Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

These bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are seriously addictive… Chives and onion cream cheese pair with crispy, smoky bacon along with a bit of a kick from the jalapenos, they’re the perfect combination of sweet and savory!

There’s a LOT of football coming up over the next few weeks, and you know what that means… Lots and lots of yummy football food, including these amazing baked bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers!

Although there’s only one game that really matters to me, I’ll watch any college bowl game, NFL game, or even TV series (Friday Night Lights reruns!!!) I can get my hands on in the meantime. Movies too — Rudy, The Blind Side, Varsity Blues, and Walmart recently sent us When the Game Stands Tall for a family movie night.

Have you seen it yet? It’s been called “Hoosiers meets Friday Night Lights“, and I’d say that’s a pretty accurate description.

Inspired by a true story, When the Game Stands Tall tells the remarkable journey of legendary football coach Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel), who took the De La Salle High School Spartans from obscurity to a 151-game winning streak that shattered all records for any American sport. When the streak is broken, and tragedy strikes the team, “Coach Lad” must teach his players — and the entire town — that it’s not about how you fall, but how you get back up.

This is exactly the type of movie that I like to choose for a family movie night. It’s entertaining, yet inspiring, and offers plenty of opportunities for discussions about attitude, motivation, and what it means to be a family. We talked a lot about choices and hard work when the movie was over, and while some of it was probably beyond my 6-year-old, I think there was a takeaway for everyone in our family.

Right now you can pick up the Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack of When the Game Stands Tall at Walmart for just $22.96!

Now back to those bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers… I mean, you know we had to have some snacks to go with the movie, and these are nothing short of fantastic! How can you go wrong with jalapeno poppers wrapped in bacon?!?

Even guests who aren’t fans of spicy food can partake, because you can easily control the spiciness. If you clean out all of the seeds and membranes, they’ll be pretty mild, or leave some of the membranes and seeds intact to increase the heat.

A few notes based on what I learned while making these:

• I found a paring knife to be the easiest way to remove the membranes and seeds without mangling the jalapenos. Again, leave some intact for more spice, or remove them all for a fairly mild popper.
• If you’re making a lot of these you may want to invest in some powder-free plastic gloves. I learned the hard way long ago that working with a lot of chiles will leave your fingers tingling for hours, and heaven help you if you rub your nose or eyes in the process!
• Wrap the bacon loosely because it will shrink and tighten up as it cooks. If you wrap to tightly to start, it will contract and squeeze the cream cheese out.
• Baking these poppers for 25 minutes was the sweet spot for me. The bacon was crispy, but the jalapenos still had a bit of tooth left to them. You definitely don’t want mushy, overcooked jalapenos.
• These are best served warm, so if you’re taking them to a tailgate party, I’d suggest wrapping them up and baking them at your host’s home if possible. And if it’s an outdoor tailgate party, I’m certain they would be fabulous grilled!

I’ll warn you, these bacon jalapeno poppers are pretty addictive, so you may want to make more than you think you’ll need! The chives and onion cream cheese paired with the crispy, smoky bacon and hint of spice from the jalapenos is the perfect combination of sweet and savory.

So tell me… do you prefer your jalapeno poppers mild or spicy?!?

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Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

Yield: 12 bacon jalapeno poppers

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

• 6 jalapeno chiles
• 1/2 cup Philadelphia Chive & Onion Cream Cheese
• 6 slices regular bacon
• 12 wooden toothpicks

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Soak toothpicks in a small bowl of warm water to prevent burning.
2. Slice the jalapenos in half and remove the seeds and membranes, or leave some intact to increase the spiciness.
3. Spread each jalapeno half with the cream cheese, filling it completely.
4. Cut the bacon slices in half. Loosely wrap one half bacon slice around each stuffer jalapeno half and secure with one of the soaked toothpicks. Place on a wire cooling rack set on a rimmed baking sheet.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and the jalapenos are tender but not mushy. Serve warm.

Have you tried this recipe?

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