We had a progressive dinner over the weekend. With a group of good friends, we traveled between four houses for appetizers, a salad, main course and a dessert. Simple homemade food made by and shared with enjoyable people made for a fantastic evening. The children thought it was the best thing ever to trek between houses, eating everywhere we went. Even after dessert, they were curious as to where we were headed next.
We were in charge of appetizers so I finally got to make these jalapeño poppers that have been on my list for a long time. The recipe is from my mom but I had them such a long time ago that when I was putting them together, I was concerned that the few ingredients weren’t going to live up to my memories. My worries were unfounded. Cream cheese and bacon are hardly ever bad. Together with a jalapeño, they win.
To make them, chop off the tops of the peppers and scrape out the seeds and other innards. The only way I figured out how to do this was to use my knife to cut them from the sides and then scrape the insides out. They weren’t perfect by any means but it worked. Then fill the peppers with cream cheese. After first trying to slap the cream cheese in with a knife, I put it in a pastry bag and it worked so much better. If you don’t have a pastry bag, a Ziploc bag works just as well. Less cream cheese wrangling.
Once they are filled, wrap each pepper in bacon, making sure to cover the opening and hold it in place with a toothpick. I’m going to be honest, wrapping peppers in bacon is probably similar to trying to get a pig in a bikini. Awkward and slippery. But stick with it. It is so worth it.
Cook them in the oven until the bacon is done to your liking. The bacon gets crispy, the cream cheese gets soft and really creamy and the peppers soften. Serve them with or without the toothpick. Make a lot. Their small size ensures their rapid extinction.
Ingredients
- jalapenos
- cream cheese
- bacon
- toothpicks
Instructions
- Cut off the top of the peppers and remove all the seeds and white ribs.
- Fill the pepper with cream cheese.
- Wrap bacon around the pepper and use a toothpick to hold it in place. Make sure to cover the opening of the pepper so the cream cheese stays inside.
- Bake at 400F until the bacon is cook to your preferences. (Ours took between 15-20 minutes.)
Notes
The poppers can be frozen for later use. After wrapping them with bacon, place them on a baking sheet and freeze until frozen, then place in a freezer bag. When ready to eat, bake at 400F until the bacon is cooked to your preference.
To take some of the heat out of the jalapenos, after cutting off the tops and cleaning them out, soak them in really cold water for 20-30 minutes. Then proceed with the rest of the steps.
P.S. What do you call a nosey pepper? Jalapeno business!!
This looks absolutely delicious. Besides that I love jalapenos, creamcheese and bacon, so I will try it for sure. Thank you for this idea!
Enjoy! They are delicious!