Bacon-Wrapped Jalapenos aka Pepper Surprise
- Jalapenos 2-3 inches in size
- Softened block cream cheese
- Bacon sliced in thirds or halves
- Peach slices if in season, or other fruit (optional)
Using rubber gloves, remove ends and slice jalapenos in half length-wise. With a spoon, remove pulp and seeds (leave some seeds if you want it hot).
Get an assembly line going: fill the jalapenos with cream cheese. Put a peach slice or 2 on top. Wrap in 1/2 to 1/3 slice bacon. If you’re using fruit you’ll want to use a 1/2 slice of bacon - you need to cover the fruit completely so it doesn’t dry out in the oven. Stick a toothpick through the whole mess.
Bake 375 for 20 -25 mins. If bacon is not done, then put on the broiler for a few mins to finish at the end. The longer you cook them, the less spicy they will be.
The great thing about this recipe is that you can do as many or as few as you like. You probably want 2-3 pepper halves per person. For a party, much fun can be had if you make the spiciness level totally random - in other words, scoop out wildly variable amounts of the pulp and mix them all up on the plate.
Source and pictures here.