Cowboy Candy Recipe
Candied Jalapenos
Cowboy Candy is sweet, spicy, and tangy – very, very addictive. It is best served on cream cheese and eaten with crackers. Customers have also topped cowboy caviar on hamburgers, scrambled eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, potato salad, and roasted chicken. The limit does not exist when it comes to the endless possibilities for Cowboy Caviar!
-Sissy Vessey
Ingredients
2 pounds firm, fresh Jalapeno Peppers – washed
2 cups Cider Vinegar
6 cups White Granulated Sugar
½ teaspoon Turmeric
½ teaspoon Celery Seed
3 teaspoon Granulated Garlic*
1 teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper
*If you cannot found Granulated Garlic you can substitute the 3 teaspoon Granulated Garlic with 1½ Garlic Power.
Preparation
Prepare canner, jar and lids.
Wearing gloves, remove the stems from all 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 stem.
Slice the peppers into uniform 1/8 – ¼ 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 jalapeno peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within ¼ inch of the upper rim of the jar. Increase the temperature of the pot with the syrup and bring to a fully 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 jar with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on a new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness.
To can you can use either a hot water bath or steamer canner. I use the steamer for my canning. If you use a canner steamer, follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.
For hot water bath standard instruction would apply – place jars in a canner and cover with water by 2-inches. Bring the water to a fully 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. For both the hot water bath and steamer canner, leave the jars to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth, then label.
If you have leftover syrup, do not toss it out. You can use the leftover syrup to add favor to grill meat, vegetable salads or recipe that you think it would add favor.
Enjoy!
