Cowboy Candy

Cowboy Candy.
The name itself evokes questions.
Is it candy? What exactly is this stuff that sounds like it’s straight off the frontier.
I guess….an explanation is in order.
Cowboy Candy is sliced fresh jalapenos that you simmer in a sweet vinegar syrup and then pour into a mason jar to sit and age like liquid gold.
I usually make pickled jalapenos (click here for my recipe) at some point with my extra garden peppers (click here to learn about growing peppers) because Mr. Wonderful eats them on everything. Or now that we’ve got the pizza oven, my homemade version of Mike’s Hot Honey (click here for my recipe) is coming in as a close second as well!
Once you’ve tried it over a cracker with some cream cheese or even better – creamy goat cheese, you will be forever addicted…the sweet syrup balances out the heat of the jalapenos and just makes you sigh with joy.
But don’t stop there…pour it over grilled pork chops or a pork loin. Drizzle them over hot dogs or grilled brats. Whatever you do ….
Make. Cowboy. Candy.
Our garden is cranking out peppers like crazy…the jalapenos and seranos are going nuts! The shishitos, our personal favs are the ones getting the most attention. We toss them onto a hot iron skillet with a little olive oil and blister them then sprinkle with a good sea salt and eat them right out of the skillet.
Here is what we’re currently doing with jalapenos.
Slice up about a pound of jalapenos. If they’re garden fresh, red ones are A-ok as well!
In a medium saucepan, add 3 cups of sugar and 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/2 teaspoons of turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon of celery seed, a teaspoon of granulated garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Then add in all those sliced jalapenos.
Simmer for approximately four minutes.
Then using a slotted spoon, remove the peppers to a bowl.
Pour the peppers into a mason jar.
Then using a ladle, pour the syrup in on top of the peppers until it reaches about 1/2 inch of the rim of the jar.
And that’s it…you can go ahead from this point and can the Cowboy Candy using the directions on the printable recipe that follows. This stuff never lasts long enough in our house to make it to the shelves for much time though…
Our family is especially fond of cheese boards…so we put out a dish of this deliciousness with some kind of soft cheese at family gatherings..like cream cheese, honey goat cheese, even brie.
You will love this stuff…it’s so addictive. I am hoping to make several more jars…it’s that good.
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Cowboy Candy – Candied Jalapenos
- 1 pounds fresh, firm, jalapeno peppers, washed
- 1 cups cider vinegar
- 3 cups white granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- Wearing gloves, remove the stems from all of the jalapeno peppers. The easiest way to do this is to slice a small disc off of the stem-end along with the stem. Discard the stems.
- Slice the peppers into uniform 1/8-1/4 inch rounds. Set aside.
- In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pepper slices and simmer for exactly 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the upper rim of the jar. Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes.
- Use a ladle to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices. Insert a cooking chopstick to the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air. Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness.
- *If you have leftover syrup, and it is likely that you will, you may can it in half-pint or pint jars, too. It’s wonderful brushed on meat on the grill or added to potato salad or, or, or… In short, don’t toss it out!
- Place jars in a canner, cover with water by 2-inches. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack. Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth then label.
- Allow to mellow for at least two weeks, but preferably a month before eating. Or don’t. I won’t tell!
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