It’s appetizer season! Christmas appetizers, New Year’s Eve appetizers, open house appetizers, even (blah….) Superbowl Sunday appetizer season is approaching. Here’s the perfect, easy but mind-blowingly delicious recipe to add to your list!
I’ve been taking one for the mama team and testing out a ton of protein-packed and delicious snacks to fill you up and take the edge off that 3rd martini. It’s been tough work. Especially when it came to a tray of these little miracles.
Everyone knows the best part of the jalapeno popper is that cheese filling, and the worst part of a BAD jalapeno popper is crappy cheese filling. We’ve tweaked the cheese filling, taken away the unnecessary bread coating (Because who needs bread AND cheese AND spicy stuff in one bite? People who have prescription strength antacids. The rest of us? No thanks.)...
Plus BACON.
Enough said.
You will get asked for this recipe. So be prepared with index cards. And cold drinks. And more jalapeno poppers than you think people will eat… because these are going to disappear faster than self-respect at the office holiday party.
HOT MAMA BAKED JALAPENO POPPERS
yields 16 poppers
- 8 medium-large jalapeño peppers
- 1 package (4 oz) plain goat cheese
- 1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped
- 1/2 package naturally smoked bacon
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- cracked black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and remove goat cheese from fridge to soften. 2. Rinse jalapenos and slice lengthwise, scraping seeds to decrease heat (if you want really spicy poppers, leave a few seeds behind). 3. Combine cheese, scallions, lemon zest & pepper in a small bowl. 4. Spread cheese mixture among pepper halves. 5. Cut bacon slices in half; wrap each popper well with a half slice of bacon and set in non-stick ceramic baking dish or on a baking rack…
6. Bake about 20 minutes until cooked through; adjust oven to “broil” setting and crisp for 1-2 minutes. Don’t walk away! You will be sad if you burn your bacon. 7. Cool on paper towel for a few moments…
…then find a private place and secretly eat several before serving.