Baked Cream Cheese Jalapeño Poppers

I made these cream cheese jalapeño poppers after a number of unsatisfactory attempts at making deep-fried poppers. I modified a recipe by Emeril that is much easier than frying and everyone in our family agrees that these are at least as good as — if not better than — any fried poppers they've had! We love hot peppers and always make a lot of these from the ones we grow in our garden every year.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Calories: 116 Calories

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 ½ tablespoons taco seasoning mix
• 1 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons fine bread crumbs, or to taste
• 12 medium jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

Step 2

Blend cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, and seasoning mix together in a bowl. Spread mixture into jalapeño halves and arrange onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the cheese filling.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until the peppers are just tender, 20 to 30 minutes.