This Fourth of July, celebrate with two kinds of firecrackers: the kind you watch sparkle in the sky and the kind that leave guests saying “Ahhh!” for a different reason. The latter are Avocado Firecrackers, savory bites made with creamy slices of avocado wrapped with crisp bacon slices and finished off with a dash of chile powder.
Here’s how you make these festive snacks that are ready to go in under half an hour. After all, hungry guests don’t make for a happy fiesta.
First things first: You want a ripe avocado for these magnificent mouthfuls, so start by gently pressing a thumb and index finger into the avocado. “Gently” is key because you want the fruit to yield a little. If it’s green and rock hard, that means that particular avocado needs time to ripen to its full, fruitful potential.
If you bought one in your grocery store before you read this, don’t sweat. Just place your unripened avo near a window so the sunshine can work its magic and speed up ripening . If you prefer, bury your green avo completely in a bowl of rice; it has the same quick-ripening effect. Check every day using the above-noted gentle pressure method until you’ve got the perfect, ripe fruit.
There may not be an app out there that’s easier to put together than these Avo Firecrackers. You only need three ingredients to prepare this dish: one ripe avocado, several bacon slices, and chile powder. The idea is to cut the fruit into same-sized pieces (Remember: a serving of avocado is ⅓ of a medium avocado), wrapping each with a slice of bacon. Then, sprinkle each piece with pinch of chile powder and assemble the wrapped avocado pieces on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Pop that into a 425 F oven for 12-15 minutes and boom! You’ve made your own, avo-based firecrackers.
You’ll be the hostess with the mostess this Fourth of July, you culinary maven, you!