Candied Jalapenos

If you’ve ever looked through my recipes, you’ll see that I like things spicy. These little candied treats are a perfect combination of sweet and spicy. The sweet hits your tongue right away, then the warmth from the jalapeno kicks in. Removing the seeds makes the heat a lot less intense, just a hint of heat and sweet jalapeno flavor. But, you know me… I left the seeds in. Oops!

This is a really simple recipe that requires about an hour of your time and a little patience. The process, at its most basic is:

1. Melt sugar and water to create a syrup.
2. Simmer jalapenos in syrup for 5 minutes.
3. Remove jalapenos and let cool.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until desired candied-ness is reached (I did it 4 times)

I fell in love with these little sweet and spicy bombs at District Donuts and Sliders in NOLA, where I had them on top of cheesy waffle fries. This recipe is as close as I could come to whatever magic crack they’re doing to their jalapenos at District.

 

 

Candied Jalapenos

8 large jalapenos, seeds removed and sliced into rings (1/8″ – 1/4″ thick)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
½ teaspoon cayenne powder

Directions

In a sauté pan, combine sugar, water, and cayenne pepper over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved and liquid comes to a simmer.

Add in sliced jalapenos and simmer over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

Remove jalapenos from pan with a slotted spoon and allow to cool on a plate and turn off the heat. Once cooled, repeat the process (bringing the syrup to a simmer, adding in jalapenos, simmering for 3-4 minutes and cooling) 3-4 times, until desired candiedness is reached. I repeated process 4 times.

Let cool and serve!