Recipe: No-Sugar Added Sweet Cucumber Slices (sweet pickles using Splenda)

NO-SUGAR ADDED SWEET CUCUMBER SLICES

3 1/2 pounds of pickling cucumbers
boiling water to cover sliced cucumbers
4 cups cider vinegar (5%)
3 cups Splenda
1 tablespoon canning salt
1 cup water
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon whole allspice
1 tablespoon celery seed
4 one-inch cinnamon sticks
Yield: About 4 or 5 pint jars.

Wash and rinse pint canning jars; keep hot until ready to use. Prepare lids according to manufacturer's directions.

Wash cucumbers. Slice 1/16th-inch off the blossom ends and discard. Slice cucumbers into 1/4-inch thick slices. Pour boiling water over the cucumber slices and let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

Drain off the hot water and pour cold water over the cucumbers. Let cold water run continuously over the cucumber slices, or change water frequently until cucumbers are cooled. Drain slices well.

Mix vinegar, 1 cup water, Splenda and all spices in a 10-quart Dutch oven or stockpot. Bring to a boil. Add drained cucumber slices carefully to the boiling liquid. Return to a boil.

Place one cinnamon stick in each jar, if desired. With a slotted spoon, fill hot pickle slices into clean, hot pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Cover with boiling hot pickling brine, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids.

Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Let cool, undisturbed, 12 to 24 hours and check for seals.