Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

Ya’ll. These jalapeño poppers have been a staple in our home for a long while now. Even Josh, our oldest, has been known to whip up a batch for a bunch of friends on game day.

These poppers are so many things.

• QUICK and EASY. Prepping takes a mere 15 minutes, and just 25 minutes to bake.
• TASTY. Such a good combo of the spicy jalapeño, the creamy filling, and the salty bacon.
• SPICY. Take they up a notch and leave some seeds in for a spice KICK. OR, leave them out for a much less spicy app.
• Ummm…BACON! Enough said. The pre-cooked bacon is the way to go.

HOW TO MAKE JALAPEÑO POPPERS:

1. Prep the jalapeños (using gloves!). Clean, half, and deseed them. Then lay them on a prepared backing sheet.
2. Place the creamy filling ingredients in a bowl.
3. Blend the filling with a hand mixer.
4. Spoon the filling into the halved and prepped jalapeños.
5. Get your pre-cooked bacon out of the packaging.
6. Wrap the bacon around the popper, and secure with a toothpick.
7. BAKE, and serve!

WHY USE PRE-COOKED BACON?

Pre-cooked bacon will ensure that after 25 minutes, the bacon will be crispy, and the jalapeños cooked through and soft. If you use raw bacon, you’ll have a greasy mess, and the bacon will still not be crispy (after 25 minutes). Trust me on this.

You could, of course, pre-cook some raw bacon and use that. Just make sure it is flexible enough (not too crisp) to wrap around the stuffed peppers.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT JALAPEÑOS:

• Some jalapeños are hotter than others. Boy, do I know this fact. I’ve used jalapeños SO much in my cooking since moving to Texas, and while I sincerely love them, they can betray even a spice lover like me. I love this explanation by Elise Bauer, “The older the pepper, and the more stress the plant has been under, the more white lines you’ll see, and the hotter the pepper will be. The smoother the pepper, the younger, less stressed, and milder it is.“
• Always use gloves when handling the insides of jalapeños. Guys, I know this, because I’ve literally used my bare hands to deseed them. BIG mistake!
• Never touch your eyes after handling jalapeños. Lesson learned after burning my eyes while putting my contacts in. OUCH!

Super Bowl Sunday is around the corner. I’m ready with ALL of the snacks. A few healthy ones and a few splurges, because life is all about balance.

NEED OTHER SNACK IDEAS?

• Cheesy Pesto Party Bread. Carbs anyone? Yes please.
• Mexican Black-Eyed Pea Dip. You can’t have a party without a cheesy dip.
• Creamy Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms. At only 50 calories each, you can definitely pig out on these.
• Spicy Chex Party Mix. Super addicting. Just warning you now!
• Chunky Guacamole. You will need to double or triple this one. Because guac is LIFE!

Enjoy these poppers. You’re gonna love them.

Enjoy!

Make this appetizer next: Sausage and Mushroom Pesto Flatbread

Please let know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me on Pinterest, and catch me on Instagram.

xoxo ~Sue