Jalapeno Popper Pocket Recipes

JALAPENO POPPER POCKET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. In a bowl, mix chicken, cream cheese, pepper jack cheese and peppers., On a lightly floured surface, unfold puff pastry; roll into a 13-in. square. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread half with chicken mixture to within 1/2 in. of edges. Fold remaining half over filling; press edges with a fork to seal., Brush lightly with beaten egg. Cut slits in pastry. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

MUMMY JALAPENO POPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
• Place the bacon in a medium skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Mix the cooked bacon with the 6 ounces cream cheese, the Cheddar Jack, scallions, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until well combined.
• Fill each jalapeño half with the cream cheese mixture, leveling the surface with the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula so it's flush with the edges of the jalapeño.
• Unroll the crescent rolls onto a cutting board. Separate into 4 rectangles at the perforations. Pinch together the diagonal perforations on each rectangle to seal the holes. Cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 strips. Wrap each jalapeño half with 2 of the strips to resemble mummy bandages.
• Arrange the wrapped jalapeños on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops of the strips with the beaten egg. Bake until golden brown and the filling is hot, 13 to 18 minutes.
• Meanwhile, transfer the remaining heaping tablespoon cream cheese to a small resealable plastic bag and snip one of the corners. Slice off thin cheeks from all around the outside of each olive and lay the pieces flat. Punch out 40 tiny rounds using a small round piping tip (about 3/16 inch) - these will be the pupils of the eyes.
• Let the mummy poppers cool slightly for a few minutes. Pipe 2 small mounds of cream cheese on the head (wider end) of each mummy and press an olive "pupil" onto each mound. Serve right away.

JALAPENO POPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet.
• If you have them, slip on some latex gloves for the pepper prep. Cut the jalapenos in half lengthwise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membranes (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT). Smear cream cheese into each jalapeno half and then wrap with a bacon piece (1/2 slice). Secure by sticking a toothpick through the middle. Place on the rack in the baking sheet.
• Bake until the bacon is sizzling and done, 1 hour 15 minutes. Serve immediately, or they're also great at room temperature.

JALAPEñO POPPERS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, then top with a wire rack.
• Halve jalapeños lengthwise. (Do your best to halve them through their stems for added visual appeal.) Using the tip of a small spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds. Set the halved jalapeños aside.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, cilantro, scallions, garlic and lime zest, if using; season generously with salt and pepper.
• Season the inside of each halved jalapeño with salt and pepper, then fill each with about 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese mixture. (Fill until there's a slight dome on top.) Wrap each stuffed jalapeño with 1 piece of bacon, setting one tip of bacon on top of the cream cheese filling, then wrapping the bacon under and over the popper at an angle, so the bacon covers the filling on top in two layers. (The bacon will shrink as it cooks, so you want to make sure the top of the popper is well covered.) Arrange poppers evenly on the wire rack, nestling each popper between two parallel wires to keep it upright so the cream cheese doesn't spill during baking.
• Transfer to the oven, and bake until bacon is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Broil on the rack closest to the broiler until crisp, about 2 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm.