Jalapeno poppers are always a hit, but wrap them in bacon and fahgettaboudit. Your family and friends will beg you to make these again and again.  Oh, and did I mention these jalapeño poppers are Keto-Friendly?

Note: to kick up the heat factor, substitute cheddar cheese with pepper jack!

Start by putting on some disposable kitchen gloves so you don’t regret touching your face a couple hours from now. Protective goggles are a good idea too - sometimes those jalapeños are juicy!

Cut the jalapeños in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds (or most of them). The seeds and ribs inside the peppers contain the most heat. We like heat so I don’t mind leaving some seeds and ribs behind.

There’s a jalapeño tool that will remove the seeds pretty nicely, but in order to use it, you have to cut the top (stem) off the pepper, which leaves a hole on the side when you cut the peppers in half. That hole allows the filling to ooze out in the oven. I’ve certainly made them that way, but they’re neater the way I’m showing you here.

To make the filling, combine all the remaining ingredients except the bacon. I like to do this in my stand mixer fitted with a BeaterBlade attachment. You could do it by hand if you like.

Fill each half with PLENTY of cheesy filling!! Mmmmmm.

Now wrap each half with bacon - use regular bacon (thicker bacon takes forever to cook). I have, in a pinch, used thick-cut bacon, but I had to preface it for about 10 minutes before wrapping the poppers, and it doesn’t stay on the poppers as well. Save yourself the aggravation and just get regular bacon when you want to make these.

You can cut the bacon in half, but I prefer to wrap a whole slice of bacon around each popper. Bake until the bacon is done - allow them to cool for at least 5 minutes before eating. Now stand back and wait for the compliments. Oh yes, they’re that good.

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• disposable gloves https://amzn.to/3KLok4t

• melon baller https://amzn.to/3g511nS

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/3g3j7a4

• half sheet pan rack https://amzn.to/2YEhXaM

• protective goggles https://amzn.to/2U97cyT

• BeaterBlade attachement https://amzn.to/3Hb6CF7

• stand mixer https://amzn.to/3o4sIS2

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 10 Jalapeno peppers

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

• 4 ounces sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese, shredded

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

• 10 slices bacon (standard thickness)

• disposable food safe gloves and eye protection suggested

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F with the rack in the upper middle position.

2. Place an oven-safe cooling rack into a rimmed sheet pan (line sheet pan with foil for easier cleanup).

3. Protect hands and eyes with disposable food-safe gloves and goggles.

4. Wash jalapeno peppers and cut in half lengthwise.

5. Carefully remove seeds and membranes from each jalapeno half (protective goggles are very important here - eyeglasses or even sunglasses will work if you don't have goggles).

6. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, cheddar or pepper jack cheese, and garlic salt.

7. Fill each jalapeno half with the cheese mixture, being sure not to overfill.

8. Wrap each jalapeno half with a slice of bacon and place on the rack.

9. Baking in oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the bacon is cooked the way you like it. If you like your bacon a little more crisp, place it under the broiler for a minute or so.

10. Remove poppers from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring them to a serving platter. Be sure to have plenty of napkins on hand.

Note: the photos show me wrapping each popper with a half of a slice of bacon, but I failed to consider the fact that bacon shrinks in the oven so from now on I'll use an entire slice of bacon.