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Candied Jalapenos & Habaneros

Been busy processing my peppers since I had to pick them all do to frost. I was candying some today and I decided to take some pics & vids and share my simple recipes for it.

First the Jalapenos.

Jalapenos_bag.JPG


They are fair sized for Jalapenos.

Jalapenos_size.JPG


First thing we need is to get the sugar going. I'm using white cane sugar(Sucrose) so I really want to invert it so I'll have fructose, and glucose.
Which are simpler sugars ,sweeter tasting ,and much better are preserving our peppers.

sugar.JPG


Here I have 3 cups white sugar, 2 cups water ,2 table spoons apple cider vinegar, and 1 teaspoon salt.
You can substitute practically any food grade acid you want for the vinegar. Lemon and or lime juice also
work great. But it can't be skipped it(Plus heat) is what catalyzes the inversion. You will what to bring the
mixture to a boil, and let it simmer about 30 minutes. If the bubbles start to become "larger" during the
30 minutes then drip some more water in., but not enough to stop the simmer.

(I used about 3 pounds of whole Jalapenos)
Ok while that's simmer you should slice your jalapenos. As you candy them they are going to shrink a lot.
So you will want to cut them fairly thick.

Jalapenos_cut_thick.JPG



Before you add your peppers to the hot sugar be sure to boil it till the bubbles start to become "larger".
Once you add the peppers the sugar will stop boiling and become very luquidy.

Add_peppers.JPG


Only add enough of the peppers to so that the top is out of the sugar. Like the picture above. As the sugar boils the bubbles will get large enough to
cover more of the peppers add the rest as it "raises"

This is what it should look like while it's cooking, but before it's done.

Jalapenos cooking

While+cooking.JPG


You will know when it's done when the sugars "texture" changes like shown below.

They're ready

Jalapenos_done.JPG


And some close ups on the the candied peppers texture after-wards.

Texture_01.JPG

Texture_02.JPG


Ok that's all for the jalapenos, I'm going to reply to this post with the Habaneros.
 
You should be able to candy them. Be sure they are thoroughly thawed, and relatively dry. The candied peppers will also turn out slightly softer then from fresh. That is unless you're making them as a hard candy.
 
Sugar burns aren't that bad once the skin peals off 3 seconds later. just kidding. So I am using a strainer to remove the finished candies. Not the best tool considering the thickness but a fork was too small and became a sticky mess. Is a wooden spoon best?
 
tongs work great-
this kinds anyway~
http://www.jeansrestaurantsupply.com/Utility-Tongs-7-Vollrath-47007-P3804C77.aspx

as a substitute, try 2 larger spoons. Scoop it up and then use the 2nd spoon to hold the stuff while it drains.
 
I have those kind. I ended up using an old style wire spoon. Has the ring with 3 curly q wires going across. Hard to describe I guess. Also a wooden spoon. The fumes from this were wicked compared to when I make hot sauce. I guess the lack of wind and therefore ventilation made it worse too.

Thank you DaQatz for the step by step.
 
Yeah, once you sugar is above boiling temp there's no more water in it. A few more notes the longer you leave the sugar going the more "caramel like" it will taste. Though it will get dark fast, and if you let it over heat will get "nasty" scorched tasting very fast.
Also I would recommend trying some some in their soft stage ,like I make them. They are great on burgers ,with a dog, in chili ,etc...
DaQatz,
What a great job posting your recipe....
And after stumbling onto the thread just yesterday, I felt compelled to make a trip to the best place around here to get fresh Jalapeno's.
I bought 3 lbs of perfect peppers, and will be starting off early in the morning trying my best to follow your instructions and duplicate your recipe. If all goes well...the majority of my Christmas shopping will simply be buying additional half pint jelly jars. (Hell...my mouth is watering just typing this.)
Thanks for sharing the recipe....much appreciated.
CM
 
Dang it!!! I thought I had done all of my Christmas gift cooking but I guess there is more to come. I can't resist the thought of candied chiles. Has anyone tried dehydrating after they are good and candied? Have a recipe for candied chile cheesecake that is calling my name! :fireball:
 
Dehydrating is pointless, IMO, because the process removes all the water.

IMO

I could be wrong. DaQatz is the expert on this if you ask me.
 
The process of candying removes most of the water. So a standard dehydrator will have very little effect. The peppers are already preserved by the sugar so it's not a real issue. If you wanted to stick it in the dehydrator to make it crunchy then just check the whole thread. There are instructions on how to get that through candying.

Hmm candied pepper cheese cake, I should try that some time sounds good.
 
wow,thanks busamadam for bringing this thread up. those look wonderfull! with all that sugar what is the taste like? is there still any heat with the pepper? or just flavor? ill practice a couple times with some jalos,and habs. in april im going to candy some scorps. :mouthonfire:
 
Oh I had not realized they were down. I will look into fixing them. Atm I am not near the system that has those pictures.
 
Followed your recipe, the Jalapenos turned out great. Mama's not happy about the smell in the house (she was gone when I did them) or that I have to buy her a new pot... Oh well. Guess I needed another pot for doing my peppers anyway. :-)
 
LUCKYDOG said:
I didnt candy my Jala's to long just till they softened a little bit and jarred hot - I ate 3 qts in a month - they keep nice heat - I added a bit of cayenne. Nice crunch and mix with anything or as a condiment on sandwiches or grilled meats  
 
Ah, okies. They are not as well preserved that way. It's about as stable as jelly, or jam. I normally fully candy them. They take less space, and last longer. Though if you want them "soft, and puffy" you need to rehydrate them a bit.
 
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