1 bird’s eye or jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced (optional)
To serve:
juice from ½ a lime
3 green onions, chopped
fresh cilantro, chopped
Cotija, crumbled
tortilla chips
Takes ,
serves 12.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grill or boil corn: Place shucked hearts of corn on a hot 450°F grill or in a pot of cold water coming to boil. Cook on grill until kernels are browned and lightly blistered or boil cobs for 4 minutes until tender. Once cool, cut kernels away from the cobs and reserve.
Place cream cheese, Cotija, sour cream, mayo, and 1 cup of the Monterey Jack into a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the onion, garlic, peppers and seasoning, stirring to combine. Add the corn and stir.
Transfer to skillet, pressing down into an even layer. Top with remaining Monterey Jack cheese. Transfer to oven and bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly.
When baked and bubbly, remove from oven and leave dip to sit for 5 minutes before serving - it’s HOT! Garnish with a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of green onion, cilantro and crumbled Cotija. Serve with chips for dipping.
Baked Corn Dip
Ingredients
6 ears of corn, about 5 cups
drizzle of oil for the corn
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 cup Cotija cheese, grated
½ cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bird’s eye or jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced (optional)
To serve:
juice from ½ a lime
3 green onions, chopped
fresh cilantro, chopped
Cotija, crumbled
tortilla chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grill or boil corn: Place shucked hearts of corn on a hot 450°F grill or in a pot of cold water coming to boil. Cook on grill until kernels are browned and lightly blistered or boil cobs for 4 minutes until tender. Once cool, cut kernels away from the cobs and reserve.
Place cream cheese, Cotija, sour cream, mayo, and 1 cup of the Monterey Jack into a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the onion, garlic, peppers and seasoning, stirring to combine. Add the corn and stir.
Transfer to skillet, pressing down into an even layer. Top with remaining Monterey Jack cheese. Transfer to oven and bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly.
When baked and bubbly, remove from oven and leave dip to sit for 5 minutes before serving - it’s HOT! Garnish with a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of green onion, cilantro and crumbled Cotija. Serve with chips for dipping.
Baked Corn Dip
4.3 / 5. 4
Grilled sweet corn stirred in with three cheeses, mayo, sour cream, garlic and a seasoning blend, then oven-baked and served with tortilla chips for dipping…
This cheesy BAKED CORN DIP is for all you party people out there!
Here’s our prediction: this recipe for a BAKED CORN DIP will have your friends and family coming back for more. In fact, this cheesy corn dip is so delicious, and needs such little prep time, we expect it might become your go-to appetizer or party snack for cocktail parties and get-togethers.
Now, if you’re reading this at the height of corn season, we expect you love fresh corn as much as we do. So, once you’ve licked the last remnants of this corn dip from the skillet, try these tasty corn recipes. Our famously delicious CREAMY CORN CHOWDER, these amazing CORN CAKES, our BUTTER-AND-MILK BOILED CORN ON THE COB, this CHEESY CORN SIDE DISH, the tasty Mexican corn recipe ELOTE, and this holiday-worthy CLASSIC CORN PUDDING. As we often say up here in cottage country, “Never met a cob of corn I didn’t like!” There’s truth in that!
Let’s satisfy that corn craving, shall we? Here’s the deal on making this BAKED CORN DIP:
INGREDIENTS
At first glance, you might be thinking there are a lot of ingredients needed to make this dish, but it really isn’t. For best results, we suggest using freshly picked corn, organic, all-natural dairy and vegetables, and freshly ground spices. There are a few items that might necessitate a trip to a speciality cheese store, plus a seasoning that’s not too common. Fear not though, once you have everything, you’ll be able to craft this recipe quickly and easily.
Use freshly shucked summer corn for best results.
SWEET CORN
Corn has long been a favourite vegetable up here in cottage country. With fresh corn popping up at farm stands and markets, enjoying fresh corn kind of goes with the territory. Corn consists primarily of insoluble fibre, which puts it low on the glycemic index, so no spike in blood sugar. It also contains many B vitamins and essential minerals, including zinc, magnesium, copper, iron and manganese. It’s low in cholesterol and saturated fat, and one small ear of corn contains only 15 grams of carbohydrates.
Preparing the corn for this BAKED CORN DIP is easy. Husk or shuck the ears of corn, then rinse them under cool water to help remove any stray hair or corn silk. Then, rub with extra virgin olive oil or another neutral oil like avocado or canola oil. We cook the corn on a hot 450°F grill. This blisters and browns the kernels and, more importantly, imparts a pleasing nuttiness that gives the dip loads of flavour. It’s akin to a Mexican street corn dip. We know some of you may be wondering, “Can I use frozen corn or canned corn?” Yes, you can although we think fresh, sweet corn kernels off the cob have more flavour, but if you’re in a pinch or wish to make the dip outside of corn season, go ahead.
SKILLET AND BUNDT PAN
Wait, what? You saying we can make this recipe in a Bundt pan, Nik? Well, yes and no. I mean, sure you can bake this cheesy dip in a Bundt pan, but we have a better pan. We suggest baking the dip in a heavy, cast-iron skillet instead of a crock, glass casserole or oven-safe baking dish. We found this powerhouse of a pan produced a more thoroughly baked dish because the metal distributes heat evenly. The thickness of the pan also ensures the bottom of the dip doesn’t get overcooked and, the cast iron vessel will keep the dip hotter longer after it’s baked.
