Habanero Pepper Jelly!

So last year I tried to fly my creative flag for Christmas. I usually make all the best homemade cookie recipes that I have collected over the years, but I wanted to try something different and less time consuming. I came across different canned jelly recipes and OH MY LORD did I stumble across the holy grail! Courtesy of thehomesteadsurvival.com I found a habanero pepper jelly that is just to die for. After I gave them away to all of our friends and family last year I constantly get requests for it so I thought for my first official post I will share this delectable recipe with you! First I must warn you.... It is a little time consuming and please make sure your pots are big enough. I made the mistake recently of doing a double batch and lets just say half of the content bubbled up and out of the pot all over our stove and floor. That was not a fun cleaning experience! This recipe is listed in steps for canning the jelly, I recommend reading all the steps before tackling this tasty monster!. First you will need some supplies:

Ingredients: (Makes 4 half-pint jars)
1/3 cup thinly slices dried apricots
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup finely diced sweet red pepper
1/4 cup finely diced habanero pepper (I remove the seed but if you want a HOT jelly you can leave them in)
3 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch liquid pectin

Additional Materials Recommended:
Gloves
Pampered Chef vegetable chopper
Cutting board
Sharp knife for slicing
Deep saucepan for jelly
Mason jars for canning
Funnel for canning
Large pot to boil the mason jars
Tongs to grab jars


Directions:

Thinly slice apricots into 1/8 inch slices. In a large DEEP saucepan, mix in apricot slices and 3/4 cup white vinegar. Let this sit for 4 hours. While the apricots are soaking you can prepare the other materials. Individually cut up the onion, and peppers (while seeding them) into 1/8 inch slices. This is where the pampered chef vegetable chopper comes in handy. I love onions but I loath cutting them. With the chopper it quickly does the chopping with out all the tears! I also recommend cutting the habanero with rubber gloves. Those little babies are hot!

If you are going to can the jelly, Start preparing your jars. You want to sterilize them by boiling them in a large pot of water. Keep the jars warm for when you put the jelly in.

Once the apricots have finished their 4 hours of soaking and relaxation, add the peppers, onions, and sugar in.

Bring the mixture to a boil. The jelly will start to bubble with the sugar so a tall pot is important to prevent spillage. Stirring constantly will help keep the boil down. Boil for 1 minute and remove from heat. Add the liquid pectin an mix well.

Pour jelly into hot jars with in 1/4 inch of the top of the rim (I recommend using a funnel and maybe a second pair of hands to help pour from the pot, I enlisted my handsome fiance/taste tester) Wipe off rims and apply lids.

Place the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (Water must be boiling BEFORE you place the jars in.) With your tongs, remove the jars and place right side up to cool, for about 30 minutes. You can take the jars and slightly move them around to distribute the jelly through out if needed. You should hear a slight "pop" letting you know the jars have been sealed.

We really enjoy eating the jelly on crackers. We spread some cream cheese on a cracker and spread some jelly on top. It is also amazing on a Hardee's chicken biscuit! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!