Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers

Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers will take your party spread to new levels! Using only 3 ingredients, these poppers are baked to perfection, and they’ll be gone in a flash

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I love to entertain, but I don’t do it nearly as often as I’d like. The open floor plan of my home makes it ideal, and every time I do host a party I vow to do it more often. And then life gets in the way. The good thing is, I have friends who pick up the slack and host at their home, so all I have to do is bring an appetizer!

One of my most popular appetizers is Bacon and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms, and you can make the filling ahead and then stuff and bake as needed. Pigs in an Everything Blanket is my fun twist on the classic, and my Cheddar Fig Honey Bites are insanely easy.

I recently shared my Pimiento Cheese Deviled Eggs recipe. My dad rarely eats eggs, but since he was in town when I did the recipe I had him try one. Over the next 2 days he helped me eat the whole batch! I had a lot of pimiento cheese spread left over, so I created Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers

Yes, I could absolutely eat these Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers by the dozen! The sweet and tangy pimiento cheese spread works so well with the spicy jalapenos, and the salty bacon adds a fabulous bite. I use Price’s Pimiento Cheese Spread, because that’s what I have in the fridge. You can use your favorite brand, or make your own. I haven’t tackled homemade pimiento cheese yet. That’s it…3 ingredients for a perfect appetizer!

ALL ABOUT THE JALAPENOS

• Look for jalapenos that are vibrant green, with smooth outer skin and no bruises, and are all about 3-4″ long
• Slice the jalapenos lengthwise, and use a spoon to remove the seeds and ribs. Use gloves, or wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water as soon as you’re done!
• Don’t over-fill the jalapenos, or the pimiento cheese will bubble over while baking.  I use about 1 teaspoon of cheese per jalapeno half
• Put the filled jalapenos in the fridge to rest at least one hour, up to one day ahead

BACON, BACON AND MORE BACON

I’m a huge fan of thick-cut bacon, but it won’t work for Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers. Thick-cut bacon isn’t as pliable, so it won’t stretch as well around the jalapenos. I use center-cut bacon, which is a little bit heartier than regular.

You have 2 choices when prepping the bacon, and it’s really about personal preference

• OPTION 1: Lay the bacon strips on a Baking Rack on a foil-lined Baking Sheet, and bake at 400° for 8 minutes.  Once bacon is cool, wrap the jalapenos
• OPTION 2: Wrap raw bacon strips around the jalapenos. The only down side to this method is the bacon doesn’t get as crispy

You could use one slice of bacon per jalapeno half. However, I do 1/2 slice each, so I can justify eating more poppers. If you pre-bake the bacon, stretch the bacon BEFORE baking.  Otherwise, it will break on you, and you wont get equal sized pieces.

• Lay a piece of bacon flat on a cutting board
• Use a large knife, flipped backwards, so the back of the blade lays on the bacon
• Hold the left edge of the bacon down, and drag the knife across the bacon strip until it increases in length by about 50%

Bacon shrinks as it cooks, so to keep it around the jalapeno, I secure the bacon with 2 Toothpicks per jalapeno. Make sure you push through both the bacon and jalapeno on both sides. I serve the Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers with the toothpicks, making them easier to pick up

BACON PIMIENTO CHEESE JALAPENO POPPERS NEED A LITTLE SALT!

When I first made them without salt, something was missing. I took some over to April for her to try, and she said the same thing. We added a touch of salt, and it was perfect. And I’m talking a serious touch! I add 1/4 teaspoon of Sea Salt total for 12 Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers immediately after they come out of the oven, and it is plenty.

You’re going to want to dive into these Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers as soon as they come out of the oven. Tempting, but wait 2-3 minutes for the bubbling to stop, so you don’t scald your mouth. Put these Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers on the menu for your next party, and I can guarantee they will be a hit!

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5 from 8 votes

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Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Resting time

1 hr

Total Time

45 mins

 

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Bacon, Jalapenos, Pimiento Cheese, Pimiento Cheese Spread

Servings: 24 poppers

Ingredients

• 12 jalapenos, each about 3-4" long
• 12 slices bacon (I use center cut)
• pimiento cheese spread
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with aluminum foil, and placing baking rack on top. Set aside

2. Cut jalapenos in half, lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scoop out the seeds and ribs. This is where all the heat is, so make sure you remove as much as possible. USE GLOVES OR WASH HANDS THOROUGHLY WITH SOAP AND WATER AS SOON AS YOU ARE DONE!

3. Lay jalapeno halves cut-side up on a separate baking sheet. Using a 1 teaspoon measure, fill jalapenos with pimiento cheese spread. Don't overfill, or the cheese will bubble over

4. Transfer baking sheet to fridge, and allow to rest for one hour. NOTE: you can make these up to this point up to one day ahead. Remove jalapenos from fridge 10 minutes before wrapping with bacon
   

5. Lay bacon pieces individually on cutting board. Hold the left edge of the bacon down. Using large knife flipped upside down, drag flat edge across bacon, until it extends by 50%. Cut each piece in half, so you end up with 24 pieces of bacon

6. BACON OPTION 1: Lay pieces of bacon on baking rack, and bake in oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to paper towels to drain. When cool enough to handle, wrap a piece of bacon around each jalapeno half
   

7. BACON OPTION 2: Wrap a piece of raw bacon around each jalapeno half
   

8. Secure bacon to jalapenos with 2 toothpicks per jalapeno popper. Be sure to push toothpicks through both bacon and jalapenos. Transfer to baking rack, and bake in oven for 18-20 minutes

9. As soon as jalapeno poppers come out of the oven, lightly sprinkle each jalapeno popper with salt. You will only need 1/2 teaspoon total for all 24 poppers
   

10. Allow poppers to cool for 2-3 minutes before serving. 

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