Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Image by fritish via FlickrSince I have all these hot peppers, I went searching for a recipe for jalapeno poppers and found this post about baked jalapeno poppers - which linked to this recipe - Baked Jalapeno Poppers. Perfect!  I didn't want anything deep fried - mostly because it makes a mess, but also because too much grease makes me feel sick.

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients

• 12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less, to taste
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 6 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, cumin, and cayenne.
2. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, and 2 teaspoons of the Essence. In a shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons of Essence. In a third dish, combine the flour and 2 teaspoons of Essence. 
3. Spread cheese mixture into the middle of each jalapeno half. One at a time, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the bread crumbs, pressing to coat. If necessary, repeat the process. Place the coated peppers, cut side up, on lightly greased a baking sheet and bake at 350° F until the filling is runny and the crust is golden, about 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with cold beer.  (or milk)

*Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

I didn't follow the original recipe exactly - partly because I wrote it down wrong and partly because it called for 1 T of the cream cheese filling in each jalapeno half, but that seemed like too much - so I just gave up any pretense of measuring after the first half and simply filled them.  I stopped counting how many peppers I used, but it was definitely more than 12.  I had to add more bread crumbs because I ran out before I ran out of cream cheese mixture or anything else.  About the time I finished dredging all the peppers in flour, egg mixture, and bread crumbs, I decided to try egg mixture, flour, egg mixture again, bread crumbs - and that seemed to work better.  Just remember the cardinal rule - wet with one hand, dry with the other - or you'll end up with a huge mess.  It's messy enough as it is.

I did not bake all of these - just a few because I just had to try them.  I put them all on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet and placed them in the freezer.  Once they're frozen, I will place them in a sealed container, probably with wax paper between layers - all ready to take out and bake whenever I get the urge.

The few that I did bake and try?  Amazing!  Seriously.  These are so good.  Yes, they take quite a bit of time to prepare, but I'm thinking they're worth it.