Jalapeño Jelly is beautiful and mysteriously both sweet and hot. Around the holidays, it’s wildly popular on buffet tables, and you will often see people swarming around it for more. For a wonderful appetizer, pour it over a block of cream cheese and serve it with crisp crackers or crusty bread!
This amazing condiment makes coveted gifts, and it’s very easy to make. You can find fresh jalapenos and bell peppers in grocery stores year-round, so make it when your garden is overflowing, and make it again for sharing and making people smile when Christmas rolls around!
To make jelly, you will need two tall stockpots or soup pots. One is for a boiling water bath to process the jelly and make it shelf-stable for long-term storage, and the other is for cooking the jelly.
Before you start cooking the jelly, fill one tall stockpot about two-thirds full of water and set it on the stove to boil. Make sure seven half-pint jars will fit in it. If you have hard water, add a tablespoon or so of vinegar to prevent lime from forming on the jars. You will use this boiling water bath to vacuum seal the jelly in jars so it's shelf stable!
Carefully measure the sugar and set it aside because you will add it all at once when it’s time.
This recipe uses powdered pectin, the type of pectin I have always used for my jellies and jams. There are recipes for jalapeno jelly that use liquid pectin, but the two are not interchangeable. Each type requires a very specific process for cooking and preparation.
If you want to know more about how each type works and how to substitute one type for another, here is an article from someone who has done their homework! I have no experience with liquid pectin, but there is a wealth of information available if you take the time to research and experiment. Remember! Our kitchen is also our laboratory!
This recipe also contains a large amount of sugar and needs the amount listed to gel properly. The key to success is balancing sugar, acid, and pectin. We only eat small amounts of jelly and jam as occasional treats, so I am not worried about the sugar content.
Many folks try to avoid sugar for various reasons and look for sugar substitutes. I haven't done the research to answer questions, but I found a pretty exhaustive post from someone who has compiled some excellent ideas for using alternative sweeteners for sugar when making jam or jelly.
These peppers came from the farmer’s market, but luckily, they are available year-round in grocery stores, so any time is a good time to make some pepper jelly!
This recipe uses about 12 jalapenos, depending on their size, and one colorful bell pepper for contrast and visual appeal. I had a slightly tired red bell pepper in my crisper drawer, so I used that.
Be very careful when you cut fresh jalapeno peppers. They contain a substance called capsaicin, which can cause severe eye irritation. Please DO NOT touch your eyes while cutting them until you thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water! I learned it the hard way!
You can also wear food handlers' gloves.
Capsaicin is one of the ingredients in some arthritis rubs. It is the substance that produces heat. The more seeds you leave in the jelly, the hotter it will be. Most of the heat is in the seeds, so I discarded them all because I was “born to be mild,” and I do not enjoy hot, spicy foods. But you decide!
After washing and seeding the peppers, cut them into chunks, then put them in a food processor with one cup of vinegar and pulse until they are the size of confetti.
Pour the pepper/vinegar mixture into a large stockpot and add the pectin, along with one more cup of vinegar. I always add a teaspoon of butter to help keep any foam from forming on the jelly, but it’s optional.
Bring the mixture to a boil, and then add all the sugar at once. Continue cooking and stirring the mixture until all the sugar has dissolved. When the jelly reaches such a rolling boil that you cannot stir it down, set a timer for one minute, and continue cooking until the timer sounds. Then, remove the pot from the stove and place it on a rack or a thickly folded towel.
The jelly will be extremely hot, above the boiling point, so be careful! Ladle the molten jelly into the jars using a canning funnel. Use a clean, damp dishcloth to wipe the rim of the jar, ensuring no jelly is spilled on it. Place a two-part lid on each jar and tighten it securely by hand. Leave about one-half inch of headspace; don’t fill to the brim.
Use a canning jar lifter to place the jars in the boiling water bath, and set a ten-minute timer. Be sure the water covers the jars by at least one inch.
When the time is up, use the canning jar lifter to remove the jars and put them on a rack or thick towel to cool. Allow the jars to sit undisturbed until they are completely cool. You’ll hear the distinctive “ping” sound as the jars seal.
If a jar does not seal, freeze it or refrigerate it, and use the jelly within about a month. Trust me; this will not be hard to do!
There is usually just a smidge of jelly left in the pot, not enough to fill a jar, but perfect for sampling! That is the reward of being the chief jelly maker! Enjoy it!
Please read all the instructions carefully before you begin and be prepared to follow them. They are simple but critical to success. Getting all your canning supplies together is important, too, to avoid a mad rush to the store. Once you have started a batch, it’s almost impossible to stop.
Everything you’ll need is readily available at grocery stores, hardware stores, online, and even at Walmart. The items you’ll need are inexpensive and durable, lasting a long time. And believe me, you’ll find lots of uses for jars, jar lifters, and canning funnels beyond making jam!
Those are my supplies, and that’s my lovely canning towel, probably a graduation gift from long ago. I keep it rolled up and stashed in a handy drawer on my island, where I fill my canning jars.
Set up a little assembly line with everything you need close at hand. Once you’ve started, you won’t have time to run to the store!
Here’s a list of equipment you’ll need.
Jalapeño Jelly is beautiful and mysteriously both sweet and hot. Here is the recipe for you.
**High altitudes will take more processing time. At elevations between 1,001 and 3,000 feet, add 5 minutes to the recipe's time. For 3,001 to 6,000 feet, increase by 10 minutes, and above 6,000 feet, add 15 minutes.
Have you ever had jalapeno jelly? Did you know it also makes an awesome glaze for pork or chicken? Here are some more of my most popular jellies and jams. Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam, Christmas Jam, Peach Jam, and Mixed Berry Jam. Hungry for more? Type jam or jelly in the search bar! Happy jammin'!!
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Love GB (Betty Streff)
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