Habanero Pepper Jelly
I like the bright red color of red peppers for the Holiday season so I generally choose red, orange and yellow sweet peppers for my recipe. I prefer my jelly very hot and add 3-4 habanero peppers to the hot pepper mix. This year we went even hotter, adding 1 whole cup of ground habanero. It's easy to adjust the heat by using jalapenos instead but there's something tantalizing about the powerful habanero in this recipe.
- 15
Ingredients
- 1 cup ground red, orange and yellow sweet peppers
- 1 cup ground habanero peppers
- 12 cups sugar
- 2 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 4 packages (3 ounces each) liquid pectin
- Optional: 2-3 drops food red or green coloring
- 12 half pint canning jars, lids and rims
- Jar Preparation and Sterilization
Preparation
Step 1
Wash the peppers and remove seeds and ribs, and cut into chunks.
Process each type of pepper, in batches, in a food processor until coarsely ground. Use rubber gloves when working with habanero and jalapenos.
Combine ground peppers, sugar, and vinegar in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil 6 minutes stirring frequently. During the boiling process it's imperative you stand by and watch the hot liquid as it has a tendency to flow over. You do not want an eruption of hot liquid in your kitchen.
Stir in pectin and boil 3 minutes, stir frequently.
Remove from heat and skim off foam.
Pour hot jelly into hot sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch head space. Wipe jar rims with clean damp cloth. Cover with metal lids and screw on bands; Process in hot water bath for 15 minutes. Makes 12 half pints.
Hot Water Bath: in a large stock pot add enough water to submerge filled sealed jars, boil filled jars on medium high heat for 10-15 minutes, remove to a dry towel. Jars will make a distinctive "ping" sound when they've sealed correctly.