Recipe: Cranberry Hot Pepper Jelly - 11 recipes

I'm passing along a number of recipes from my files to use as jumping off points, but caution you to be careful with how you adjust the recipes if you are unfamiliar with jam and jelly making.

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HABANERO CRANBERRY JELLY
Makes 7 or 8 - 250ml (1 cup) jars

1/2 cup finely diced habanero pepper*
1/2 cup finely diced red onion*
1 3/4 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup white vinegar
2 cups 100% unsweetened cranberry juice
5 cups sugar
1 pkg liquid pectin

Finely dice peppers and onion and coarsely chop cranberries.

In a large sauce pan, combine cranberries, pepper, onion, vinegars, and juice Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to blend and to soften up cranberries.

Add sugar and return to a hard boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir liquid pectin in well.

Add jelly to hot sterilized jars Wipe rim of jars with a clean damp towel Position lids as per usual instructions. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes Remove jars and allow them to cool. During the cooling, periodically 'gently' invert jars to distribute solids.

*Note: you can adjust the heat by increasing or decreasing the pepper to onion ratio as long as you adhere to 1 cup total pepper and onion.

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HABANERO CRANBERRY JELLY
Makes 6 to 7 (8 ounce) jars

17 to 20 habanero peppers (about 1 cup diced)
1 1/2 to 2 large red bell peppers (about 2 cups diced)
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup whole cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup dried, sweetened cranberries (Craisins)
7 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 ounces liquid fruit pectin (1 pouch Certo)

Wearing food-safe gloves, stem, seed, and dice habanero peppers. Seed and dice the bell peppers. Process peppers in a food processor or blender until minced. Add the vinegar and continue processing until smooth.

Heat a 6 1/2-quart stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the pepper slurry, and the whole and dried cranberries. Cook, simmering and stirring often, until the whole cranberries burst, about 6 to 8 minutes. (Do not breathe the vapors!).

Remove from heat. Use an immersion blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

Return the mixture to the stockpot to heat; add sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon juice. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a rolling boil, add the pectin, and, while stirring constantly, cook for 1 minute.

Remove from heat, ladle into sterilized containers, and process containers in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

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HABANERO CRANBERRY JELLY

14 whole habanero peppers*
2 whole large red bell peppers
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup + 2 tsp dried cranberries
1/2 cup + 2 tsp fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup dried orange or orange dried cranberries*
7 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 ounces, fluid liquid pectin

Stem and seed habanero peppers and bell peppers. Process them in food processor until finely minced. Add vinegar and process until smooth.

Add pepper mixture to a large 6-8 quart pot. Add the dried fruit and whole cranberries. Slowly bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the cranberries begin to burst.

Remove from heat and food process mixture until smooth.

After processing, return mixture to large pot and add sugar and lemon juice. Bring mixture to a boil that can't be stirred down. Add pectin and boil hard for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and ladle into sterilized 1/2 pint jars. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

*If you don't have dried orange use orange flavored dried cranberries. Wear gloves while handling peppers.

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CRANBERRY JALAPENO JELLY
Source: Country Woman magazine, July/August 1998
Makes 5 half-pints

1 1/2 cups Cranberry Juice Cocktail
1 cup vinegar
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded
5 cups sugar
1 (3 ounce) package liquid fruit pectin
5 tiny red hot peppers, optional

Combine cranberry juice cocktail, vinegar and jalapenos in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover; simmer for 10 minutes.

Strain juice to collect 2 cups liquid. Discard solids.

Combine 2 cups strained liquid and the sugar in 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin and red hot peppers, if using. Return to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat; pour mixture into clean, hot jars. Place 1 red hot pepper in each jar. Process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

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SMALL-BATCH CRANBERRY HOT PEPPER JELLY
Source: The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preservation

"Intensely red with medium heat, can be made hotter by adding an extra jalapeno, cooler by omitting one."

1 large sweet red pepper
2 jalapenos or 2 small hot chili peppers, seeded
1⁄4 cup water
3⁄4 cup cider vinegar*
3⁄4 cup frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thawed
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (3 ounce) envelope liquid fruit pectin

Finely chop pepper and chiles in food processor. Place in a small saucepan with water and vinegar and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Strain through a coarse sieve, pressing with back of spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Pour liquid through a jelly bag or clean, damp muslin.

Combine strained liquid, thawed concentrate, and sugar in a medium non-reactive saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin, return to a full boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Ladle into hot jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

*VARIATION:
For Cranberry Balsamic Hot Pepper Jelly, you can replace 1/4 cup of the cider vinegar with balsamic vinegar.

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HOT PEPPER CRANBERRY JELLY
Makes 8 half-pints

1 cup fresh green hot peppers, chopped
3 cups cranberry juice cocktail
7 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
6 ounces liquid fruit pectin
Red food coloring, optional

In a blender container, process peppers and cranberry juice until peppers are finely chopped. Drain liquid through a strainer into a large saucepan. Stir in sugar. Bring to a full boil. Stirring constantly, boil hard for 1 minute.

Remove from heat; stir in vinegar and pectin. Add food coloring, if desired. Skim with metal spoon if necessary.

Pour hot liquid into clean, hot half-pint jars. Adjust lids and process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

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CRANBERRY PEPPER JELLY
Makes about 5 half-pints (80 one-tablespoon servings)

1 1/2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1 cup vinegar
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers,* halved lengthwise and seeded
5 cups sugar
1/2 of a 6-oz. pkg. (1 foil pouch) liquid fruit pectin
5 tiny red hot peppers (optional)

In a saucepan combine cranberry juice, vinegar, and jalapeno peppers. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 10 minutes. Strain to gather about 2 cups liquid. Discard peppers.

