Bacon-Wrapped Jalepeno Poppers!

Often, when I spend the afternoon cooking keto-friendly foods, I get this sinking feeling of guilt in my stomach as if whatever I was doing would be shunned by society and lead to public flogging if anyone were ever to find out what decadent concoctions I'm making. Like when I rotate the never-ending supply of bacon fat I have saved in my fridge or make smoothies with heavy whipping cream and raw eggs. There's just something about the absurdity of it all that seems . . . evil. Needless to say, these feelings only last during the interim time between preparation and eating, once the food is being consumed I normally decide its worth the public flogging.

This dish is definitely one of those that always gives me the overwhelming sense of guilt. I should be upfront about the fact that this is not a budget friendly snack as the recipe calls for a whole packet of bacon. Well, I suppose if you were able to show a little restraint you might be able to turn this recipe into 4 snack sessions or two decent sized meals, but I'm not going to expect much of anyones will power when faced with the glory that is Bacon-Wrapped Jalepeno Poppers.

Here's what you'll need:
- Jalepenos (I think I grabbed about 6-8 which would yield 12-16 poppers)
- 8 oz of full fat cream cheese
- Bacon (12-16 slices)
- 1 TBSP Garlic Powder
- 1/4 cup Parmesan (optional)
- Cayenne (optional)

Set oven to 350 degrees

Start off by softening the cream cheese, I did this by microwaving it for about 15-25 seconds. Mix in Garlic Powder and Parmesan until fully blended. Set mixture aside.

Take your Jalepenos and start slicing them in half.

a very complicated task that needed

visual guidance for your assistance! 

Now start de-seeding them. Be sure to get out all the white stuff as well, it is bitter and can ruin the taste. 

Notice how nice and clean they are?

Now, at this point you have two options. For those of you who like spicy foods, go ahead and leave the jalepenos as they are. For those of you who are a bit more sensitive to spice, give the jalepenos a good rinse. This should help wash away some of the spiciness. I personally always leave them unwashed and normally think they could still be spicier. Generally, I probably have a moderate reaction to spice. 

Once you've cleaned them real well, go ahead and start filling those bad boys up with the cream cheese mixture. 

Are you drooling yet? 

Okay, here's where I got a little nutty and decided to try something new, but this is completely optional. I figured they looked a little plain so I sprinkled some cayenne on top to kick things up a notch. Of course, this will add heat to them, so be cautious of how spicy you want them to turn out. 

Doesn't that look better?

Alright, now is about the point where you should start to feel guilty. Wrap those suckers in bacon! I used about a strip per jalepeno half, but if your jalepenos are a little smaller than mine, you may want to cut the bacon strips in half. The first time I made this recipe I used toothpicks to hold the bacon in place, but in the end I felt like it wasn't worth the trouble. You decide what works best for you. 

oh god, did we really just do this?

Now back those evil goodies at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy. . . or until your will power caves and you can't wait any longer. 

Note: at this point in the baking process my camera decided to die. I had already waited the 30 minutes for these guys to cook, so I had no patience remaining to let my camera battery charge. Therefore, the below picture was taken with my phone and doesn't do these poppers their deserved justice. Alas, it is what it is. 

Enjoy!