Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Jalapeno Bites
by admin on November 4, 2010
in Jon DoughMessTic, tailgating
It isn’t often that my husband, Jon, is influenced by a food in such a way that he feels the need to recreate it. These Jalapeno Bites are an exception. He came home one day from work, raving about an appetizer his friend Adam brought in. Cream cheese filled jalapenos. I’ll be honest – I’m not a fan of spicy foods, and hot peppers have never really been my thing. That is, until I got a bite of one of these bad boys.
The overall experience isn’t all that hot. What you get is a nice tangy punch from the cream cheese, the salty, greasy goodness of the bacon, and just enough bite from the jalapeno to let you know you are onto something good. I can’t take any responsibility for this one at all folks…it’s all the Man. He took his friend’s idea and changed it up, according to what he he felt seemed appropriate.
I think he really hit the mark.
Give it a try at your next gathering or tailgate party – you’ll have some impressed eaters!
Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Jalapeno Bites
makes 24
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay
- Pinch of Salt
- 12 Jalapenos, halved & seeded
- 24 – six inch pieces of bacon, uncooked
Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine cream cheese and spices in small bowl. Spoon mixture into each pepper half, until level. Wrap each in bacon, and place on baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove and enjoy!
Until next time, have a great day!
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{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
I made something similar years ago off of a recipe from Emeril’s tailgate special. It was one of those competitions where people sent in recipes. The guy who made these had sun dried tomatoes in the cream cheese.
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-live/joes-screaming-stuffed-jalapeno-poppers-recipe/index.html
I look forward to trying your version since I’m a big fan of Old Bay. I bet they are yummy. These work well on a grill at a tailgate too.
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I made these before and they were so hot, no one could eat them! Any advice? I seeded them, but maybe I need to remove more of the pulp? Thanks!!
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Really? I can’t imagine why, unless you accidentally bought peppers that weren’t jalapeno. Hmm. I personally do not like hot foods, and these are just a little bit of a kick. I’ve heard from dozens of people who adore these, so I’m honestly NOT sure what to tell you, other than to try again? Please let me know!
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Some jalapenos are much hotter than others. It depends on the time of year, where they were grown, growing conditions, and a myriad of other factors. Most of the capsaicin (the chemical responsible for making things hot) is in the translucent membrane that lines the inside of the pepper. Slicing that out with a sharp paring knife will cut down on the heat considerably. Wear gloves! My hands were burning for hours last time I got caught off guard with a particularly hot batch of peppers.
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Thanks for the information. I’ll try cutting out more of the membrane next time and maybe pre-cooking prior to filling them.
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I’ve found that the longer you cook them, the milder they are. I’ve parboiled them prior to filling them to take some of the heat out.
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What I do is heat the pepper up on a frying back before stuffing them. Or you could boil them for a quick 30 seconds.
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Sounds yummy and I know my oldest would LOVE them!
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I make these for every event or party I go to…they are always a hit and I never take any home with me (sadly). They are always requested.
All I do is mix a little honey with the cream cheese. Plain and simple. The sweet/salty/spicy mix is da bomb!
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I’ve been wanting to try something like this. I might brush some sweet bbq sauce over the bacon just before they are done, sounds fantastic!
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I love these! I tried them for the first time last year, and fell in love with them instantly. I like making them for the Super Bowl, too!
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Do you think I could keep them warm in a crockpot or are they good at room temp? We always bring bacon wrapped smokies for Holiday events, this would be a great addition!
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I just made these yesterday when I hosted the chili cook off for my MOMS club. They were delicious and not one was left!!! I can’t wait to make them again!
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INSANE girl, these look so great!!
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Bacon…cream cheese…sold! These look awesome!
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I love this easy appetizer. Fantastic flavors all in one little bundle.
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I made these for our “football food” today! AMAZING!!! Thanks for the recipe!
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The trick is to make sure you “gut them” well. And rinse with cold water. I sip the seasoning & use pineapple cream cheese. OMG they are sooo addicting. I’ve made them numerous times andthe pineapple is by far the best!
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These are in the oven right now — I hope they turn out! I went with one of the other suggestions above and bought a small can of crushed pineapple to mix in with the cream cheese instead of the more savory seasonings, and I made sure to seed these really well and remove the ribs inside the peppers. Hope they’re not too hot – about to bring them to a post-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner…! They look great!
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How’d they turn out??
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Delicious! They were a huge hit. Though some of them were pretty hot, others weren’t hot at all. Seems to depend on the pepper!
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We love these but we do them on the grill outside. We mix it up, sometimes put a stick of cheddar in the middle of the pepper along with the cream cheese. We have even put peanut butter in them with cheese. The smoke gives them so much flavor. Yummy!
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Mrs. Dough, you have done it again!
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I made this before but the cream cheese melted and ran out of the peppers. What is the trick to avoid this?!
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Hmmm. Strange! We’ve not had that problem at all. One trick is to move quickly, don’t let the cream cheese get too warm. If you think you’ve taken too long, pop them in the fridge for a bit before baking. Any chance your oven isn’t keeping good temp?
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Has anyone prepped the night before then popped them
In the oven?
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I did not do it the night before, but I did make them about 9 hours before I wanted to cook them. I put them on the pan they would be cooked on, prepared them completely, then covered them with plastic wrap until cooking time. No problems.
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Try adding Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage to the mix. Mmmm that’s how we do them and they are delish!
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I made these for Super Bowl and they are delicious! The only thing is that the bacon was not as crispy as my family would prefer. (I find this happens on “bacon wrapped” things.) For next time, I will use all the same ingredients and measures, but I will cook the filled peppers separately from the bacon, then sprinkle the bacon on top. That will give us the wonderful crust that forms on the cream cheese, and crispy bacon bits to boot. LOVE THEM!
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For those complaining about the heat, the more of a point the pepper has, the spicier it will be. So the rounded ends are less spicy!
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