Jalapeno Popper Pizza

Who loves jalapeno poppers?!  I think the better question is.... who doesn't like them?  I just love the crunch of the outside, the spiciness of the jalapeno and of course the creamy center.  Mmmm!  But we all know how I'm not a huge fan of frying and I'm also not a big fan of dumping frozen product on a cookie sheet and throwing things in the oven.  So this pizza was born.....  and let me tell you something....  I'm glad I made a small pizza  because I could have housed the entire thing!  This ain't diet food, people!  The crust is smeared with cream cheese and topped with sharp cheddar and a mixture of fresh and pickled jalapenos.  Then comes the kicker -- a sprinkling of panko bread crumbs for crunch.  Don't skip this step -- everyone who sampled this pizza said the panko made the dish!  

Oh and I couldn't stand the fact that there wasn't any meat on this sucker so I topped it off with bacon.  Oh hell yes.  

Jalapeno Popper Pizza

1 ball of fresh pizza dough
EVOO for drizzling
1 stick of cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 small jalapeno, chopped
2 tbsp pickled jalapeno, chopped
4 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
1/4 c. panko 

1.  Preheat oven to 475 with pizza stone in oven.  When pizza stone is hot, remove from oven and drizzle with olive oil.  Stretch dough ball to desired size and shape and lay on pizza stone.  Place pizza stone in oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove from oven.
2.  Spread cream cheese on crust and top with cheddar cheese, jalapenos and bacon.  Place pizza back in oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust begins to brown.  Remove pizza from oven.  Set oven to "Broil".
3.  Sprinkle panko over top of pizza and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, or until panko begins to brown.  Remove from oven, cut and serve!