each mummy’s face.
9) Cut the black olives in half and poke a straw through each olive half. Gently push the olive pupil out of the straw and place it on the cream cheese eyes using a toothpick. Serve immediately.
