Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

Holy Guacamole these are good.  This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman cookbook.  She does not have the same recipe on her website.  This one if from her book and it is fabulous.  I really cannot take credit for any of its greatness.  They are epic, and I make them for pretty much every party.  I have also taken all of the ingredients and turned them into a delicious cheese ball.  

They are also really simple!  Only a few ingredients!!

12-15 jalapeños (depending on their size), 1 package of cream cheese, 2 chopped scallions, 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, about 1 1/2 packages of good thick cut bacon, 1/2 cup bbq sauce or apricot jam, or mix those dang things together!

Start by chopping the jalapeños in half.

Then scoop out the ribs and seeds.  You might want to wear gloves for this.  Or you could just live dangerously like me!

You can easily do this step ahead of time for a party.  It’s great to get it out of the way the day before, so you are not rushing and then accidentally touching your face and eyes.  Because this always seems to happen.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees!

Then mix together the cream cheese, scallions, and shredded cheddar.  This works best when you have let the cream cheese soften slightly.  You can use your KitchenAid Mixer too if you don’t feel like putting in the elbow grease. 

Stuff the jalapeños with the cream cheese mixture. You just need to use your best judgement with how much to put in each one.  It depends on their size.  You don’t want it to overflow too much!

Then cut your bacon in half so you have 2 strips per slice. Wrap the pepper in bacon and secure with a toothpick. Don’t wrap it too tightly!  The bacon will contract.  Also place them on a cooling rack over a baking sheet, this way they get crispy all around!

Mix together the bbq and apricot jam (you can also use raspberry!)

Use a pastry brush to spread the sauce over the top of each popper.  

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the bacon is slightly crispy.

Let cool slightly and gorge.

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