Baked Jalapeno Poppers – An Easy To Make Hand Held Appetizer

Baked Jalapeno Poppers is a delicious low-carb appetizer recipe that is great to serve at your next party. Whether you are tailgating, bringing in the New Year, or gathering with friends and family at a backyard barbecue, this appetizer is ready to heat things up!

Flavored cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese are stuffed into a half of a jalapeno pepper. Then they are put in the oven and baked until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

Add a little bacon to the filling and on top and you have a delicious appetizer to serve to your family and friends!

Jalapeno poppers become popular this time of the year. The peppers are being harvested from the garden and you can purchase a full bag of jalapeno peppers for very little cost at the farmer’s market.

Not to mention that football season has begun. And these iconic stuffed peppers are always a hit at any tailgate party.

They make for an easy hand held appetizer that can be eaten either warm or at room temperature. They make a great addition to any game day spread because they can be picked up and eaten during commercials or even between plays.

However what I like most about this recipe is that the peppers can be made ahead of time. This will be a huge time saver on the day that you want to serve them.

Make Ahead Jalapeno Poppers

All you have to do is prepare the recipe as instructed. However, instead of baking them right away, freeze them so that you have them on hand whenever you need a quick and easy appetizer.

Although, I suggest using the flash freezing technique before storing them in your freezer for long term storage. This simply means to place the stuffed jalapeños on a rimmed baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one.

Then place the entire tray in the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour. Once they are frozen, transfer them into a freezer container, placing wax paper between layers if stacking them.

When you go to bake them, place them in the preheated oven as the recipe indicates. However, increase the bake time by 10-15 minutes.

There you have it! A great way to have an appetizer made and ready to bake any time that you need them!

Word Of Caution

Before making Baked Jalapeno Poppers, be sure that you have food grade gloves handy. Because you will be manipulating the peppers with your hands it is highly recommended that you wear gloves when cutting the peppers.

When you slice the peppers, it causes capsaicin to be released. If this substance touches your skin, it can cause a painful burning sensation.

Therefore, it is important to wear gloves when preparing the peppers. And remember, some gloves are permeable. This means some of the liquid may be able to still seep through.

Therefore, be sure to wash your hands with soap and water as soon as you remove the gloves. And try to prevent rubbing your eyes, mouth or nose once the job is complete.

How To Adjust The Heat Of The Jalapeno Poppers

For those who have ever tried homegrown jalapeños you know that there is a huge difference in the heat level when compared to store bought peppers. The peppers that come directly out of a backyard garden are much hotter!

Therefore, you need to adjust the heat level of your poppers accordingly. If you purchased your hot peppers at the grocery, but want spicy baked jalapeno poppers, then remove the seeds, but keep the white ribs intact.

On the contrary, if you don’t like a lot of spice, be sure to remove all of the seeds and any white membranes that you see. This is especially true if using fresh picked jalapeños.

Just be aware, that even if you removed everything from the inside of the pepper, depending on the pepper itself, your first bite could still be a hot one!

Although the cream cheese filling should help tame the heat a bit. Just be sure to have a cold beverage near by!

Baked Jalapeno Poppers Recipe

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

• 12-14 large jalapeno peppers
• 8 ounces plain cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, grated
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled, divided

INSTRUCTIONS

Although not in the specific cooking instructions, you will need approximately 6 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon for this Baked Jalapeno Poppers recipe. This can be done right before making the poppers, or days ahead of time.

After the bacon is nice and crispy, crumble the strips. Then reserve 3 tablespoons of the bacon bits for the topping.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Then line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Lightly grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray so that any spilled over cheese that happens during the baking process does not stick to the foil. Set the pan aside and prepare the peppers.

Prepare The Jalapeno Peppers

Using gloves (please do not skip this step), slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise. For this Baked Jalapeno Poppers recipe you can leave the stem on or cut it off, the choice is up to you.

Using a small teaspoon, or the tip of the handle of the teaspoon, remove the seeds. Then continue to scrape the pepper to remove the white ribs and membranes of each half pepper and discard.

Set the peppers aside while you make the filling. In a medium mixing bowl add the softened cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Use a hand mixer to blend until well incorporated. Then add the crumbled bacon to the mixture, leaving the reserved bacon crumbles for garnish.

Mix the bacon into the cream cheese and cheese mixture and mix until well incorporated. Now it is time to fill the pepper halves!

Use a teaspoon to fill the center of each jalapeno, mounding the filling slightly above the top of the peppers. Don’t mound the mixture up too high or it will melt and drip all over the baking sheet.

Baking Instructions

Place each filled pepper on the prepared baking sheet. Then place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or just until the cheese begins to bubble.

The mixture will not brown up. However, if you want a darker color on the filling, you can place the tray under the broiler for a couple of minutes.

When the jalapeno poppers are perfectly baked to your liking, remove the tray from the oven. Sprinkle the reserved crumbled bacon on top to garnish.

Let the peppers cool for a few minutes before serving so that the filling can firm up a bit. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Other Jalapeno Popper Recipes

• Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
• Loaded Jalapeno Popper Dip
• Air Fryer Jalapeno Popper Bites
• Jalapeno Popper Halloween Mummies

Enjoy! Mary

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