A Great Fall Appetizer with Candied Jalapenos

The garden is overflowing with jalapenos today! Are you a fan of candied jalapenos? Oh, friend! If you haven’t tried them, I hope you will join me today.

This is just from one plant. Yikes!

In full disclosure…this is the FIRST time I have ever grown jalapenos. Not a usual ingredient in many of my recipes, except the salsa. It just wasn’t added.

Until this year. Remember when we had truckloads of plants to distribute to the community? Well, somehow, those jalapeno plants were left in the trailer. And, they found their way to planters and plant bags in my garden.

A few have been picked for an occasional gift for someone or a salsa for those whose feet are under my table.

I have loved eating candied jalapenos for years. Finding and making a great candied jalapeno recipe to add to the pantry to enjoy with cream cheese is a new one for me.

Candied Jalapenos

This was a new canning venture and makes my heart happy to create things we love and I know will enjoy.

I chose to think about serving size so that when that jar is opened, it will be consumed quickly and not get lost in the middle of jars in the refrigerator.

Enter, these tiny jars that are a perfect serving size for adding to cream cheese with crackers.

Fair warning on working with jalapenos!

Before you begin with them, make sure that you have gloves to protect your hands. That heat will transfer from your hands to eyes, etc.

First, recipes were scoured and this one created to use today to “put them up” in the pantry for gathering and gifting.

Then, I picked peppers early in the day.

Jalapeno plants are still blooming.

Overflowing, tinier ones still on the plants and blooms are still abounding. I have a feeling that this won’t be just the first and only event for these peppers.

So, here you go!

Candied Jalapeno Recipe

Created and tasted…I hope you will give these a try and love them.

I’m still seeing lots of jalapenos in the grocery for you to buy if you don’t have them in your garden.

Candied Jalapenos

A delicious way to add jalapenos into the pantry for the best appetizer that you will welcome in the fall and then enjoy all winter long. Who knows? It may be a year long favorite!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 29 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings 8 4 oz. jars

Equipment

• 1 saucepan or Dutch oven
• disposable or vinyl gloves
• paring knife
• cutting board
• 1 straight edge peeler
• 1 scales to weigh peppers
• 1 water bath canner
• 1 liquid measuring cup
• dry measuring cups and measuring spoons
• small canning jars with rings and lids
• water bath canner
• Jar lifter
• canning tool to remove air from jars
• cooling racks
• canning funnel
• Ladle
• slotted spoon

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 lbs fresh jalapeno peppers
• 3 C sugar
• 1 C apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 t celery seed
• 1/4 t ground turmeric
• 1 t garlic powder

Instructions

 

• Harvest or purchase jalapeno peppers and measure out weight for recipe with scales. Weighing will keep proportion with syrup more exact since peppers vary in size.
  
• Gather and measure out all of your ingredients….mis en place.
  
• Prepare the canning jars by sterilizing in the dishwasher or water bath canner and set out to fill.
  
• Wash rings and lids – BOILING THEM IS NO LONGER RECOMMENDED. Set them aside to add after jars are loaded.
• Fill the water bath canner so that there will be enough water to cover the jars once loaded about 1-2".
• Begin heating the water in the canner.
• Add vinyl gloves and remove stems from jalapenos.
  
• You don't have to remove the inner pith and seeds, but since the seeds are where the heat is, I use a potato peeler that has a simple straight cutting end, to go around the inside of each jalapeno and remove the insides. MUCH easier. Not all of the seeds are removed, but the heat is better controlled.

  ***If you want more heat, skip removing the insides and seeds.

  NOTE: I have found that if you leave the centers intact, the slices hold together better…if you can handle the heat from all of the seeds.
  
• Slice each pepper into 1/4" slices and add to a bowl.
  
• To a large saucepan or Dutch oven, add vinegar, sugar and seasonings and bring to a boil.
  
• Reduce heat to simmer for about 5 minutes. If it looks as if it is foaming, reduce heat.
• Raise the heat back to a medium high temperature and add in the pepper slices.
  
• When it returns to a boil, reduce heat again and simmer for 4 minutes.
• Add the peppers only to the jars, filling them to 1/4" from the rim of the jar. A slotted spoon helps keep the jalapenos separated from the syrup.
  
• When all peppers are removed from the pot, bring the syrup back to a full roiling boil for about 6 minutes.
• Add the funnel to each jar and ladle the syrup into the jars covering the jalapeno slices to about 1/4" from the rim.
  
• Use the canning tool or a plastic spatula to remove air bubbles after adding syrup. So important to a good seal!
  
• Use a damp clean cloth and wipe the rims and threads of each jar making sure they are clean before adding the lid and rings. Rings should only be finger tight.

  NOTE: How much you pack the peppers in will determine how many jars you get.
  
• With a jar lifter, add the hot filled jars to the water bath canner, making sure that there is 1-2" of water covering the jars.

  Cover with the canner lid and bring back to a boil.
  
• When the canner is boiling, begin processing time for 10 minutes for quarter or half pint jars; 15 minutes for pints.
• Once processing is finished, remove jars with the canning jar lifter to a cooling rack and let them cool in a draft free area and seal for about 24 hours before moving them.
  
• NOTE: You will have extra syrup if you want to save it for other uses; if not, discard.
• Don't forget to label and date before adding them to your pantry.
• It's best to allow a couple of weeks to a month to mellow before opening. Seriously, I usually can't wait that long to enjoy them!
• Serve with cream cheese and crackers for the most amazing appetizer.
  

Notes

Candied jalapenos seem to soften the heat of the peppers and create the most amazing appetizer when added to cream cheese and served with crackers.

The more seeds left in, the hotter the results.

Feel free to add them to recipes of potato salad, chicken salad and macaroni salad to elevate them to a new level.

Hope this becomes a new favorite that you will make and keep in your pantry!

Keyword candied jalapeno recipe, candied jalapenos, cowboy candy

After you make those jars, make sure you have crackers and cream cheese on hand to enjoy them.

They are the perfect appetizer that people will love–even if spicy is not their favorite.

I am so happy that those jalapeno plants have been emptied of their contents and have found their way into my pantry…at least for now.

More are growing as we speak!

So, the next thing on my agenda in the next few weeks will be making this great recipe again.

If you haven’t tried these, I am attaching affiliate links to help you give them a try before you decide to can them. A small commission may be shared at no extra cost to you.

Need more fall appetizer ideas?

I got you!

• Honey infused bagettes
• Fall Charcuterie
• Pepper Jelly Dip

Hope that you’ll give this a try!

Let me know if you love them or have made them in the comments!