A perfect combination of spice, bite and creamy cheese goodness. You can pop these in the oven and have them ready for guests as apart of the appetizers before the meal at any gathering especially a mexican fiesta. I was introduced to these cute snacks from Jeannie (a dear friend and unplanned roomie – that is a whole another story for another day 😂), made these treats one day as poolside snacks and I devoured them. I do not actually like something that is too spicy (I have a pansy palette as some say) so initially never ordered them at a restaurant as I was too scared whether I would actually be able to eat them. Jeannie’s variation with the filing and bacon calms down the spice of the jalapenos while still creating a bite and then tingly burn that keeps you coming back for more.
When I stumbled upon fresh jalapenos at the international shop (“Target” in Schiedam), I had to recreate this great food memory. So with Jeannie’s voice note and crib notes in hand, I was able to serve this crowd pleaser as an appetizer at a mexican fiesta I hosted at home, and they were just as much of a hit.

What you need?

• 12 jalapenos, whole
• 12 slices of bacon

Filling:

• 220g cream cheese
• 2 tablespoon finely chopped red onion, I had spring onion which used
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 smoked paprika
• 2/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese, finely grated/powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

What to do?

• Prepare the jalapenos by slicing them lengthways and cleaning out the seeds in the inside. See picture one after the preparation.
• To make the filling, in a medium sized bowl, mix all the filling ingredients together. See second picture.
• Once you have the jalapenos, fillings and bacon strips cut in half (lengthways) (see third picture), so ready to create magic.
• Using a teaspoon, spoon the filling into the jalapeno. See fourth picture.
• Taking a halved strip of bacon, wrap the bacon around the filled jalapeno and placed on a greased and lined baking tray. You will likely need two halves per jalapeno to ensure they spill out their filling… and also bacon, yum!
• Continue will all jalapeno halves until all your jalapenos are finish. See last picture.
• Any leftover filling? Eat that clean out the bowl – it is delicious and the reward for the preparer.

• Once you ready to bake, ensure your oven has preheated to 220 Celsius.
• Bake for 20 minutes until the bacon is browned.
• Place on a wooden board and serve with plenty of napkins (it can get pretty messy depending on how much cheese has fallen out).