I know this isn’t normally seen as a traditional Christmas Day meal, but it is in my house. Don’t get me wrong, Christmas Eve we do it up – turkey, ham and tamales; but Christmas Day we tend to break into a good carne asada (BBQ). Because Christmas Day is generally an all day event for us, it is also a great opportunity to bust out some of your favorite snacks! And these bacon wrapped jalapeños are a definite must, especially after we decided to make them even more Christmassy (they’re already red, white & green) by turning them into Reindeer Poppers. 😀
Not only are they super cute and festive, but they are also more savory than spicy, melt in your mouth, are super easy to make, and simple to scale for any sized party. It’s more about the method than exact measurements. Depending on the crowd you’re trying to feed, you’ll need to either add more peppers, cream cheese, bacon and black olives or use fewer of each.
Here’s how we make our famous Reindeer Poppers.
| Servings |
- 13 whole, fresh jalapeños
- 1 1/2 8-oz blocks of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 lb bacon
- 1 can whole black olives
- 26 pretzels
- 1-2 pairs plastic gloves
Ingredients
|
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and set it aside.
- Put on your gloves and cut the jalapeños in half, lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes.
- Rinse the seedless halves in water for a couple of minutes, then scrap each one with your finger under running water and let them dry. (If you prefer spicy vs. savory, skip this step.)
- Cut the cream cheese into strips and use one strip to stuff each jalapeño half.
- Cut the bacon strips in half and use a half strip to wrap each jalapeño. (Optional - may use a toothpick to secure the bacon, but we've found it's not necessary.)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until bacon is at it's yummy red. (Just make sure the bacon doesn't burn!)
- Now you can eat them as is, or turn them into Reindeer Poppers. To add the Holiday Twist:
- Cut the bottoms of your black olives, add a little cream cheese on the back as glue, and use them for the eyes
- Cut a few of the black olives bottoms in half, add a little cream cheese on the back as glue, and use them for the nose
- Embed the pretzel into the cream cheese showing at the top of the poppers and your Reindeer Poppers are ready for your next Holiday Party!
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