Cape Cod Select is sponsoring today’s post. In exchange for taking part in their Summer Breeze Recipe Challenge, I received two bags of Cape Cod Select premium frozen cranberries to create original and unique cranberry-inspired recipes with. All thoughts, ideas, recipes, pictures, and general silliness contained within this post are solely my own and not necessarily that of the sponsor. CLICK HERE to learn more about Cape Cod Select.
It’s not often that I make the same recipe over and over again, tweaking it to get it just right. However, with this recipe, something inside of me simply demanded perfection, and after four attempts, I am happy to report that I have just created what may be THE BEST APPETIZER EVER. Whether you make it for a barbecue, Friday night treat, or holiday appetizer, this is one recipe that is going to become a real family favorite.
Attempt Number One: I only used two jalapeños in my first batch of Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Jalapeño Jam Sauce, which meant that these lil’ bacon-wrapped crackers were not nearly as hot as I would have liked them to be. I also baked them for an additional 15 minutes, which made them a little too dark for my liking.
Attempt Number Two: For some odd reason, I lowered the oven temperature to 200 degrees, which really had an effect on the baking time. I also placed a thin slice of jalapeño on top of each cracker before wrapping it with half a strip of bacon. Not a good idea. The moisture from the jalapeño was absorbed by the cracker making it mushy in the center.
Attempt Number Three: I changed the oven temperature back to 250 degrees. Before baking the crackers, I sprinkled finely diced jalapeños on top of the already wrapped crackers. In addition, after the bacon-wrapped crackers baked for 1 hour, I moved them to a baking rack to get them out of the excess bacon grease. So, this version tasted great but wasn’t quite right. After baking for 1 1/2 hours, the finely diced jalapeños were almost dehydrated.
Attempt Number Four: This time around, I actually lined the baking sheet with foil. Y’all, by this point, you can imagine just how tired I was of cleaning that dirty baking sheet. I baked the wrapped crackers for 1 hour, moved them to a baking rack, and then placed thinly sliced jalapeños on half of the crackers before topping with the jam sauce. The other half of the crackers, I topped with jam sauce and then sprinkled finely diced jalapeños on top of.
Bacon-wrapped cracker perfection achieved. Why was the fourth attempt the winner? Well, the crackers had just enough time to absorb the bacon grease before I removed them to a baking or cooling rack to help prevent them from getting too greasy. Then, placing the jalapeños on top of the bacon helped prevent the crackers from becoming soggy in the center. I could also control how spicy I wanted them to be by using either finely diced jalapeños or thinly sliced jalapeños.
So, I’ve done all the work for you guys, now all you have to do is test out this recipe. If you want your bacon-wrapped crackers to be mild, don’t add any additional jalapeños. If you’re in the mood for medium spice, top them with finely diced jalapeños that have had the seeds removed after adding the jam sauce. And if you’re someone who likes to go the spicy route, just place a slice of jalapeño on top of the bacon before adding the jam sauce. No matter which version you make, I’m pretty gosh darn sure you’re going to think that this is indeed THE BEST APPETIZER EVER.
Ingredients:
Bacon-Wrapped Crackers:
- 1 Sleeve Rectangular Crackers
- 1 Pound Bacon (Not Thick-Cut)
- Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Jalapeño Jam Sauce (See Recipe Below)
- Finely Diced or Finely Sliced Jalapeños (Optional)
Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Jalapeño Jam Sauce:
- 3 Cups Cape Cod Select Premium Frozen Cranberries
- 1 1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1 Cup Water
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 5 Jalapeños, Deseeded & Finely Diced
Directions:
Bacon-Wrapped Crackers:
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with foil; set aside.
- Remove the bacon from its package and cut it in half with a sharp knife or pair of kitchen shears. Carefully wrap each half strip of bacon around each cracker and then place it on the foil-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use a fork to gently lift up each bacon-wrapped cracker and move it to a baking or cooling rack. Place the baking or cooling rack with the bacon-wrapped crackers on top of it back onto the foil-lined baking sheet. Top each bacon-wrapped cracker with a small spoon of Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Jalapeño Jam Sauce. (If you are using thinly sliced jalapeños, add them before the jam sauce. If you are using finely diced jalapeños, add them after the jam sauce. They will stay in place much better this way.)
