Stovetop Hot Pepper Jelly



Hot Pepper Jelly with Cream Cheese

I was so happy to find this recipe for 'Stovetop Hot Pepper Jelly' on the 'Averie Cooks' blog. I've never tried canning and I'm a little intimidated by the whole idea of boiling food in jars. But with this recipe you don't do any of that.
You just mix together sugar, apple cider vinegar and finely chopped peppers in a pot, ontop of the stove. Then you let it boil until it reduces in half (about 25 minutes) and pour it into a jar. Place it in the fridge. When it chills it becomes thick. That's it! How easy is that?

This tastes just like the hot pepper jelly I would buy in stores. But this is much less expensive to make than to buy. It cost me less than $4 to make 12 ounces. That's 1/3 the price of store bought!

 I love to eat it with cream cheese and crackers. This jelly can also be used with chicken and pork recipes for sweet and sour dishes.

The important step in making this recipe is to make sure to reduce the liquid by at least half or else you won't have a nice thick jelly. Here is a video link to show you an easy way to reduce liquids when cooking **Click Here** I used a wooden spoon handle as a guide because I didn't have popsicle sticks. I wrapped a rubber band around the handle at the liquid line, so that I could keep track of how much the liquid reduced. Worked great!



This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of jelly.
The recipe can easily be cut in half if you want to make less.
Always store in fridge. Should last several weeks.

INGREDIENTS:
1 red bell pepper - seeded and minced
1 green bell pepper - seeded and minced
1 jalapeno pepper - seeded and minced
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Mix together all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium/low heat on the stovetop.
Allow to boil until the mixture reduces by half. This should take about 20-25 minutes. See the video I posted in the link for how to reduce liquids.
The reduced mixture will thicken after its chilled.
Allow mixture to cool before storing.
Carefully pour the cooled mixture into a glass jar with a lid and store in fridge.
This can last about 2-3 weeks. Discard after the 3rd week.