Spicy, juicy, cheesy, crunchy, salty… is there anything better than these bacon-wrapped badboys? Spice fans can keep in extra seeds or even add hot sauce to the cheese mixture, while spice wimps can swap out jalapeños for the more substantial curved boats of a green pepper wedge. While a well-wrapped pepper will be able to handle a little bit face down, it’s just as easy to put them in the broiler in an oven or toaster oven for crispness all around.
Ingredients
12 jalapeños, halved and seeded
1 package cream cheese or 1 tub whipped cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheese (four cheese, Mexican cheese, or sharp cheddar)
20-24 strips Hempler’s bacon (depending on pepper size)
Optional: Substitute green bell peppers, cut in wedges, for jalapeños
Instructions
- Mix cream cream cheese and shredded cheese together
- Fill each jalapeño half with enough cheese mixture to reach the brim
- Lay out Hempler’s bacon slices, bringing close to room temperature for increased pliability. Starting with the fat end of the bacon, secure it across the top, stem end of the pepper with a toothpick. Wrap bacon around pepper, enclosing cheese mixture by ensuring bacon edges touch. Secure at end with another toothpick. If bacon is longer than pepper, trim excess after pinning, or tuck extra bacon up onto top surface of pepper.
- Grill face down (if bacon covers cheese mixture) for 3-6 minutes. When bacon is crisp, flip peppers
- Grill bottom side until bacon is crisp and cheese is hot throughout.
- Remove and serve.