While I don’t usually enjoy making simple recipes like this, I felt that the occasion called for it. So rather then make grease laden fried jalapeño poppers, I looked for a baked version that was served open-faced. I found this little gem on Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen blog. She titled the recipe Bacon-Ranch Jalapeño Poppers and they are made with a mix of cream cheese, ranch dressing, bacon, green onions, cheese and spices.
The most intimidating portion of the recipe is in the preparation of the jalapeño peppers. Not that it is difficult, but time consuming and dangerous! The danger comes from “not wearing gloves”, which is essential to the preparation of any hot pepper or chile that you cook with. This saves you from burning any part of your body that you might mistakenly touch and from burning the skin on your hands! So make sure you wear gloves and then immediately wash your hands after prepping the peppers (try to say that 10 times quickly:). I use a small spoon to scrape out the seeds and membranes from the inside of the peppers trying to keep the stem as in tact as possible.
Prior to cleaning the jalapeno’s, I begin to cook the bacon. I find the easiest way to cook a large amount of bacon is in the oven. No mess and no fuss! I line a sheet pan with heavy duty foil – make sure to wrap it around the edges to ensure a simple clean-up afterward. I lay the slices on the pan without touching and cook in a 375° oven for about 20 minutes or so depending on the thickness of the bacon. There is usually no need to turn the slices, but if I see they are curling too much and cooking only on the bottom, then I will turn them over about half way through. I remove them to a paper towel covered plate, let the grease cool and then you can just wrap up the foil and throw the whole mess away. If you are so inclined you might even want to save some of the bacon fat in a jar for later use in another recipe. With the foil liner, it is easy to pour off without any mess to clean up!
After prepping the peppers, I mixed the stuffing. I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer to make the process simple and because I like to get as much use out of my appliances as possible:) It made the process quick and easy, but can easily be done by hand as well. Stuffing the peppers was also easy with the little spoon that I used to clean the seeds out.
My next shortcut was to make tortilla crumbs in my food processor. It was simple and quick and I was able to get the pieces even and small enough to stay on top of the poppers. I felt that they were a nice addition lending some crunch to the dish. I used plain tortilla chips that I had on hand and I felt they were perfectly fine on them.
- 8-10 medium jalapeno peppers, halved
- 1 8 oz softened cream cheese
- 3 Tbsp prepared buttermilk ranch dressing
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- 5 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled [to equal 2/3 cup]
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese, divided
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup ranch flavored tortilla chip crumbs [such as ranch flavored Doritos]
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard baking sheet with parchment paper. Wearing gloves, slice the jalapenos in half. Use a spoon to remove the membrane and seeds. [tip: Always take care when handling hot peppers. Wear gloves and wash your hands and utensils very well after use.] If needed, cut a thin flat slice from the bottom of the pepper so it will remain upright while baking.
- Use a hand mixer, to beat together the cream cheese, buttermilk dressing, onion powder and garlic salt. Beat for 2 minutes until creamy. Add the crumbled bacon, 1/2 of the shredded Colby-Jack cheese and 2 thinly sliced green onions. Mix by hand until combined.
- Divide the mixture between the halved peppers. Depending on the size of the peppers you use, your yield may be greater. Sprinkle the top of each pepper with shredded Colby-Jack cheese and crushed ranch flavored Doritos.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the peppers are tender and tops are golden. Cool on the pan for 3-5 minutes before serving. These poppers can be served as is or with your favorite dipping sauces.
- See my post for simple instructions on preparing bacon, stuffing and tortilla crumbs.
Well, Melissa’s Bacon-Ranch Jalapeño Poppers were a big hit at the party as I received a lot of compliments, so I will keep this recipe in my rotation for use as a sure-win appetizer for a party!
Comment on “Superbowl Snack – Open-faced Jalapeño Poppers”
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Your Jalapeno Poppers were terrific. Much better than the game itself!