Maple Pickled Jalapeños

These sweet and spicy maple pickled jalapeños add an amazing burst of flavor to tacos, salads, and cheese plates.

This post is sponsored by the makers of Ball^® home canning products.

Basic pickled jalapeños have long been on my yearly must-make list. I like having them around for folding into burritos, stirring into chili, and adding to blender salsa. But until recently, I never even considered making a sweet pickled hot pepper. I figured I was covered with my simple, savory pickle. Oh, how wrong I was!

As part of my June assignment for my @ballcanning partnership, I cooked up a batch of Maple Pickled Jalapeños and now, my jalapeño priorities are changed forever. This perfectly balanced pickle is sweet, spicy, tangy, and earthy. It’s the new must-have condiment in my household!

As with any canning project, you start by setting up your canning pot. Fit your favorite canner with a rack and set four pint jars on top. Fill the jars with hot tap water and then fill the pot (doing the jars first ensures they don’t float and clank around). Add a generous splash of white vinegar to prevent mineral deposits on your jars. Put the canner on the stove and bring it to a simmer. Wash four new lids with warm soapy water and set them to air dry. Position four rings nearby.

Once the canner is doing its thing, turn your attention to 3 pounds of jalapeños. Wash the peppers well and then clear the sink so anything that has hot pepper residue on it can get washed immediately after use. Pull on a pair of disposable kitchen gloves (I keep a box of these under my sink) to protect your hands from the capsaicin burns.

Make sure that you can chop the peppers from start to finish without interruption. I waited to make these until a day when my husband was home and could take the boys out to the park. I didn’t want them anywhere near potential pepper irritation. Finally, slice those peppers into rounds around 1/4 inch thick.

Once your peppers are chopped, it’s time to assemble. Get out a big pot. Add 3 cups of apple cider vinegar, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup maple syrup, and salt, mustard seeds, and black pepper corns (click here to get the complete recipe). Bring that to a boil and then add the jalapeño rounds, along with a finely sliced red onion.

Return the liquid to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Make sure to turn on your kitchen fan and open any nearby windows at this stage, as this pickle puts out a pungent fragrance as it cooks.

Once the cook time is up, remove the pot from the stove. Remove one of your hot jars (I like the Ball® Nesting Jars for this pickle) from the canner and fit it with a wide mouth funnel. Using tongs, fill the jar with the peppers and then ladle the brine in on top, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove any trapped air bubbles from jars and add more brine, if necessary. Wipe the rim, apply the lid and ring, and place the filled jar in the canner. Repeat with the remaining jars.

When all the jars are full, bring the canner to a boil and process for 15 minutes (if you live above 1,000 feet in elevation, make sure to adjust your processing time accordingly). After the processing time is up, turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let the jars cool in the pot for 5 minutes.

Finally, remove the finished jars from the canner and set them on a wooden board or a folded kitchen towel to cool. Let them rest undisturbed for at least 12 hours. When the time is up, check the seals. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly. Sealed jars are shelf stable for up to a year.

Are you a fan of sweet and spicy pickled peppers? Use the comments section to share how you like to eat them!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fresh Preserving Division of Newell Brands. They have provided jars, equipment and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own.