Bacon Wrapped Apple Cream Cheese Jalapeno Bites

These Bacon Wrapped Apple Cream Cheese Jalapeno Bites are definitely winners!

I slice my jalapenos in half lengthwise, removing the seeds and the membrane with gloved hands. I place the jalapenos on a parchment lined baking sheet. Meanwhile I soften 8 oz of cream cheese. I peel, core, and seed one tart apple. I chop the apple into very small pieces and soak apple pieces in lemon water so they don't turn brown. After soaking apple pieces for about 10 minutes, drain them very well and pat dry. Next fold/blend the apple pieces into the softened cream cheese with a rubber spatula.

I fill the jalapenos with the cream cheese mixture, slightly over stuffed. I cut enough thin sliced bacon in half to cover each jajapeno. I wrap each jalapeno bite with the half a bacon slice and secure it with two toothpicks so they don't curl when baking.

Next I mix brown sugar (about 2 heaping teaspoons) with cinnamon (about 1/2 teaspoon) and drizzle sugar mixture over the top of each jalapeno bite. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes or until bacon is cooked and slightly crispy. You can remove the toothpicks after baking to make a nice presentation.

Next time I will dry the apples more and will use a foil lined pan instead of parchment. A cotton tea towel would be perfect to dry off the apples.

I've tried paper towels to dry grated vegetables and they stick to the paper towels, so I now use cotton tea towels to dry produce before using. I won't lie, these take quite a bit of time to prepare, but, oh my, they are worth every bite.