Jalapeño Jelly
Delightfully sweet witha surprising little kick of spicy heat with the spectacular color of this season. What a fun and delicious gift for the holidays!
Equipment
- Large stockpot or kettle
- 6 Half-pint jars
- Canner and canning tools if you're processing the jelly
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 jalapeños peppers, about 1 cup chopped
- 1 to 1-¼ large bell pepper, about 1 cup chopped
- 5 cups sugar
- 1-¼ cups cider, white or white wine vinegar
- ½ cup ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 6 ounces liquid pectin, 1 box with two 3-ounce packages
Instructions
- Trim the stem end ofthe jalapeño pepper, then cut them in half and remove the pith and majority of the seeds, leaving only a small amount for a touch of heat. If you want the appearance of seeds in your jelly but with minimal heat you can add the seeds from the bell pepper.
- Process the peppers in a food processor until they are finely chopped, about 10 to 15 seconds. You should have 1 cup of chopped jalapeño peppers.
- Remove the stem and trim the bell pepper, cut into pieces and process until finely chopped, about 10 to 15 seconds. You’ll have about 1 cup of chopped bell peppers.
- Transfer the chopped peppers to a large kettle or stockpot.
- Add the sugar, vinegar, water and butter. Stir to blend together.
- Cook over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring occasionally - about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Raise the heat to medium and bring the jelly to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes then remove the kettle from the heat and let the jelly set for 20 minutes.
- Stir the liquid pectin into the jelly and return the pan to medium heat. Bring the jelly back to a boil and boil for 1 minute.
- Ladle the jelly into sterilized jars and keep the jam refrigerated or process the jars in a water bath following the jar manufacturers directions.
Notes
Green jalapeño peppers are the most common but you can on occasion find red peppers. If you want to make a red jelly, use both red jalapeño and red bell peppers.
Some notes when you’re working with hot peppers of any kind. It’s best to wear food service gloves when handling the peppers. If you don’t have gloves then thoroughly wash your hands after you’ve finished cutting and seeding the jalapeño peppers. The heat from the peppers is tucked away in the inner parts of the peppers primarily in the white part or pith of the pepper. It will be transferred to anything they touch – including your hands. And whatever you do, don’t rub your eyes if you’ve touched the peppers!
Butter reduces foaming in jams and jellies.