Pepper Jelly Recipe

A little heat never killed anybody. Pair up this sweet and spicy pepper jelly with some cheese and crackers, and you’ve got yourself the perfect appetizer!

Ingredients

Yields: 5 half-pints

• 1½ cups white vinegar
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into wedges
• ⅔ cup chopped jalapeño peppers
• 6 cups sugar, divided
• 2 pouches (3 ounces each) liquid fruit pectin
• Goat cheese and crackers

Directions

1. Put vinegar and peppers in a blender or food processor and puree while slowly adding 2 cups of sugar. 
2. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and stir in the remaining cups of sugar. Bring to a boil then strain the mixture and return to the pan.
3. Add in pectin and put into a rolling boil over high heat for 2 minutes while stirring constantly.
4. Remove from the heat and skim off the foam on top. Transfer the mixture into half-pint jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace.
5. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, and secure lids on tightly. Process for 5 minutes in a boiling-water canner.
6. Serve with goat cheese and crackers.

Note: Wear gloves when cutting hot peppers to avoid your hands from burning. Avoid touching your face afterwards. The processing time listed is for altitudes of 1,000 feet or less. Add 1 minute to the processing time for each 1,000 feet of additional altitude.

Love the extra heat? Try our Stuffed Pepper recipe. And what’s even better is that now you can grow your own peppers with our Mini Fruit and Veggie Kit!