Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

It's officially football season! While I'll be spending the first Sunday of the season out with friends at a local dive to watch the games, I thought I'd share a great recipe for game day. And even better - this one is super easy to make!

A few months ago, we had a game night at the apartment, and I had seen a recipe earlier in the week over at Brown Eyed Baker for bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers. I LOVE everything about jalapeño poppers. And what's not to love? The heat from the jalapeños, the creamy cheese filling, the delicious fried coating. But these... these involve bacon instead of deep frying them. And come on, who doesn't love bacon?!

Now, I'm a huge fan of cheese. The more cheese, the better in my book! So I've actually changed the original recipe a bit - and I was absolutely thrilled with the results.


Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

Ingredients:

• 20 Whole Fresh Jalapeños
• 2 8-oz Blocks Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 Cups Shredded Cheese (I've used Cheddar, Colby, Mozzarella... anything works! Choose your favorite!)
• 1 to 2 lbs Bacon 

Directions:

 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and very lightly grease.

Cut the jalapeños in half, lengthwise, and remove the seeds and membranes.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the cream cheese and shredded cheese until well mixed.

Stuff each jalapeño half with the cheese mixture. Wrap each  jalapeño half with bacon, and secure with a toothpick.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. If the bacon does not look browned enough, you can put it under the broiler for a few minutes just to finish it up.

Now eat all of them before your family tries to steal them from you!