Jalapeño Poppers

A favorite of tailgates and barbecues all over the country, the jalapeño popper is the perfect blend of spicy and cheesy, cool and crunchy. These poppers are baked in the oven for a lighter bite, but a cornflake breading helps retain all the same crunch of the deep-fried original. As the jalapeños bake, the peppers’ burning spiciness mellows out revealing the wonderful flavor of their signature heat. And equal parts cream cheese and shredded cheddar make for a creamy, cooling contrast to all that jalapeño spice.

Easy to make and delicious, once you make these for your friends they’ll be begging you to make them for every occasion - make sure you bring a big platter to your Super Bowl party!

Makes ~30 poppers (depending on how much filling you use per popper!)
(Image belongs to Hungry Girl, Lisa Lillien)

Directions (adapted from Hungry Girl’s Jalapeño Swappers recipe):
15 whole, fresh jalapeños
1 cup Philadelphia cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cornflake crumbs
4 large eggs
Optional: salt, pepper, chili powder, and/or garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Halve the jalapeños lengthwise, and using a small spoon, scrape out the seeds, stems, and membranes (for spicier poppers, reserve some of the jalapeño seeds and add to the cheeses in Step 2, below). Be very careful not to touch your face or your eyes until after thorough hand-washing. Wash all jalapeño halves and dry well.
2. Stir cream cheese and shredded cheddar together. Place cornflake crumbs in a shallow dish and season with salt, pepper, chili powder, and/or garlic powder, if desired; place eggs in a separate shallow dish and beat well.
3. Using your clean hands, spread the cheese mixture on each pepper half, but be careful not to over-stuff your poppers or else the cheese will ooze out while baking. Next, coat the entire pepper with beaten egg and then with the cornflake crumbs. Place peppers on a nonstick baking sheet lined with tin foil. Bake for about 20 minutes (add additional ten minutes for less spicy peppers).

Eat as soon as possible - don’t burn your fingers!