As we might have said in a previous post, we grew an overly abundant amount of peppers this summer. The most fruitful was a spicy jalapeno variety called Jalafuego from Johnny’s Selected Seeds, which we expect to grow again next year. Not realizing how prolific these plants would be in the incredible heat this summer, we ended up with dozens of large jalapenos ripening at the same time. There’s only so many Mexican dishes I can make at once, and only so many jalapenos that can go in each dish! So I decided to recreate a favorite snack from my childhood (though I used to have to go to Arby’s to get my fix): jalapeno poppers.
Jalapeno poppers are a wonderful appetizer, though honestly I would make an entire dinner out of these if they were any healthier! We made these for a dinner party, and they were a big hit. We subsequently made another batch and froze them for later consumption – I’m expecting they will be just as delicious warmed again in the oven on a cold day this winter. :) I can imagine the idea of making these poppers could be intimidating – I did not make them for the longest time because I assumed it would be a complicated process – but I promise it is actually quite simple to make these, and very rewarding.
Ingredients
20 large or 25 medium size jalapenos
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup shredded sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. milk
1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs
Directions
The jalapenos are stuffed with a cream cheese mixture before breadcrumbs are applied
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a medium baking sheet with PAM.
For handling the jalapenos, I highly recommend wearing latex gloves of some sort, since otherwise your hands will be on fire for hours! Because we are cutting hot peppers often, I keep on hand a box of disposable medical gloves purchased from our local pharmacy. A single box has a hundred pairs in it, so I never run into an issue where I’m trying to cook and have no protection
Chop the tops off first, then using a potato peeler or a fruit corer such as this one
- Ready to cook!
In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and parsley. Place the cream cheese mixture in a Ziploc bag, then snip off one corner of the baggie with scissors. Squeeze mixture out of the bag to stuff the jalapenos (or jalapeno halves, if you went that route).
Whisk together eggs and milk in a small bowl. Put your breadcrumbs in a second small bowl.
Dip each stuffed jalapeno (or jalapeno half) into the egg and milk mixture, then roll in breadcrumbs to coat. Arrange in a single layer on your baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and lightly browned.
Makes a wonderful amount of ooey gooey appetizers everybody will love! We served with extra chilled cream cheese filling on the side that did not fit in our jalapenos; this provided a nice contrast to the spiciness of the poppers. You can also provide marinara sauce or a honey mustard sauce on the side for dipping.
Our "Sweet and Spicy Peppers" entry for Summer Fest 2010. Click the image to see what Summer Fest is all about!
Thanks, Emily, for this deliciously naughty looking recipe. I see what you mean about wanting to make a whole meal of them — they look wildly good.
Thanks Margaret! It is indeed very tempting, but so far we’ve managed to restrict ourselves to eating them as an appetizer.
We’re glad you’ve extended Summer Fest into Fall Fest!
I never get sick of jalapeno poppers! I’ve actually never made them at home, but this post is making me want to give it a try! That filling sounds fantastic!
Thanks, Nicole! I hadn’t tried them before, either, but I promise they are delicious!
1. Can they be frozen and reheated after cooked?
2. Have you tried the reseeding method of rolling them in your hands? Or does that not remove enough?
Hi Dave,
When we made them the second time around, we cooked them and then froze them after they had cooled down completely. Our expectation is that, like most frozen food you can buy in the supermarket, if it’s precooked it should not take too long after frozen to reheat before the poppers can be enjoyed! I admit though, we haven’t tried to reheat our frozen ones yet.
I’ve found that while rolling the jalapenos does loosen up a lot of seeds, it doesn’t seem to guarantee that all will be removed… at least not with our jalapenos. But, the jalapenos we grew this year are quite large compared to the type you often find in the supermarket (at least here in NY). I took extra measures to remove all of the seeds I possibly could before stuffing them with cream cheese just to minimize how hot they would be, but if you’re braver than I am, I’m sure a couple of seeds left inside wouldn’t hurt anything!
found you over at pinch my salt, love your title- very cute. i didn’t know arby’s had poppers? these look like crunchy goodness.
Chef Louise
Thanks, Louise! At least at the Arby’s I’d eaten at in the past, they had something very similar to these, though they called them Jalapeno Bites. I loved them – mostly because, I admit, I’m a sucker for cream cheese – but the jalapeno itself grew on me as well. Sadly, no Arby’s around where I live now. Perhaps they don’t carry them at every Arby’s? In any case, glad you liked the site and hope you give the recipe a try!
Your blog is making me really hungry!