Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Burgers

I’ve been really bad. I cooked these burgers in the leftover bacon grease from cooking the bacon which is stuffed inside the burger. It’s bacon-ated inside and out! And to make things worse even better, these are big boy burgers with half a pound of beef for each patty. Originally I planned on making quarter pounders, but my bretzel rolls came out much bigger than usual and I decided I would make the burger fit the bun. No sense having a puny burger on an over-sized bun!

Stuffing a burger with the components of a jalapeno popper is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Seriously, I think these were the most delicious burgers I’ve had the pleasure of occupying my belly. The idea for these burgers came from an original plan to make jalapeno popper dip for a cook-out I was going to attend. Unfortunately I found out the cook-out was cancelled as I was already grating the cheddar cheese. Since I needed new dinner plans and already had the rest of the ingredients on hand, I improvised. And then, the jalapeno popper stuffed burgers were born! I even added some onion rings on the side ;-).

One year ago: Dark Chocolate Blueberry Muffins

JALAPENO POPPER STUFFED BURGERS

Serves 4

Ingredients:

FILLING

2 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

1 large (or 2 small) jalapeno, seeded and chopped*

2 oz. reduced fat cream cheese

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more sliced for topping

1 clove garlic, minced

1/8 tsp cumin

BURGERS

2 lb. ground beef

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

4 Bretzel rolls

Favorite burger toppings

*You can also leave some of the seeds in depending on preferred heat-level

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the bacon, jalapeno, cream cheese, cheddar, garlic, and cumin until well combined. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the beef, egg, bread crumbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Form into eight patties.
3. Divide filling evenly, placing in the center of four of the patties leaving at least a 1/2-inch edge. Place other four patties on top and seal the edges.
4. Heat grill (or pan) to medium to medium-high heat and grill for a 4-7 minutes on each side until desired doneness. Top with more cheddar cheese.
5. Serve on bretzel roll with desired toppings.

Source: The Spiffy Cookie original