Sunday, March 2, 2008

Jalapeno Bacon Bites



OH BOY!! How on Earth could you ever go wrong, when something is stuffed with cheese then wrapped in bacon, there is just no way I'm not going to love it.
This also gives me the opportunity to pay homage to one of my FAVORITE BLOGS, THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS. Many of you may be familiar with this absolutely fabulous blog with it's extremely delicious and user-friendly recipes, topped off with some sensational writing and stunning photography. If all those adjectives didn't inspire you to go check it out, these lil bacon wrapped bites of goodness certainly will!

Because I have a pretty busy work schedule (that in no way relates to making anything wrapped in bacon or whisked into soft peaks) I am a HUGE fan of anything that can be made ahead and frozen or refrigerated to bake just prior to serving, that just makes life so much easier!

I made a few lil'changes to the recipe on Rae's site (which is credited to Missy). So visit THIS LINK to see the original.



Jalapeno Bacon Bites
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Serves 30-40

20 Jalapeno peppers
3 8oz packages of softened cream cheese (room temp)
1 cup of shredded cheddar or Cheddar & jalapeno jack cheese
2 packages of regular cut bacon (the thick cut takes longer to bake*
Toothpicks

Wash the jalapenos and dry with paper towel. Cut off the top/stem, split in half long-ways and remove the seeds and membrane (that is the heat of the pepper, leave some of the membrane if you want them hotter). Then cut the halves in half so you've got a little bite sized bite! In a large bowl (using a hand or stand mixer with paddle attachment) mix the cream cheese & shredded cheese. Cut one package of the bacon into even thirds. (you will use about 1/3 of the other pack of bacon, and then you'll have some left for the next day's breakfast!)
Fill each 1/4 of a jalapeno with the cheese mix and wrap with bacon, secure with a toothpick. Don't stuff em too full and don't wrap the bacon super tight- these steps help keep the cheese in there and not squeezed out during baking when the bacon shrinks up a bit.
I made these late on a Friday night before a Saturday afternoon shower, so once wrapped and tooth picked, I put the bites into a large freezer bag & froze them overnight, which is a great option.

Weather baking them fresh or frozen, you'll want to line a baking sheet with foil and place a rack (like a cookie-cooling rack) on top of that, so the grease can get away from the bacon-bites. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, if the bacon is still not quite crispy, broil them about 5 minutes and you'll be good to go.
Serve hot or let cool to room temp, either way these are knock-down-drag-out Delicious and I am very much looking forward to making and eating these again very soon!

12 comments:

Jaime said...

oh my. these are like jalapeno poppers, wrapped in bacon! what's not to love? everything is better w/bacon! :)

bakingblonde said...

I Love jalapeno poppers Yours looks divine!

Joy the Baker said...

I'll eat bacon anything.... Anything!!! And these are no exception. They look great!

Astra Libris said...

Ooooh, these look heavenly... My guy has been hinting for a while that he would like some of these... ;-) Thanks for the awesome and delicious-looking reminder! :-)

test it comm said...

These look so good!!

Marie Rayner said...

Came here looking for Snickery Squares and found decadently delicious looking bacon things instead! I am in love!!!

Babeth said...

Looks perfert for "apero" (French way to say finger food with a drink) :-)

Jaime said...

hey beth! just wanted to let you know that reading your blog makes my day! :)
http://good-eats-n-sweet-treats.blogspot.com/2008/03/excellent-award-made-my-day.html

Ally said...

mmmm, those look fantastic! I have to try this recipe! And I am nominating you for an Excellent Blog award! : )

http://culinaryinfatuation.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-can-i-put-this.html

Tara said...

these look incredible! thanks for posting!

priscilla joy said...

OOh, those look delicious! My sister makes something very similar to those only they are from Taste Of Home.

deLa said...

its too funny that we both read her recipe, both decided to make it around the same time and both made our own little tweaks to it. :) i used whipped cream cheese, because i always use whipped because it is easier to work with. and then i added ranch powder to the cream cheese before stuffing it into the peppers.

EXTREMELY tasty no matter which way you make them!