Sterilize clean half-pint canning jars in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a 4-quart Dutch oven combine the 2 cups pepper liquid and sugar. Bring to a full, rolling boil over high heat, stirring often to dissolve sugar. (The mixture should boil so rapidly on the surface that you can't stir it down.) Stir in pectin and tiny red hot peppers. Return to a full, rolling boil; boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat; use a metal spoon to quickly skim off foam. Using a jar lifter, remove jars from hot water, letting water drip off. Pour hot jelly into the hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Place a red pepper in each. Wipe rims; top with flat lids; screw on metal rings. Set jars in a water canner or a large kettle; add water to cover jars by 1-inch. Bring to boiling. Boil 5 minutes (start timing after water boils). Carefully remove jars from water. Cool on a cloth towel 2 to 3 days or till set. Check seals, label, and date. Store in a cool, dry, dark place for up to one year.

*Note: Avoid direct contact with hot peppers. Wear gloves or work under cold running water. If your hands touch chili peppers, wash well with soap and water.

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CRANBERRY-HABANERO JELLY
Source: Preserving with Pomona's Pectin by Allison Carroll Duffy (Fair Winds Press, June 2013)
Makes 4 to 5 cups

Before You Begin:
Prepare calcium water. To do this, combine 1/2 teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona's pectin) with 1/2 cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.

FOR THE JELLY:
1/4 cup finely chopped cranberries
1 1/4 cups seeded, finely diced yellow bell pepper
2 teaspoons seeded, minced habanero pepper*
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 teaspoons Pomona's pectin powder
2 teaspoons calcium water

TO STERILIZE THE JARS:
Wash your jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring canner to a rolling boil, and boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize them. (Add 1 extra minute of sterilizing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.) Reduce heat and allow jars to remain in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan, heat to a low simmer, and hold until ready to use.

TO PREPARE THE JELLY:
Combine chopped cranberries, diced yellow pepper, minced habanero pepper, and vinegar in a saucepan. Cover, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer, still covered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, combine pectin powder with 1/2 cup of the sugar. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Add calcium water to the pepper mixture, mix well, and return the mixture to a full boil over high heat. Slowly add pectin-sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve pectin while the jelly returns to a boil. After the pectin is fully dissolved, add the remaining quantity of sugar and stir to dissolve it. Once sugar is dissolved, and the jelly returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.

TO CAN YOUR JELLY:
Remove jars from canner and ladle jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims with a damp cloth, put on lids and screw bands, and tighten to fingertip tight. Lower filled jars into canner, ensuring jars are not touching each other and are covered with at least 1- to 2-inches of water. Place lid on canner, return to a rolling boil, and process for 10 minutes. (Add 1 extra minute of processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level). Turn off heat and allow canner to sit untouched for 5 minutes, then remove jars and allow to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly.

*DO NOT increase the amount of pepper. Jalapeno can be substituted. Use gloves when handling peppers.

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SWEET AND SPICY CRANBERRY RED PEPPER JELLY

1 cup ground sweet red pepper (approximately 1 or 2 medium sweet red peppers)
Approximately 3 medium hot red peppers
11/2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup red wine vinegar
51/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 bag of liquid pectin

Wash all peppers thoroughly and remove the stem, seeds and membrane from the sweet red pepper. Put the red pepper into the food processor and pulse until it is a pulp. Measure out one cup of the pepper, including the juice. Put into a large saucepan. Remove the stems from the hot red peppers and put the hot red peppers, including the seeds and the membrane, into the food processor and pulse until it is a pulp. The seeds and the membrane are where the heat comes from.

Combine half of the hot red peppers in the pot with the red pepper from step 1. Reserve the other half of the hot red peppers for after the taste testing is complete -- once the heat is in the saucepan it is basically impossible to remove it.

Put the cranberries into the food processor and pulse until finely ground. Combine in the saucepan with the peppers. Add the red wine vinegar and the sugar to the pepper and cranberry mixture. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil at medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for five minutes. Remove from heat and let sit uncovered for fifteen minutes.

Strain the liquid through a colander and into a clean saucepan. I suppose you could also use cheesecloth, but I rarely have that on hand, so a colander works just as well. The smaller the holes in your colander, the less cloudy your jelly will be. Add the lemon juice and liquid pectin and bring to a rolling boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off the foam.

Bottle the hot jelly into clean, sterilized 250 ml jars using a measuring cup to ladle the jelly through a wide-mouthed funnel, leaving 1/4-inch of head space. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel. Centre a hot lid on the jar, "put a ring on it" and process for 10 minutes in a waterbath canner.

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CRANBERRY PEPPER JELLY

3 red bell peppers, finely chopped
2 Fresno or red jalapeno chiles, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup liquid pectin
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen and thawed

Combine peppers, chiles, sugar, red pepper flakes and salt in a heavy wide pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Stir in pectin and lemon juice. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Stir in cranberries and simmer gently until they burst and juices thicken, about 10 minutes longer.

Transfer jelly to a jar, let cool, then cover. Will keep for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

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CHILI CRANBERRY JAM

190 g dried sweetened cranberries
4 red bird's eye chilies, ends trimmed, roughly chopped
3 red banana chilies, trimmed, seeds and membrane removed, roughly chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 2⁄3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup red wine vinegar
1⁄2 cup port wine

Put cranberries in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and stand for 10 minutes to soften. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the liquid.

Combine the chillies and onion in a food processor. Process until finely chopped.

Transfer to a medium, heavy-based saucepan. Add the cranberries, sugar, salt, vinegar, port and the reserved cranberry liquid. Stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil gently for 30-40 minutes, or until thick and jam-like.

Spoon immediately into a clean, dry jar. Cool, then cover the jar and store in the refrigerator.