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Hush Puppies with Bacon & Pepper Jack

Hush Puppies with a crispy, golden outside and soft, cornbread inside infused with bacon, pepper Jack cheese dunked in the most tantalizing sweet and tangy Sweet Chili Dijon Sauce! Hush Puppies are one of the most crave worthy morsels ever - AND they are one of the world's easiest appetizers to make!
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 50 hushpuppies

Ingredients

Sweet Chili Dijon Sauce

  • 1/2 cup Asian sweet red chili sauce (like Mae Ploy)
  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • Hot sauce to taste (optional)

Bacon Pepper Jack Hushpuppies

  • 1 1/2 quarts peanut, canola or vegetable oil, for frying

Dry Ingredients

Wet ingredients

  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 15 oz. can creamed corn
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup cooked bacon, finely crumbled
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Pepper Jack cheese
  • 1/4 cup green onions, thinly chopped

Instructions

  • Whisk together Sweet Chili Dijon Sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
  • Heat oil to 350F degrees in a deep-fryer or Dutch oven.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together Wet Ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together Dry Ingredients. Pour Dry Ingredients into Wet ingredients and stir just until evenly combined. Chill for 5 minutes.*
  • Drop batter by 1 1/2 teaspoons (or 1 heaping teaspoon) into the hot oil (it will be sticky!). Fry hushpuppies in batches for 2-3 minutes or until golden, flipping them about halfway through. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan while frying so you will have room to flip. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer fried hushpuppies to a paper towel lined baking sheet or serving platter.
  • Hush puppies are best served hot but still delicious room temperature. You can also reheat in the microwave for about 45 seconds.

Notes

*I like to work with half of the mixture at time and keep the other half in the refrigerator until I'm ready for it because it is easier to handle when slightly chilled.  You may also cover and refrigerate your dough up to 24 hours ahead of time.

HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER HUSH PUPPIES

I think homemade hush puppies are best eaten fresh. however, they can be refrigerated and/or frozen.  Once your hush puppies have cooled to room temperature, place them in a zip bag or airtight container lined with paper towels. Consume within a few days.

HOW TO FREEZE HUSH PUPPIES

  1. Let hush puppies cool completely.
  2. Space out evenly on a baking sheet and flash freeze by placing in the freezer until solid, about 1-2 hours.  This prevents the hush puppies from freezing together.
  3. Place hush puppies in an airtight container or freezer bag, lined with paper towels.
  4. Label and store up to 3 months.

HOW TO REHEAT HUSH PUPPIES

  • From frozen:  place a few hush puppies at a time on a microwave-safe plate and heat for up to 1 minute to partially defrost.  Transfer hush puppies to a baking sheet, evenly spaced, and place in a 400-degree oven for about 4-6 minutes. Watch them to make sure you don’t burn the tops!
  • From the refrigerator: place hush puppies in a 400-degree oven for about 4-6 minutes. Again, just watch them to make sure you don’t burn your tops!