Jalapeño cheese

Preheat the oven to gas 6, 400°F/200°C, fan 350°F/180°C. Ensure the jalapeños no longer have any seeds or membranes left in each of the halves.

Boil water in a large saucepan, and then add the peppers to the water for around 7 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, grated Cheddar cheese and Worcestershire sauce until smooth.

Spoon the mixture into each jalapeño half, dividing out evenly amongst the peppers.

Arrange the peppers onto a baking tray and place into the oven. Bake for around 5 minutes, until the filling is warmed through. Serve immediately for a warm appetizer.

Tips & tricks

A straightforward recipe, the trick to making these tasty appetizers is to get the balance of the filling with the jalapeño cheese recipe just right. Taking the time to combine the filling before adding it to the peppers helps to bring all the flavors together harmoniously.

If you can’t handle the heat, boiling the peppers for longer will reduce some of the spiciness, so leave the peppers in the saucepan for closer to 10 minutes if you’d like a milder 'popper'.

How to serve it

Best served warm, and enjoyed with friends, we think these peppers are delightful straight out of the oven, organized on a lovely serving plate or platter. If you’d like to serve with a dip, we’d recommend our ultimate jalapeño popper dip recipe, made with sour cream and mayo for a creamy and tasty side dip. Other brilliant dip combinations include guacamole, salsa and cucumber yogurt dip, all still influenced by South American cooking.

Recipe variations

Jalapeño peppers are the traditional variety used for poppers, but if you want to branch out and experiment with different levels of spiciness and flavor, take a look at our useful guide to 10 different types of peppers.

For a variation on the toppings, some recipes call for bacon or panko breadcrumbs. Simply add a couple of chunks of chopped, cooked bacon or the panko breadcrumbs to the top of the cheese filling before putting into the oven, for a salty or crunchy topping. In our recipe above, we’ve used cream and Cheddar cheese, but you can try out different cheese fillings. For example, some chefs will use feta or blue cheese, adding a Mediterranean influence to the recipe.

Storage

With any leftovers, you can store these in an airtight container in the fridge for around three days. Freezing the poppers is trickier with the cream cheese mixture, which doesn’t defrost particularly well. What’s great about this simple recipe, is you can make as little or as many as you need, depending on the hunger levels of your guests, to help minimize any food waste.