Oh, and what about that Bundt pan? Watch the VIDEO attached to this recipe to see how we put it to good use. Nifty trick, right? Who knew?!
CHEESE
Because we often hear “More cheese, please!”, we figured this recipe was the perfect opportunity for more. Here’s why using three cheeses works. First, the cream cheese provides a subtle cheese flavour while also adding thickness to the mixture. The second, grated Monterey Jack cheese, adds a bit of spicy heat, salt and stringiness once it melts. If you can’t find Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack, look for an aged cheddar cheese or a Tex-Mex cheese mix in your dairy section. They’ll all work perfectly. The last hit of cheese is COTIJA, pronounced “co-tee-ha”, an aged Mexican cheese made from cow’s milk. It has a firm texture and its flavour is salty and milky. We grated it for the recipe but you can also crumble it. If you can’t find Cotija at the cheese store or dairy section, use feta cheese instead.
SEASONING
Chili powder, check. Cayenne pepper, check. Smoked paprika… you might need to purchase it, and what’s this ANCHO CHILI POWDER? Ancho powder is another culinary delight which, like the Cotija, is produced in Mexico. Made from crushed poblano peppers, ancho powder is a mild spice with a rich, earthy flavour. We think it throws a bit of heat, and it pairs well with the cayenne, chili powder and smoked paprika. Talking about heat, the last ingredient in our seasoning photo, bird’s eye peppers, are really, really hot. If you can’t find them, substitute them with green chilies or a jalapeño pepper. Listed as optional, we think they give our BAKED CORN DIP a subtle taste kick. Pro tip: wear gloves when seeding and dicing these peppers, wash your hands after prepping them, and promise to keep those peppered hands away from your eyes. Speaking from experience!
DIP MIXTURE
The toughest, most challenging steps in this recipe are grilling the cobs of corn and cutting off the kernels. After that, it’s a simple stirring of the various ingredients in a big bowl. The instructions are super simple, as promised. First, the cheeses, mayonnaise and sour cream get stirred together. Then add the garlic, onion, red bell pepper and seasoning and stir. Finally, add the corn, stir and transfer to the skillet. One thing to note, the recipe calls for the cream cheese to be at room temperature before you begin. It softens the cream cheese somewhat, but you’ll still need a bit of muscle to stir the cheese and smoosh everything together.
Once the hot corn dip mixture is thoroughly combined, transfer it to the skillet, smoothing it out evenly in the pan. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cup of Monterey Jack or Tex-Mex cheese blend, transfer to the oven and bake. Your kitchen is going to smell corny and cheesy while it bakes. Ain’t nothing wrong with that!
TO SERVE
Here’s a second ingredient photo, this one showing the various ingredients we suggest having on hand to serve this BAKED CORN DIP. We love to garnish the top of the bubbly bake with chopped green onions, chopped cilantro and a light sprinkle of crumbled Cotija cheese. You can also follow our lead and add a squeeze of lime juice before you present the dish with a side of chips. Corn tortilla chips are especially perfect with this dip recipe but so are rustic crackers, fresh vegetables, potato chips and warmed pita bread.
ENJOY
Please remember to cool the dip for 5 minutes before inviting guests to dig in – it’s HOT! After that, prepare to accept tons of compliments from everyone who tries it. With its rich, creamy, toasted corn flavouring, this dip also delivers lots of cheesy notes complete with stringy, pulled cheese excitement; there will not be leftovers. Serve with cold cerveza (beer!), dry white wine or our peachy MINTED WHITE SANGRIA. If this dip is included with other tasty treats as part of a big party menu, check out these offerings in our PARTY SNACK COLLECTION. Many great recipes to choose from.
This party snack idea is so tasty, we suggest you PIN the recipe to a favourite appetizer or party snack board on PINTEREST or BOOKMARK this tab for easy access. SHARE it with friends so they can make them too. We’d also appreciate seeing pics of all the delicious dishes you’re making these days. Use #weekendatthecottage when you post those pics on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks!
Get your next party started with this delicious, cheesy, BAKED CORN DIP!
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Ingredients
6 ears of corn, about 5 cups
drizzle of oil for the corn
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 cup Cotija cheese, grated
½ cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bird’s eye or jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced (optional)
To serve:
juice from ½ a lime
3 green onions, chopped
fresh cilantro, chopped
Cotija, crumbled
tortilla chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grill or boil corn: Place shucked hearts of corn on a hot 450°F grill or in a pot of cold water coming to boil. Cook on grill until kernels are browned and lightly blistered or boil cobs for 4 minutes until tender. Once cool, cut kernels away from the cobs and reserve.
Place cream cheese, Cotija, sour cream, mayo, and 1 cup of the Monterey Jack into a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the onion, garlic, peppers and seasoning, stirring to combine. Add the corn and stir.
Transfer to skillet, pressing down into an even layer. Top with remaining Monterey Jack cheese. Transfer to oven and bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly.
When baked and bubbly, remove from oven and leave dip to sit for 5 minutes before serving - it’s HOT! Garnish with a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of green onion, cilantro and crumbled Cotija. Serve with chips for dipping.
Until Cottage Season
