So, yeh, this happened.
And truly, it is wicked tasty!
And simple to toss together.
And really, who hasn’t considered cutting whole dill pickles in half, then scooping out the seeds and filling the hole with a jalapeño and hot sauce mixture before wrapping the pickle halves in bacon and baking.
I’ve made these twice in the past week.
For two different gatherings.
And they were quite the hit! Well, except for with Ruth. I totally forgot that Ruth does not care for pickles. Oh, well, I did have her fave crackers, and the wine was nice, and the dinner, if I do say so myself, was nice.
But, back to the pickles…
INGREDIENTS
•Dill pickles
•Sliced bacon*
Filling:
•1 container (7.5 oz) whipped cream cheese with jalapeño
•1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
•1 tsp dried chives
•1 tsp Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Pepper Sauce – or your fave hot sauce, to taste
*1, 12 oz package of bacon should be enough to make 16 poppers. I used Trader Joe’s uncured, dry rubbed bacon.
HINT: a thin, 1/4 tsp round metal measuring spoon worked a treat at scooping out the pickle seeds.
Note: can’t find jalapeño cream cheese at your market? Use whichever flavor you prefer and add your own jalapeños. Might I suggest these sweet and hot candied jalapeños?
First things first, make your cheese filling by combining those ingredients together in a bowl and mixing together until well blended.
Transfer to a covered container and stash in the fridge until needed.
Slice the pickles in half, then, using a spoon (that 1/4 teaspoon measure worked much better than a regular teaspoon, but use what you have), scoop out and discard the seeds.
Pat the pickle halves down with a paper towel, then set aside to dry out a bit.
Line a rimmed baking pan with foil, then insert a baking rack into the pan.
Note: you don’t have to use the baking rack, but cooking the pickles on it will give you more all around crispity bacon wrapped pickle poppers.
Baking rack or no, apply cooking spray to the baking pan and/or rack.
Using a small knife, spread the cheese filling in each pickle half to fill.
Wrap one strip of bacon around each pickle half in a spiral to cover. Arrange on the baking pan.
Note: you can fill and wrap the pickles ahead of time and stash ’em in a container in the fridge.
When you are ready to bake the pickles, heat your oven to 400º.
Arrange the pickles in your prepared baking pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the bacon is cooked.
Arrange your pickles on a platter and serve with ranch dressing.
Ermmm… if I might…
This homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing is dead simple to toss together, but very, very good.
Zippy cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped pickles. Who’d a thunk it?