This time of year is easily one of my favorite times around the house. This is when all the harvesting from the garden is coming to an end and all the canning can start. Making this super easy and delicious cowboy candy is for sure one of my favorite recipes to make.
I make this every year in our home and never make enough. Somehow I forget how popular it is and how many uses it has. We like to use it alone and top our burgers, pizza and really anything that could use a little extra kick and flavor.
This is also a great jar to have in your kitchen ready for guests and appetizer ideas. get a block of plain cream cheese and top it with a huge pile of cowboy candy. Add a side of crackers and you have a delicious and easy snack that will have others begging for the recipe.
Ingredients you will need
- Jalapeno peppers- 30 or more
- Apple cider vinegar
- Granulated sugar
- Garlic powder- fresh ground garlic will work also
- Ground turmeric
- Celery salt
How to make Cowboy Candy
1. Prep your peppers
wear gloves to protect your hands from the pepper oil. Cutting one or 2 peppers is ok for most people but having to cut 30 plus peppers you could end up with a lot or pepper oil on your fingers. The last thing we need is to get burnt or stick a finger in your eye later on if you don’t wash properly.
remove stems from peppers and slice each pepper into ¼inch thick coins
2. Start mixing the syrup
in a very large pot add vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, celery seed, and turmeric.
stir it all together and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
reduce the heat to a low simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add your peppers to the pot
bring the heat back up to medium and wait for a rolling boil before adding the pepper slices.
stir and reduce the heat again to a low simmer for another 5 minutes.
4. take the peppers out
Using a slotted spoon transfer the peppers to a clean glass canning jar. packing them in to fit as many peppers as you can in one jar. being sure to get rid of any trapped air and leave some head room. about ¼ inch from the lid.
5. Simmer the syrup a bit more
place the pot with the remaining syrup back on the stove for an additional boil, continuing to boil for about 6 minutes.
carefully add the syrup to the jars to cover the peppers. if you notice any air pockets use a clean butter knife or spoon to push the air out.
6. Don’t throw away liquid gold!
do not get rid of any extra syrup, you can make so many great recipes including my liquid gold BBQ sauce.
7. Add lids
wipe the rims of the jars with a clean damp towel and screw on the canning lid and rim. finger tight.
allow jars to cool completely on the counter before placing them in the fridge.
8. Wait
wait 2-3 weeks before opening the jars. 4 weeks for best results. I know this is the hardest part for me too. Trust the process and know that it will all be worth it in the end I promis!
enjoy! and hide them incase your friends come over because it will all be gone so soon.
Cowboy Candy
Ingredients
- 30 large jalapeno peppers
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp celery salt
Instructions
- wear gloves to protect your hands from the pepper oil
- remove stems from peppers and slice each pepper into ¼inch thick coins
- in a very large pot add vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, celery seed, and turmeric.
- stir it all together and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
- reduce the heat to a low simmer for 5 minutes.
- bring the heat back up to medium and wait for a rolling boil before adding the pepper slices.
- stir and reduce the heat again to a low simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon transfer the peppers to a clean glass canning jar. packing them in to fit as many peppers as you can in one jar. being sure to get rid of any trapped air and leave some head room. about ¼ inch from the lid.
- place the pot with the remaining syrup back on the stove for an additional boil, continuing to boil for about 6 minutes.
- carefully add the syrup to the jars to cover the peppers. if you notice any air pockets use a clean butter knife or spoon to push the air out.
- do not get rid of any extra syrup, you can make so many great recipes including my liquid gold BBQ sauce.
- wipe the rims of the jars with a clean damp towel and screw on the canning lid and rim. finger tight.
- allow jars to cool completely on the counter before placing them in the fridge.
- wait 2-3 weeks before opening the jars. 4 weeks for best results.
