WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE THIS HALLOWEEN JALAPENO POPPERS RECIPE
There are just a few tools you need to make these Halloween mummy jalapeno poppers:
A baking sheet
Parchment paper
A large mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
Large, sharp knife
Rubber gloves
And just a few ingredients:
jalapeño peppers
Softened cream cheese
Feta cheese
Cheddar cheese (the recipe calls for cheddar cheese but you could substitute pepper jack cheese or monterey jack cheese)
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Cliantro
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Bacon
Candy eyeballs
HOW TO MAKE Halloween Jalapeño Mummies
Preheat the oven.
Slice the fresh jalapeños in half and then use a spoon to remove the seeds and ribs (this will remove a lot of the heat from the peppers, but they still will have a little kick!)
And since jalapenos can be spicy, you may want to wear a pair of rubber gloves for this step…or throw a plastic sandwich bag over your hands, just to keep the spice and seeds off your fingertips. (You don’t need hand protection, but if you don’t wear it, make sure you don’t touch your eyes!)
In a small bowl or large bowl, mix together your stuffing: room temperature cream cheese, feta, cheddar and spices.
With a spoon or clean hands, stuff the cream cheese mixture into each jalapeño half (make sure not to overstuff or they will explore in the oven!) and then place on a baking sheet to bake.
Slice bacon lengthwise in thin strips. Wrap each stuffed jalapeno with a piece of bacon, leaving a small opening near the top to place the eyes after baking.
Bake the wrapped jalapenos at 400 degrees until the peppers are tender, bacon is crisp, and the cheese is brown and bubbly.
While the poppers are still warm, place the candy eyes in each popper.
SHOULD I MAKE JALAPENO POPPER MUMMIES WITH CRESCENT ROLL DOUGH OR BACON?
What sets this recipe apart from other mummy jalapeno poppers on the Internet is the use of bacon to wrap the jalapeno peppers rather than crescent rolls.
Why did I decide to wrap the mummies in bacon rather than crescent roll strips?
Bacon is the perfect addition to stuffed jalapenos. Bacon will not only enhance the flavor or texture of your halloween jalapeno mummies, but it is easier to use!
The smoky flavor of bacon compliments the spicy kick of jalapenos and the creamy cheese filling. They will just taste better!
Second, the bacon will crisp up when baking, adding some crunch and texture to the jalapeno poppers.
Third, it’s a time saving strategy! Beyond bacon being the perfect pair to jalapeno poppers, wrapping the mummy poppers with strips of bacon rather than crescent roll dough is easier and faster. When using crescent roll dough in recipes, you have to cut the dough into strips (best done with a pizza cutter), wrap the pieces of dough around the little mummies and then use an egg wash to baste the pieces of dough for them to bake, crisp up and turn golden brown in the oven.
With bacon, cut it lengthwise in thin strips, wrap and that’s it!
WHAT CAN I USE FOR EYEBALLS INSTEAD OF CANDY EYES?
You can find the candy googly eyes in the baking ingredient section of your local grocery store or craft store. While I highly recommend using candy eyes because of the cute personality they will give the mummy jalapeño poppers, if you can’t find them or would prefer to use something more savory, sliced black olives are a good eyeball option too.
CAN I MAKE THESE AHEAD OF TIME?
You can do the prep work for these easy mummy jalapeno poppers one to two days in advance. Just hold off on wrapping and baking them until just before your party starts.
Slice your jalapeno peppers, make your cheese mix, and stuff the peppers.
Just don’t wrap and bake! (They will definitely get soggy and reheating is hard.)
Store your stuffed jalapenos in an airtight container in the fridge. Wrap with bacon and bake just before serving.
RECIPE
Ingredients
- 12 large jalapeno peppers
- 2 ounces feta cheese
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- A small handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- a teaspoon or so of onion powder and garlic powder
- 12 strips of bacon
- Candy eyes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Cut the peppers in half and scoop out the seeds and other insides. If the peppers don’t lay flat on a baking sheet, slice a little off of the bottom.
- Mash the feta, cream cheese, shredded cheese, cilantro, and onion powder together and stuff the peppers with the mixture.
- Slice bacon lengthwise.
- Wrap bacon around popper, leaving a space at the top for the candy eyes.
- Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and the bacon is cooked.
- Cool poppers for a few minutes and then place candy eyes in the cheese mixture (cheese mixture should be warm for eyes to hold but poppers should not be too hot to touch).
Source: offtheeatenpathblog.com ~ Images: offtheeatenpathblog.com