You're hungry and you want to grab a snack. You go to a drawer in the kitchen or pantry and reach for the moneychangers you've prepared ahead of time. Wait, what? Jalapeno sweets?
So yes, it's a hot pepper that has gone from just another side dish that upgrades palate-challenging dishes to a candy. As such, he has also been upgraded to TikTok star status, leading a trend with hundreds of videos and millions of views (more than 17 million of them, as of this writing) of surfers documenting themselves preparing the candy in various variations and tasting it.
The trend, known in English as Cowboy Candy or Candied Jalapeños, is actually very simple: instead of putting jalapeño peppers in a jar and turning them into pickled peppers, you simply put them in a jar and turn them into sweets that you can snack on (of course, like any candy worthy of the name, here too the dominant ingredient is sugar, and quite a bit of it).
Be careful with the spicy. Jalapeño peppers, photo: Getty Images
The large amount of sugar and the scarcity of water give peppers a crunchy taste. The sweetness of the sugar mixes and blends with the spiciness of the pepper, and everything swims in a concentrated syrup that gives you a castor in your mouth and becomes a real celebration of flavors.
So how do you become honorary cowboys and surprise your friends with this unique snack? Three basic ingredients, and you're all set – jalapeno peppers, vinegar and sugar.
In most recipes you'll find, the recommended amount of peppers for home use is between half a kilogram and a kilogram. The stemless peppers (and if you are sensitive to spicy, then also seedless) should be cut into circles the size of a coin and about 6 millimeters thick. Choose the type of vinegar you want (but know that the most popular is apple cider vinegar). In the sugar section, you can choose white sugar or a mixture of white and brown sugar, and to increase the sweetness (and calm the spiciness) – you can also add a little honey (in the ratio of vinegar to sugar that is 2-1 or 3 to 1).
For other spices (which are absolutely optional), you can add celery seeds, garlic powder, chili powder, ginger, and turmeric.
How sweet do you want it? Preparation of the surprising candy:
@sugarandbryce#cowboycandy#candied#jalapenos♬ original sound - Mallory Bryce
Now that you have all the ingredients, take a small pot and bring the vinegar and sugar to a boiling point. Add jalapeño peppers and continue stirring for about 5 minutes or until you think the peppers have absorbed the resulting liquid and become shiny.
Take a slotted spoon and carefully place the peppers on a plate to allow them to cool slightly (if you are very sensitive to your eyes and nasal mucous membranes, you should be careful as the pungent steam left in the peppers can cause you to tear up and sneeze).
Allow the remaining liquid in the pot to continue boiling until a thick syrup is obtained. Take a reasonably sized clean jar, add the peppers and pour the syrup over the peppers in the jar. Leave it open to cool until it reaches room temperature. When the jar and its contents reach room temperature, close the jar and place it in the refrigerator.
The snacks can be snack on their own or as an addition to a cheese/meat platter. You can also upgrade a burger with them, add them to bread dough and chop them and season tuna or chicken salad with them. There are also those who use syrup as a base to make barbecue sauce or upgrade margaritas.
As for the shelf expectancy of replacement bars – if stored in the right conditions (i.e. refrigerated), they can last up to a month. Have an appetite!
A real trend. A young woman makes jalapeno candy:
@homewithhayli#homewithhayli#cowboycandy#canning#canningrecipe#grabyourballsletscan#jalapeno#jalapenos #candiedjalapenos♬ original sound - HomeWithHayliWere we wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us