Air Fried Maple-Bacon Jalapeno Poppers

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Canadian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: bacon, goat cheese, jalapeno, jalapeno poppers, maple syrup, quick

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 10

soaking time: 15

Total Time: 40

Servings: poppers

Calories: 102kcal

These poppers are just what you need as delicious finger food! Jalapeno halves are filled with creamy garlic goat cheese, wrapped with crispy, salty bacon, and brushed with sweet maple syrup. Not a fan of spicy food? Worry not! Follow my one trick to make the peppers mild (aside from removing the seeds).

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Equipment

Ingredients

For the poppers

12 large fresh jalapeno peppers (4½-inch length) or about 18 jalapeno peppers (2½-inch length)
24 strips bacon
2 Tablespoons maple syrup

To mellow out the jalapeno peppers (optional)

½ cup white vinegar
4 - 5 cups warm tap water or until the peppers are submerged

For the filling

1 large log soft unripened goat cheese (20% M.F. | 59% Moisture)
2½ teaspoons garlic (3 cloves) peeled & pressed or minced
3 teaspoons maple syrup

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Instructions

For the jalapeno peppers

Place one pepper on your cutting board, and with a small paring knife, carefully split it lengthwise, starting from the tip, and cut all the way to the stem (see picture for reference). Leaving the stem on prevents the filling from spilling out and creates a handle for easier snacking.
Make a slit at the base of the membrane with your knife but be careful not to cut through the pepper. Use a small spoon to scrape the white membrane and seeds into a small bowl, starting at the tip of the pepper.
Place the pepper into your large bowl and repeat steps #1-3 until all of the peppers are halved and deseeded.

Optional Step - To mellow out peppers

If you enjoy your poppers spicy, you can skip this step.
Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar into the bowl containing the peppers, then submerge the peppers with warm tap water (about 4 cups). Stir the peppers in the water/vinegar solution a few times and let them soak for 15 minutes up to 1 hour. The longer you soak them, the less spicy they become. Drain and rinse them with cold water, then pat the peppers dry with paper towels.

For the filling

Add pressed garlic, maple syrup and goat cheese to a large mixing bowl. Combine everything with a spatula and add the filling into a disposable piping bag or a large plastic zip-top bag. Snip the corner with a scissor to create an opening large enough to fit the pepper (about 1/2-inch).
Pipe a single line of goat cheese filling into each pepper. Don’t worry if there is a slight gap as the cheese will melt to cover it when you air fry the jalapenos.

Air fry the peppers

At this point depending on how quickly your air fryer heats up, preheat it to 325°F (163°C) or do so once the peppers are wrapped with bacon.
Wrap each pepper with a whole strip of bacon. To do so, lay a strip of bacon on your cutting board. If your bacon strip is a little uneven (like mine), lay the strip with the smallest end closest to you. Wrap the bacon end around the tip of the pepper first, then roll the pepper diagonally with the bacon until the whole pepper is covered. Trim the end of the bacon if needed.
Place jalapeno poppers with the cheese filling facing up into your air fryer basket. I was able to fit 6 poppers into the basket without overcrowding it. Air fry poppers for 7 minutes, then brush each jalapeno with maple syrup and air fry for another 3 minutes. If you like your bacon a little crispier, air fry the jalapenos for another minute or two. Repeat this step until all the poppers are air fried. Enjoy while warm but be careful biting into the filling! Bet you can’t eat just one!

Video

Notes

I'm not too fond of goat cheese. What can I substitute?

You can swap the goat cheese for regular cream cheese made with cow's milk and cream.

Notes:

You can make peppers less spicy by soaking them in just cold water. To make them completely mellow, adding white vinegar was more effective. The vinegar will not alter the taste of the jalapenos.
Omit the maple syrup or replace it with a keto-friendly syrup to make these poppers Keto friendly.

Nutrition