Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers are the best appetizer ever invented. Basically, they supply important nutrition while being fun to make and eat. Conversely, some may argue that bacon isn’t all that good for you. Also, cream cheese has it’s share of detractors….
Well…those folks can go jump in a lake!
Possibly, swimming around for a bit will wash the angry curmudgeon off them and they can enjoy these amazing treats with us (the fun people).
Fortunately, spicy foods are actually good for you. Capsaicinoids, the chemical components of peppers that create their spicy taste possess several health benefits. Interestingly, the consumption and study of peppers and other spicy food have grown in the last couple decades. According to many, peppers can improve heart and gut health, speed up metabolism and make you live longer!
That should cover the bacon hater arguments right there!
These bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers fit right into some of the new special diets such as low carb or keto. This is especially true if you are one of those people that doesn’t believe Philadelphia Cream Cheese is really cheese. However, this specially crafted “fake” cheese is a key to making the dish work. Every other choice would be too hard to stuff into the peppers or just melt out into the bottom of the pan.
Most importantly, the three simple ingredients for this dish create their own magic once combined and slipped into the oven. The pro trick is to carefully choose the right peppers and bacon at your local grocery.
Obviously, they are going to be jalepeños. Crucially, these peppers can be bite sized to as wide as your hand. Therefore, the recipe starts here:
Finding the right peppers
The poppers will be bite sized; about as wide as a slice of bacon. So, just try to imagine how many bacon slices will cover the pepper; e.g., if the bacon is 1 1/2 inches wide and the pepper is 3 inches long then you will have to cut the pepper in half to make it bite sized. Now, fill your baggie with enough peppers for your party. One little pepper with make two poppers and one 3 or 4 inch pepper will make 4 poppers.
Forget about gauging the spice factor unless you want to take a chomp out of one at the store. Generally, jalapeños are the most predictable. Also, the cooking and other ingredients usually makes them benign. We can almost guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised at how polite they are…
Getting the right bacon
Most importantly, there are really only two types of bacon: fatty and lean. Lean bacon shows a lot of meat when you turn the pack over and look at the window. We consider most thick sliced bacon as lean. This is the stuff you use in soups and chowders. Don’t use this type for your poppers! They will be too chewy. Parts will get stuck in people’s teeth and they won’t like you.
Aren’t you glad we pointed that out?
Fatty bacon is what we want. When you flip the package over, the bacon will be almost all white with little thin stripes of meat. This type of bacon is perfect for wrapping poppers and other things. It stretches like a rubber band and stays stuck. Sure, there is a lot of fat during cooking and that has to be dealt with. However, the end result will be a delicate morsel that delivers a burst of flavor, unmatched on this planet.
Bacon Math
Typically, a 1 pound pack of bacon has 16 – 19 slices. It takes a half slice to make a good popper. Thus, we can assume you will have enough bacon for 32 – 38 poppers. Also, it will take 8 – 9 big jalapeños or 16 – 19 small ones. One package of Philly Cream Cheese will be enough to stuff all of them with some left over.
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers – The Recipe:
Ingredients –
- 8-9 big jalapeños or 16 – 19 small ones
- 1 pound pack of thin sliced bacon
- 1 8oz. package Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- 40 tooth picks
Directions-
Clean jalapeños and slice in half lengthwise. Remove all seeds and pith (the seeds and white stuff make them too spicy). Cut them in half if they are larger sized. Remove the stem if you like. Fill them with cream cheese by packing it in with your fingers. Remove bacon from package and slice in half. Wrap half-slices around each cheese filled pepper piece. Stretching the bacon some will help cover the whole piece and increase the wraps. Stab wrapped pepper with toothpick to keep from unravelling. Place in lightly oiled casserole dish. Cook in oven at 375 for approximately 40 minutes. NOTE: cooking times vary because of different peppers or bacon. Set a timer for 30 minutes and adjust time and heat as needed.
Lastly, you may want to double this recipe. We have had small groups of 15 – 20 people and a full tray of these magical treats will disappear before they make it to the patio.
Bon appetite!