Pimento Queso Dip with Heart Shaped Tortilla Chips

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and I know some of you aren’t sure what your plans are. Whether you are preparing for a romantic night in with your love or you want something to snack on while you’re preparing for a night out together, this appetizer is perfection for date night.

With heart shaped tortilla chips and a creamy, cheesy dip with a little kick to it, this appetizer is sure to please! The tortilla chips are baked so you don’t feel as guilty dipping them into the cheesy goodness of this pimento queso that’s made with garlic white cheddar cheese, medium cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese. The pimentos and red onions add beautiful color to this dip and the seasonings lend just the kick you need to make your sweetie keep coming back for more.

Trust me, you’ll thank me later!

If you do prefer a fried chip, because baked chips tend to be a bit chewier, you can fry them but use the same seasonings and adorable heart shapes. I just love the way these came out, and the seasonings for the chips complimented the flavors in the dip perfectly.

Ingredients for the Heart Shaped Tortilla Chips:

• Stack of white corn tortillas
• heart shaped cookie cutter
• salt
• paprika
• seasoning salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Begin by cutting the tortillas into heart shapes using your cookie cutter.

Season the heart shapes on both sides with a light dusting of salt, paprika and seasoning salt.

Place on a baking sheet lined with foil or a silicone mat, and bake in the oven for 6 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven, turn all the chips over and lightly spray with canola cookie oil spray.
Place back in oven for another 6 minutes, or until crispy.

*If the chips are a bit chewy still, be sure they are spaced out far enough apart, about 1/4 inch away from each other or just bake a few more minutes until crispy.

Ingredients for Pimento Queso Dip:

• 8 oz garlic white cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 oz medium cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 4 oz jar pimentos
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoon chopped red onion
• 1/2 teaspoon cholula hot sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon dry basil
• salt and pepper
• cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

While the chips are baking, shred up the cheeses and place them in a medium mixing bowl.
Heat up the cream cheese for about 25 seconds in the microwave, until softened and mix it in.
Add the pimentos, mayonnaise, chopped red onion, hot sauce and spices.
Mix well, then spread into a baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes, or until cheese is golden and melted.
Garnish with cilantro and serve warm.

Enjoy!

What will you be serving up for Valentine’s Day?

If you’re looking for some recipe inspiration, see what my friends are serving up! Late last year I created a group with some amazing foodie bloggers called Spicy Bites. We each have a different approach to our recipes and come from all over the U.S. My goal is to bring a variety of recipes together as a group and share them with our readers. This month a few of us have come together to bring you an entire romantic dinner for Valentine’s Day with a new recipe each day from the appetizer to the final dish. Each day I’ll update the links below with a new romantic recipe to make this a full meal inspiration! You can also follow along on social media under the hashtag #FoodieBeMine.

Aragula Salad with Seasonal Fresh Fruits from Adriana’s Best Recipes

Spiked Strawberry Lemonade from Food.Love.Tog.

Tomato and Butter Lobster Linguine from Spanglish Spoon