Cheesy Baked Salami Cups with Jalapeño & Jack Cheese

A Cozy Cabin-Inspired Appetizer That’s Salty, Creamy, and Irresistible

These Cheesy Baked Salami Cups with Jalapeño and Jack Cheese are an easy, elegant appetizer that are fancy enough for a cocktail party, but simple enough for Sunday snacking. They are salty, creamy, and perfectly crisp around the edges making for a great game day snack.

The Story Of How This Recipe Came About

My Mom has a house right in the middle of the Ottawa National Forest. It’s surrounded by pine trees and sits on a small lake with only about eighteen neighbors scattered around the shoreline.

In the winter, it’s quiet, peaceful, and the kind of place where happy hour means heading out in the snow to a neighbor’s cabin with a bottle of wine and something homemade to snack on.

Last winter, my mom and I were invited to one of those cozy happy hours. Our neighbors served the simplest little appetizer: slices of salami rolled around cream cheese and baked until warm.

That was it, salty, creamy, crispy, and absolutely perfect with our drinks. That was when the idea for these Cheesy Baked Salami Cups with Jalapeño & Jack Cheese was born.

I couldn’t stop thinking about that simple snack and how it was proof that sometimes the easiest things taste the best. So I decided to take their idea and elevate it just a bit to create something that would still feel right at home at the lake, but fancy enough to serve for a holiday party, game day, or even a girls’ night in.

That’s how these Cheesy Baked Salami Cups with Jalapeño & Jack Cheese were born.

I use a mini muffin tin to turn the salami into little edible cups, then fill them with a creamy mixture of whipped cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, sweet pickles, and just enough jalapeño for a little heat. They’re crispy on the edges, creamy in the center, and ridiculously easy to pop into your mouth.

Somehow, everyone ends up eating more than they meant to.

Tips, Trick and Some Variations

I learned a few things when making these. Just a few little tweaks that will help make it easier for you to make.

Reminder that even if these do not look perfect, they will still taste great.

• Salami Thickness Matters – You want your salami slices thin enough to shape but not too thin that they will burn. If the slices are too thick, they will be hard to fill and shape.
• Make Sure The Salami Is Not Ice Cold – Let the salami sit at room temperature. Ice cold salami will crack when trying to shape it into the cups.
• Trick To The Pastry Bag – The easiest way to fill and shape these cups is by using the tip of your pastry bag (or a Ziploc with the corner snipped off). Press the salami slice into the muffin tin using the bag tip as you pipe the filling. The cream cheese mixture actually helps the salami mold into a perfect cup.
• Oil Is Ok – There will be oil in the muffin cups when this bakes as the oil will come out of the salami. The good news is this oil will help the salami to crisp up. After you pull the cups from the oven, let them rest in the pan and then pull them out to drain on some paper towels.

Try Some Flavor Variations

Use dill pickles instead of sweet for a tangier flavor. Swap jalapeños for green onions or use tamed jarred jalapeños for less heat.

Try cheddar, pepper jack, or even smoked gouda in place of Monterey Jack for a different twist. You can also top the baked cups with any kind of pickled peppers!

I also have some other pickley delights you can make if you like the idea of this one!

• Salami Roll Ups
• Pickle Dip
• Buffalo Pickle Dip

When To Eat

You can make these for many different occasions, perfect for holiday parties and open houses. Try them for Football Sunday!

Have a cozy cabin weekend in, even if you do not have a cabin. An apartment will do just fine! The next time you are drinking crisp white wine, these will be perfect!