Two pounds of jalapeños. Two pounds. They were leftover from a project and I had no plan on what to do with them. Various breads and other recipes used one or two, not nearly enough to make a dent in the pile. I had a pantry full of salsa so that was out. Someone had just given me a jar of pickled jalapeños and lord knows I didn’t need anymore. I was fully stocked with hot sauce. Jalapeño poppers were a thought but I had a better idea. What if I candied them? Sweet-hot is a wonderful thing.
I turned to a trusty source when I need to figure out how to start something: Google. Recipes varied from a simple water/sugar mixture to those with vinegar and a load of additional spices. I wasn’t really feeling either so I came up with my own mix – sugar, cider vinegar and water, thinly sliced peppers – all in a pot, no additional spices. I wanted these to taste like what they were: candied jalapeños. I used the same method I use to candy citrus rinds, cooking slow and low in the sugar syrup until very tender and the syrup had slowly permeated the peppers. That’s how you get that great candied texture. Too fast and they’re not candied enough. Too high of heat and the peppers break down to mush. About an hour on a bare simmer was just enough.
Once cooled a bit, I transferred the now candied peppers to a clean jar with a slotted spoon and topped off with just enough of the syrup to cover. I don’t water process, as you would for a typical shelf stable canned product, as I don’t want the additional cooking time. Instead, I store in the fridge and have discovered they keep forever just fine. Sugar has magical keeping properties.
The first time I made these, I had no idea what to do with them. I was just using up a two pound pile of peppers and hadn’t thought that part through. I ate a few spoonfuls and then they sat in the fridge for quite a while until I discovered a lovely little appetizer quite by accident. I’d invited friends over for an impromptu dinner and need a snack to serve with pre-dinner drinks. Digging around in my fridge I had a log of goat cheese leftover from something and … the candied jalapeños. What if I put them together in a sort of updated spin on the classic cream cheese/red pepper jelly thing? Turns out the combination is crazy delicious. I now make the peppers specifically for this reason.
There’s also a nifty little side product that comes out of this one: jalapeño simple syrup. I always have more syrup than needed to top the pepper jar so I’ll save it for … get this … margaritas. Fresh lime juice, tequila and this spicy simple syrup? Yep.
STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: SWEET FIRE. This is a lemons into lemonade kind of thing. When the summer garden kicks in and you’re sick of jam, chutneys and salsas, think about candying things. Especially if those things are spicy. Candied peppers are a delight and are the most versatile thing you can make. Toss a few into your baked beans, add some to a grilled cheese sandwich for a delicious surprise or do the goat cheese thing. Your guests will gobble it up. And be sure to make yourself a drink with that spicy syrup. Outstanding.
ten years ago: Brown Butter Banana Bread
nine years ago: Kolacky, Pretzel Dogs, Peanut Butter Bars
eight years ago: Sticky Bun Bread
seven years ago: Easter Roll Call, Homemade Fresh Goat Cheese
six years ago: Escargot Roasted Mushrooms, Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons, Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies, Lemon Loaf Cake
five years ago: Guinness Crème Anglaise
four years ago: Flourless Chocolate Cookies
three years ago: Coconut Pound Cake, Red Curry Firecracker Shrimp with Sweet Chile Dipping Sauce, Giardinara Cheese Bread, Blueberry Crumb Cake
two years ago: Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with Fig-Date Compote
last year: Pantry Clam Chowder
CANDIED JALAPEÑOS
Makes 1 quart
Serve with goat cheese and crackers for a great appetizer. Or add to baked beans, cornbread, chicken salad and grilled cheese sandwiches for a little sweet-hot kick. Save any excess syrup for a refreshing drink with sparking water or mix with fresh lime juice and tequila for a really excellent margarita.
1 ½ pounds jalapeños
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup water
2 cups sugar
- Trim and discard the stem ends from the jalapeños and cut into 1/8-1/4” rounds. This is the time to break out those rubber gloves.
- In a large pot, bring the vinegar, water and sugar to a boil.
- Add the sliced jalapeños, stir to combine and reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer gently for about 1 hour, uncovered. The syrup should just barely, gently bubble. A long slow simmer will allow the sugar to permeate the peppers, candying them throughout.
- Remove from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon, transfer the jalapeños to a clean jar, top with enough syrup to cover and let cool.
- Once cool, store in the refrigerator for months.
STRESSCAKE 
Spicy margarita? Absolutely. I also make a cocktail we’ve taken to calling the Sponge Bob, which is made by muddling sugar, serrano pepper, and some lemon grass or cilantro and then adding pineapple juice and bourbon. It’s quite tasty strained over rocks or into a chilled martini glass. That jalapeño simple syrup would streamline that process quite a bit.