Pepper Jelly and Cranberry Sauce and Pumpkin Butter, Oh My!

There are a few recipe variations from my basic jam/jelly/marmalade formula.  Apple Pepper Jelly has always been a huge hit at parties.  It is blissful on crackers with cream cheese, and I’ve heard of some people spreading it on sandwiches in lieu of mayonnaise or mustard.  My Cranberry Sauce is a holiday favorite, and leftovers are wonderful on turkey sandwiches throughout the year.  And my Pumpkin Butter…don’t even get me started.  It’s so good on everything, and it’s a vegetable, so that means it’s healthy, right?  Yes, let’s go with that.

 

 

Apple Pepper Jelly

2 15oz cans apple sauce
6 red jalapeño peppers
3 green jalapeño peppers
2 habanero peppers
18 dried chili peppers
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
1 box pectin
7 cups sugar

Remove stems and seeds from all peppers.  In blender, combine prepared peppers, apple sauce, lemon juice, butter, and pectin.  Pour into stockpot and heat on high to boiling.  At the first boiling point, add sugar and stir until all sugar is dissolved.  Continue to stir until mixture reaches a rolling boil.  Let mixture boil for 90 seconds (this is critical).  Remove from heat and ladle into sanitized jars.  Seal.  Boil sealed jars in water bath for 10 minutes.  Set out on counter to cool for 24 hours.  Some pepper jelly batches may take several days to congeal.

Yields: 9 cups (9 half pint jars or 4.5 pint jars)

Note: Please wear gloves and don’t touch your face during or after cooking it (my eyes!).  I don’t recommend leaning over the stock pot either – steam opens pores, and peppery steam burns like a mother.

 

 

Cranberry Sauce

1 12oz bag cranberries
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 granny smith apple
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water

Peel, core, and chop apple.  Cook cranberries, sugar, juice, and water on low heat until the skins pop.  Add apple and cook for 15 minutes or until apples soften.  Remove from heat and ladle into sanitized jars.  Seal.  Boil sealed jars in water bath for 10 minutes.  Set out on counter to cool for 24 hours.

Yields: 4 cups (4 half pint jars or 2 pint jars)

Note: Raisins and candied nuts are fantastic with the cranberry sauce, so I serve them on the side and let people mix as they like.  This recipe was adapted from Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa on Food Network.

 

 

Pumpkin Butter (or Apple Butter)

5 15oz cans pumpkin
3 cups sugar
1.5 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a large crockpot, cover, and cook for 24 hours (high heat during the day, low heat at night), stirring every few hours.  Remove from heat and ladle into sanitized jars.  Seal.  Boil sealed jars in water bath for 15 minutes.  Set out on counter to cool for 24 hours.

Yields: 9 cups (9 half pint jars or 4.5 pint jars)

Note: Apple sauce can be substituted for pumpkin, just reduce cook time from 24 hours to 8-12 hours.  Also, Pumpkin Butter has a very short shelf life, so I recommend just eating the whole jar in one day.  It is a vegetable, after all.  Enjoy your house smelling like pumpkin spice while this is cooking!  Maybe have some mulled wine while you wait for it to cook.  Eat it on everything!

Enjoy!  And please let me know how your batches turn out!

 

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4 Replies to “Pepper Jelly and Cranberry Sauce and Pumpkin Butter, Oh My!”

  1. Apple Pepper Jelly – a true story….
    I made Apple Pepper Jelly from your recipe. I couldn’t find any red jalapenos, so I used 9 green jalapenos. Thinking that the red jalapenos were for color and perhaps a tiny bit of heat, I determined that habanero peppers were a pretty color and the color of them should add nicely to the color of the jelly. So, instead of 2, I used 4 – after all, they are such a pretty color!

    Then, as I’m adding the 18 dried chili peppers, I thought to myself, “I haven’t added ANY seeds and the heat comes from the seeds. I’ll add a few of the red chili pepper seeds for heat.”

    I cooked up the jelly, ladled into the jars, lidded the jars and bathed them in the hot bath for 10 minutes. Took them out and let them be for 24 hours.

    Mighty Man, being my Quality Control expert, opened the first jar of Apple Pepper Jelly. It sure smelled good! He dipped a spoon into the jelly and immediately put the spoonful of jelly into his mouth to ensure the quality (you know, QC). Heat Explosion! 🥵🥵 His whole face, head, and eyes turned bright red. His eyes and nose were watering. 😯
    My Apple Pepper Jelly was hot. 🔥🔥
    He found some cream cheese pretty quickly to ease the burn.

    After the heat explosion, the flavor of the jelly comes through. It is VERY good. Instead of putting the cloth under the ring, he suggested “Caution” tape.

    Everyone who received the Apple Pepper Jelly were warned of the high Scoville scale rating and advised to serve with cream cheese. My son loves to mix his Apple Pepper Jelly with the Orange Marmalade that I made (also your recipe and very good!).

    Future batches will be made with only 2 habaneros and NO seeds added. 🤣

    S 🏹

    1. HAHAHAHAHAHA I can’t believe you used FOUR habaneros! Please tell your loved ones you’re not actually trying to kill them! 😆

      Yes, I use red jalapeños for the color and also because they’re sweeter. I have read that seeds AND the white inside membranes add heat.

      …you’re brave. Hugs!! 😬

  2. They actually LOVE this tastebud-burning concoction and have asked for more…. Who Knew??!! 💗

    1. That’s crazy!! And awesome! Did you say you served it with cream cheese? I wonder if goat cheese would be a good pairing as well. Just wash your hands! HAHA

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