Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

These Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers just might be the perfect bite. Spicy, savoury, creamy, and crunchy, they've got everything. Your next party is going to be awesome.

There's this weird polarity that I work with as a home cook and a picky eater. I actually think I like cooking just a tiny bit more than I like eating. I love the sensory experience of chopping, stirring. The way different smells hit you at different times. The feeling of a knife sliding through vegetables. The sounds of crunching or sizzling. The experience of cooking is deeply pleasurable for me.

That's why I'm perfectly happy to cook things like this that I would never actually eat myself. It's not because the food is not good. My husband loves these and so many of the vegetable-based dishes I make. His joy is my joy, but my joy is also in the creation. Am I a total weirdo? Well, obviously, yes I am. But I don't think this is the main reason.

What makes Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers so awesome?

These are my husband's absolute favorite, and he gets so excited every time I make them. half a jalapeno gets stuffed with ranch seasoning spiked cream cheese and gooey cheddar with chillies or pepper jack. Then that whole situation gets wrapped in crispy bacon and cooked until crisp. It's smoky and gooey and spicy. They've got everything you need in a delicious appetizer.

I like to make these as a little nibble to get things started at a get together. It's hard to make enough of them, not because they're difficult to make but because they're so popular. While rationally people know they should only eat one or two, they just keep wanting more. Yes, they're indulgent, but you're not going to have a whole platter for dinner. You're just going to wake up your taste buds with something mindblowingly good.

Magical Properties of Jalapenos

Jalapenos, like all chili peppers, are tied to Mars and carry fire energy. With their phalic shape, they can be used in spells for virility, passion, or fidelity (though I'm not a fan of fidelity spells). You can also call on jalapenos for protection. Think of it like a ring of fire. Jalapenos can also be used as an accelerant in a spell to call your manifestation to you a bit more quickly.

For more on the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, be sure to check out my Kitchen Magick page.

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this dish. The full details are in the recipe card below.

• Cream cheese
• Ranch seasoning - If you live in a country where you can't get powdered ranch dressing mix or seasoning, consider using a garlic and herb flavored cream cheese instead. Or you could cut back on the cream cheese a bit and add some ranch dressing, but your cheese mixture will be thinner.
• Spicy cheese - either cheddar cheese studded with chilies or pepper jack
• Jalapenos - whatever color you can get your hands on
• Bacon - of the streaky variety

Tips for making Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

First we're mixing up our filling. Simpy stir together the cream cheese, seasoning, and shredded pepper jack or whatever spicy cheese you're using. You can do this by hand or with an electric mixer. Once that's ready to go, you can start constructing.

Cut your jalapenos in half and scoop out the seeds and ribs, then fill the cavity with your cheese mixture. This is very messy. Just get into it. You'll have plenty of cheese mixture so if you want to make more poppers, just keep stuffing jalapenos. You just need equal numbers of jalapenos and bacon slices.

Cut each slice of raw bacon in half and wrap that half slice around each filled jalapeno. Secure this with a toothpick and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake them until the bacon is crisp and the cheese is gooey. Let them cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Cheese is like lava when it first comes out of the oven, so don't be tempted.

Life is meant to be enjoyed, and these Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers will definitely bring you plenty of joy. I hope you give them a try.

Looking for more awesome spicy appetizers? Try this some Mexican Spinach Dip or some Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels.

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