Classic Texas Twinkies

I’d never heard of Texas Twinkies until my neighbor brought some to our block party last summer. One bite and I was hooked—these aren’t your typical sweet snack cake. We’re talking jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese and brisket, wrapped in bacon and grilled to perfection.

The name confused me at first since they have nothing to do with the packaged treats I grew up eating. But after making them a few times, I get it. They’re golden, they’re bite-sized, and just like regular Twinkies, you can’t stop at just one. The difference is these pack some serious flavor and a little heat that’ll wake up your taste buds.

What Kind of Jalapeño Peppers Should I Use?

For Texas Twinkies, you’ll want to pick medium to large jalapeños that are firm and have thick walls – these will hold up better to stuffing and won’t fall apart during cooking. Fresh jalapeños work best, and you can usually find them year-round at most grocery stores. If you’re worried about the heat level, look for jalapeños that are darker green and more mature, as they tend to be milder than the bright green younger ones. When selecting your peppers, give them a gentle squeeze to make sure they’re firm and avoid any that feel soft or have wrinkled skin, as these won’t hold their shape as well when stuffed and wrapped with bacon.

Options for Substitutions

These Texas Twinkies are pretty forgiving when it comes to swapping ingredients:

• Jalapeno peppers: If you want less heat, try poblano peppers or mini sweet peppers. For more kick, go with serrano peppers, but you might want to use fewer since they pack more punch.
• Brisket: No leftover brisket? Pulled pork, chopped chicken, or even cooked ground beef work great. You could also use chopped bacon bits or sausage for a different flavor.
• Cheddar cheese: Feel free to mix it up with pepper jack for extra spice, sharp white cheddar, or even a Mexican cheese blend. Just stick with good melting cheeses.
• Bacon: Turkey bacon works if you prefer, though it won’t get quite as crispy. You could also wrap them in thin-sliced pancetta for a fancy twist.
• Cream cheese: Make sure it’s at room temperature for easy mixing. In a pinch, you can use softened goat cheese or even ricotta, though the texture will be slightly different.
• BBQ sauce: Use whatever BBQ sauce you love – sweet, tangy, or spicy all work. You could even brush with honey or maple syrup mixed with a little hot sauce.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Grilling

The biggest mistake when making Texas Twinkies is not removing enough of the jalapeño membrane and seeds, which can make them unbearably hot even for spice lovers – scrape out the white ribs thoroughly but leave some seeds if you want moderate heat.

Another common error is overstuffing the peppers with filling, which causes the mixture to spill out during cooking and makes wrapping with bacon nearly impossible – fill them about three-quarters full and pack gently.

To prevent the bacon from being undercooked while the peppers burn, partially cook the bacon for 3-4 minutes before wrapping, and secure each Twinkie with toothpicks to keep everything in place on the grill.

Keep your grill temperature around 350-375°F and brush the BBQ sauce on only during the last 10 minutes of cooking to avoid burning the sugars in the sauce.

What to Serve With Texas Twinkies?

These bacon-wrapped beauties are perfect as an appetizer for your next BBQ or game day spread, but they’re hearty enough to be the star of the show too. I love serving them alongside classic BBQ sides like coleslaw, baked beans, or corn on the cob to keep that smoky theme going. Since they pack some heat from the jalapeños, a cool side like potato salad or mac and cheese helps balance things out nicely. For drinks, ice-cold beer or sweet tea are my go-to choices to wash down all that cheesy, spicy goodness.

Storage Instructions

Refrigerate: These Texas twinkies are best enjoyed fresh, but you can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. The bacon might lose some of its crispiness, but they’ll still taste great. I like to make these for game day since they disappear so quickly!

Make Ahead: You can prep these beauties up to a day ahead – just stuff the jalapeños and wrap them in bacon, then cover and refrigerate. When you’re ready to cook, brush with BBQ sauce and pop them in the oven. This saves so much time when you’re hosting a party.

Warm Up: To bring back that crispy bacon goodness, reheat them in a 350°F oven for about 8-10 minutes until the bacon crisps up again. Skip the microwave if you can – it makes the bacon chewy and nobody wants that!

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1700-2000
• Protein: 65-80 g
• Fat: 120-135 g
• Carbohydrates: 65-80 g

Ingredients

For the jalapenos and wrapping:

• 8 medium to large jalapeno chiles
• 8 slices bacon

For the stuffing:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup chopped cooked brisket
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

For brushing:

• 1 cup barbecue sauce

Step 1: Prepare Oven and Baking Sheet

Preheat your oven to 375°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then place a wire cooling rack on top of the parchment.

