These are soooo delicious and make great gifts because everyone seems to love them! You can make them and enjoy right away or you can let them sit a while before you open them. If you wait a few weeks the flavors mellow and blend really well but sometimes around here that's isn't possible because people are anxiously awaiting. We use them in so much around here. My daughter puts them in her cold pasta salad, my significant other puts them on his sandwiches and burgers, you can eat them on wheat crackers with cream cheese or poured over warm Brie (as pictured below) and I have even made a WONDERFUL brittle with them! Right now I am in the process of making and canning them for Christmas gifts because they should be perfect by that time.
*2 Produce bags of fresh Jalapenos (basically this recipe makes lots of great syrup so you could do more or less depending on how much syrup you want to have leftover for other stuff). You can use green and red if you want added color and if you like extra hot you can even add Habaneros or Serranos.
*Salt*4 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
*12 cups Granulated Sugar
*Vanilla- About 4 Tbsp
*1 tsp Ground Chipotle Chile Pepper
*1/2 tsp Celery Seed
*3 tsp Garlic Salt
If you are going to can and process them be sure to have all your jars and lids out and ready. You will also need a chopstick or similar tool to pack your Peppers in the jars tightly.
Slice all the Jalapenos into 1/4 inch rounds. If you want to make them milder you can use a paring knife to clean out the inside after you cut off the stem and before you slice them. Another thing some people do is just put your slices in a bowl of water with a lid and give it a shake. A lot of the seeds will separate and rise to the surface and you can just pour them out with water and rinse your slices. Place your slices in a bowl and pour in the Vanilla and a few pinches of salt. Give it a stir and set it aside while you make the syrup.
In a large pot bring the Vinegar, Granulated Sugar, Ground Chipotle, Celery Seed and Garlic Salt to a boil. Be extra careful here because it goes quickly from bubbling to boiling over! Its better to heat it more slowly. Once it gets to a strong bubble reduce the heat to simmer for about 10 minutes. I usually use a candy thermometer just to be sure the temp is rising nicely. I go for about 240 degrees or "soft ball" stage. It usually hits here right at the 10 minute mark. Reduce the heat to medium and add all the Peppers. I continue to cook about 4 minutes then remove from the heat.
To can these use a slotted spoon and your canning tools or a chopstick to stuff them as tightly as you can. Be sure to occasionally move them around to get out a lot of air pockets. I usually get enough syrup that comes along with mine to also fill my jar almost all the way but if you get to the top and realize you need more just add some in. In the sitting process, and especially the canning, the jalapenos will shrivel a bit and settle so you just want to be sure you have plenty in there for a nice full beautiful jar. Fill to 1/4 inch of the top of your jar rim and use your chopstick to release any trapped air. Put your lids and rings on and place in your water bath. Bring to a boil. When I do quart jars, which I usually do, I process for 20 minutes. Turn off the water and let them cool in the pot. And there you have it! A delicious treat that you can do TONS of stuff with!
.........And I almost forgot! Be sure and keep all the rest of that delicious syrup. I can it also and use it in my Homemade Barbecue Sauce Recipe and put it on Baked Pork Chops and Chicken!