- Bake for 30 additional minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Jalapeño Jam Sauce:
- Place the cranberries, granulated sugar, brown sugar, water, lemon juice, and salt into a large non-reactive metal pan. Cook over high heat for 6 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the cranberries burst open and the mixture begins to foam.
- Remove from heat and puree for two minutes in a blender or with an immersion blender.
- Add the finely diced jalapeños and return to high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour the jam sauce into clean glass jars, allow to come to room temperature, and then refrigerate until use.
Suggestions:
- Make sure to use a thinner variety of bacon for this recipe; it will make it much easier to wrap the crackers. You can use your hands to gently stretch out each half strip of bacon a bit before wrapping it around the crackers.
- To wrap the crackers with bacon, gently place the end of each half slice of bacon on the underside of each cracker. Wrap it around the cracker twice, moving the bacon down the cracker during each wrap to cover as much of the cracker as possible. Tuck the finishing end of the bacon underneath the cracker.
- These bacon-wrapped crackers need to absorb the grease from the bacon as they cook, however, after the first hour of baking, it is best to place them on top of a baking or cooling rack to prevent them from becoming too greasy.
- To store these crackers, place them in an airtight container between layers of wax paper and then refrigerate. Bring them to room temperature before serving.
- CLICK HERE to see the original Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Jalapeño Jam Sauce recipe post and find tips on how to make and use it.
- Use the remaining jam sauce to make cocktails, meatballs, grilled chicken, meatloaf, or as a topping for cream cheese to serve with crackers as an appetizer.
Improvements:
- Sprinkle each bacon-wrapped cracker with a bit of finely ground black pepper.
- If you don’t have additional jalapeños on hand to top the bacon-wrapped crackers, add a 1/4 to 1/2-teaspoon of ground chipotle to the jam sauce for some extra heat.
- Store extra Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Jalapeño Jam Sauce in your freezer in small batches. That way, you can take out just enough to make a batch of these bacon-wrapped crackers whenever you need them.
- Use some of the leftover Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Jalapeño Jam Sauce to make this Warm Cranberry & Jalapeño Sweet Potato Salad.
- If you live in the state of Virginia, you will most likely be able to find Cape Cod Select premium frozen cranberries at your local Giant or Harris Teeter. CLICK HERE to find the nearest store in your area.
Ingredients:
- 1 Sleeve Rectangular Crackers
- 1 Pound Bacon (Not Thick-Cut)
- Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Jalapeño Jam Sauce (See Recipe Below)
- Finely Diced or Finely Sliced Jalapeños (Optional)
- 3 Cups Cape Cod Select Premium Frozen Cranberries
- 1 1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1 Cup Water
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 5 Jalapeños, Deseeded & Finely Diced
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with foil; set aside.
- Remove the bacon from its package and cut it in half with a sharp knife or pair of kitchen shears. Carefully wrap each half strip of bacon around each cracker and then place it on the foil-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use a fork to gently lift up each bacon-wrapped cracker and move it to a baking or cooling rack. Place the baking or cooling rack with the bacon-wrapped crackers on top of it back onto the foil-lined baking sheet. Top each bacon-wrapped cracker with a small spoon of Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Jalapeño Jam Sauce. (If you are using thinly sliced jalapeños, add them before the jam sauce. If you are using finely diced jalapeños, add them after the jam sauce. They will stay in place much better this way.)
- Bake for 30 additional minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
- Place the cranberries, granulated sugar, brown sugar, water, lemon juice, and salt into a large non-reactive metal pan. Cook over high heat for 6 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the cranberries burst open and the mixture begins to foam.
- Remove from heat and puree for two minutes in a blender or with an immersion blender.
- Add the finely diced jalapeños and return to high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour the jam sauce into clean glass jars, allow to come to room temperature, and then refrigerate until use.
Don’t let this recipe slip away. How often do you find a recipe intriguing, yet forget where to find it when you finally get the hankering to make it? Instead of digging through old posts or wandering aimlessly around on the internet, why not Pin this recipe to Pinterest where you can find it when you eventually need it? Simply Pin the image above and you’ll have it when that time comes. You can follow us HERE on Pinterest or simply click HERE to find all of our pin-worthy recipes.
Where to Purchase Cape Cod Select Premium Frozen Cranberries
