Set the oven to 400˚F and slide a rack into the center position. Middle placement gives you even top browning without scorched pepper bottoms.

Cover a half sheet pan with foil, then coat it lightly with nonstick spray. The grease barrier keeps any escaped cheese from welding itself to the pan.

Wearing gloves, cut 12 to 14 large jalapeños in half from stem to tip, then scoop out the seeds and white membrane with a spoon, pulling upward and away from the flesh. Cleaned halves should look pale and smooth inside with the walls still intact.

Tip 8 oz. cream cheese, 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar, ½ cup shredded monterey jack, 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons cajun or creole seasoning, and the chopped bacon from 8 slices, if using, into a large bowl. Everything should be at room temperature so the mixture combines without fighting you.

Work the mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until it turns creamy and uniform, or beat it briefly with a handheld mixer to speed things up. The finished filling should look smooth and speckled with no white streaks of unmixed cream cheese.

Spoon the cheese mixture into each pepper half and arrange them cut side up on the prepared pan. Keep the filling level with the pepper rims rather than heaped into domes.

Scatter about 1 teaspoon of additional monterey jack over each filled half. That thin cap is what turns deep golden and slightly crisp in the oven.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling bubbles at the edges and the tops color to golden brown. For deeper browning, run them under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes while watching constantly. Broiled cheese goes from golden to burnt in seconds, so stay at the oven door.

Let the poppers rest on the pan for 2 to 3 minutes before serving. That short pause lets the molten filling set just enough to eat without scalding your mouth.