A crowd favorite in our house and staple appetizer are bacon jalapeño poppers. I'm not sure who started the trend in the family, but the Hatchette's jumped on the bandwagon and have perfected these puppies throughout the years! You'll only need three simple ingredients, and the most trouble you'll encounter will likely be from the fresh jalapeño oils.
You'll need:
8 ounce block of cream cheese // 18-20 fresh jalapeños, medium to large in size // 12 ounces of sliced bacon
Wash fresh jalapeños. Remove stem and slice in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and throw away, unless you are a rockstar and like smoking hot- we shoot for milder in our house. After you have sliced in half and removed seeds, re-rinse.
Tip: Take your contacts out for the evening prior to slicing the jalapeños. Good advice, and I know that one for a fact!
Cut bacon into fourths. Remember that the bacon will shrink as it cooks. The idea is for the bacon to be slightly longer than the jalapeño prior to cooking and then the same length of the jalapeño after the cook. Tip: I typically cut about 6 strips or so at once to save time.
Line an 18x12 cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Make sure that your cookie sheet has sides to catch the bacon grease while baking.
Line your jalapeños on the cookie sheet. It will be a tight fit, but you should be able to make five rows of eight.
Fill each jalapeño with cream cheese, about 1-2 Tbs per half popper. Smooth cream cheese on the top of the top of the popper Tip: Only use block cream cheese and not whipped . Whipped cream cheese will melt and run out of the jalapeño while cooking in the oven.
Bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Thinner bacon cuts (versus thick cut bacon) will cook slightly quicker.
Jenn's Bacon Jalapeños
Cook time: 30-40 minutes Prep: 20-30 minutes
Oven Temp: 425 degrees
Servings: 8-10
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash fresh jalapeños. Remove stem and seeds. Slice in half, lengthwise.
2. Fill each jalapeño half with 1-2 TBS cream cheese.
3. Cut bacon into fourths. Drape bacon on top of each cream cheese stuffed jalapeño. Bacon should be slightly longer than the jalapeño prior to baking.
4. Line an 18x12 cookie sheet with foil. Remember to make sure that your cookie sheet has sides to catch the bacon grease while it cooks.
5. Line your jalapeños on the cookie sheet. It will be a tight fit, but you should be able to make five rows of eight.
6. Bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes or until bacon is crisp.