This will help keep the jalapenos elevated and allow the bacon to crisp up evenly as it bakes.

Step 2: Roast and Prep the Jalapenos

• 8 medium to large jalapeno chiles

Arrange the 8 jalapeno chiles on the prepared wire rack in a single layer.

Place them in the preheated oven and roast for 7 minutes to soften them.

After roasting, let the jalapenos cool until you can handle them.

Once cooled, cut a ‘T’ shaped slit in each jalapeno by slicing the stem (without removing it) and running a cut lengthwise down the chile.

Carefully remove the seeds and ribs for a milder flavor.

Step 3: Make the Brisket Cheese Filling

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup chopped cooked brisket
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

In a mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, chopped cooked brisket, shredded cheddar cheese, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper (if using).

Mix well until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and you have a uniform, flavorful filling.

I like to really mix at this stage so that every bite will have a bit of brisket and cheese.

Step 4: Stuff the Jalapenos

• jalapenos prepared from Step 2
• brisket cheese filling from Step 3

Carefully spoon the brisket cheese filling (from Step 3) into each jalapeno half, pressing it in to evenly fill the cavity.

Take care not to overfill the peppers to prevent the filling from leaking out while baking.

Step 5: Wrap Jalapenos with Bacon

• 8 slices bacon
• stuffed jalapenos from Step 4

Wrap each stuffed jalapeno pepper with a slice of bacon, making sure the filling is well-sealed inside.

Secure the bacon with toothpicks if needed.

This will help the bacon stay in place and keep the filling from escaping.

Step 6: Bake the Stuffed Peppers

• bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapenos from Step 5

Place the bacon-wrapped jalapenos (seam side down) back on the wire rack over the baking sheet.

Bake in the oven at 375°F for 10 minutes to cook the bacon and heat the filling.

Step 7: Glaze with Barbecue Sauce and Finish Baking

• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapenos from Step 6

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully rotate the jalapeno peppers to ensure even cooking.

Brush barbecue sauce generously over the top of each pepper, then return them to the oven and bake for an additional 7 minutes until the bacon is crisp and the sauce is sticky.

For extra flavor, I like to brush on a little more barbecue sauce right before serving!

Classic Texas Twinkies

Delicious Classic Texas Twinkies recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 12 minutes mins

Cook Time 24 minutes mins

Total Time 36 minutes mins

Servings 4

Calories 1850 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the jalapenos and wrapping:

• 8 medium to large jalapeno chiles
• 8 slices bacon

For the stuffing:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup chopped cooked brisket
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

For brushing:

• 1 cup barbecue sauce

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then place a wire cooling rack on top of the parchment. This will help keep the jalapenos elevated and allow the bacon to crisp up evenly as it bakes.
• Arrange the 8 jalapeno chiles on the prepared wire rack in a single layer. Place them in the preheated oven and roast for 7 minutes to soften them. After roasting, let the jalapenos cool until you can handle them. Once cooled, cut a 'T' shaped slit in each jalapeno by slicing the stem (without removing it) and running a cut lengthwise down the chile. Carefully remove the seeds and ribs for a milder flavor.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, chopped cooked brisket, shredded cheddar cheese, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper (if using). Mix well until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and you have a uniform, flavorful filling. I like to really mix at this stage so that every bite will have a bit of brisket and cheese.
• Carefully spoon the brisket cheese filling (from Step 3) into each jalapeno half, pressing it in to evenly fill the cavity. Take care not to overfill the peppers to prevent the filling from leaking out while baking.
• Wrap each stuffed jalapeno pepper with a slice of bacon, making sure the filling is well-sealed inside. Secure the bacon with toothpicks if needed. This will help the bacon stay in place and keep the filling from escaping.
• Place the bacon-wrapped jalapenos (seam side down) back on the wire rack over the baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 375°F for 10 minutes to cook the bacon and heat the filling.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully rotate the jalapeno peppers to ensure even cooking. Brush barbecue sauce generously over the top of each pepper, then return them to the oven and bake for an additional 7 minutes until the bacon is crisp and the sauce is sticky. For extra flavor, I like to brush on a little more barbecue sauce right before serving!