Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the pith and the seeds inside of the peppers. The seeds and the pith are where the intense heat is, so you want to remove the heat.
Prepare the cheesy filling by combining the cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese in a small mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
Use a ssmall poon to fill each pepper half with the cheese mixture.
Prepare seasoned flour by placing the flour into a small shallow bowl. Add salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder to the flour. Whisk or stir spices into the flour until it has a uniform appearance.
Place milk into a separate shallow bowl.
Dip stuffed jalapeno into the seasoned flour, the milk, and then back into the seasoned flour.
Place floured pepper on a baking sheet with a rack. Let the peppers "dry" for about 10 minutes. This step is crucial for the peppers. The flour layer will help the stuffing remain inside the pepper, and give the breadcrumbs something to hold onto.
Pour breadcrumbs into a separate bowl.
Dip floured jalapeno pepper into the milk and then into the bread crumbs. Place pepper back on the rack.
Heat oil to 350 degrees.
Dip pepper into the milk and the bread crumbs for the second time. Go ahead and dip all, this should be enough drying time for the coating. The bread crumb coating needs about five minutes for its drying time.
Fry peppers one or two at a time until golden brown. This will only take a minute or two.
Remove poppers from the oil and drain on a wire rack resting on a baking sheet. Draining them on paper towels can leave the bottoms a bit sogy.
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Recipe Tips
It is highly recommended you wear gloves when cutting the jalapenos. The oils in the peppers can burn your skin.You can freeze the fried jalapeno poppers to enjoy later. Place them spaced apart on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Store frozen poppers in a zip-top freezer bag. To reheat frozen jalapeno poppers, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until hot, about 20 minutes.