At first glance, these Cinnamon Red Hot Pickles made with cinnamon imperial candies might sound odd, especially to those outside of the American South and MidWest. But, pickles are nothing more than vegetables soaked in vinegar, sugar and spices. Change up the vinegar, change up the spices and you have different flavored pickles from dill pickles to bread and butter pickles to cinnamon pickles.
This recipe comes courtesy of Michael and Melanie, my kid brother and sister-in-law. I am not going to lie, these look like a lot of work at first glance. FIVE DAYS! to make them.
But, I promise, pickles are easy to make. It really isn't much more than boiling water/vinegar/spices. These just need more boiling and draining than the kinds I usually make.
Luckily, I just sent them some Spiced Pickled Beets, Giardiniera, Lavender Orange Marmalade and Spicy Pomegranate Cranberry Jam for their birthdays. So, I am hoping for at least one jar of these and some of their Homemade Pepper Sauce this year. HINT HINT 😉
Two ingredients that may be odd to you are alum and pickling lime.
Alum - find it in the spice aisle. Get a small container because you probably won't use it for much else. Though it can be used as a canker sore remedy.
Pickling lime - find it in the canning section with the jars and lids and other goodies or order online. This is going to make the pickles crisp.
Warnings! Only buy food grade pickling lime and be sure to rinse and soak and rinse to get all of the lime out before proceeding with the pickles.
Simplified canning chemistry lesson:
- pickling lime is an alkaline
- vinegar is an acid
- botulism bacteria cannot live in an acidic environment
- alkaline + acid = neutral pH = happy bacteria = possible food poisoning
- Be sure to soak and rinse the cucumbers to get all the lime out, okay?
Recipe
Ingredients
- 5-10 pounds cucumbers
- ½ cup pickling lime
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon alum
Pickling syrup
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 2 pounds cinnamon imperials candies (e.g. Red Hots)
- 5 cups white sugar
- cinnamon sticks and whole cloves for jars (optional)
Instructions
Day One
- Peel and deseed cucumbers. Cut in ½" thick sticks or half moons.
- Soak cucumbers in an ice bath with a mixture of 1 gallon water to half cup pickling lime mixture for 18 to 24 hours. Drain.
Day Two
- Soak cucumbers in cold water for 4 to 6 hours. Rinse and drain. This step is imperative for food safety (see note).
- Drain. In a large pot combine 2 cups vinegar, 1 tablespoon alum and cucumbers. Cover with water
- Simmer for 2 hours. Do not let boil. Stirring gently occasionally, trying not to break.
- Combine syrup ingredients in a medium large pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until candies are dissolved.
- Drain cucumbers. Put in a non-aluminum container (stoneware, glass, stainless steel) Cover with hot syrup. Cover. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
Day Three
- Drain cucumbers, reserving the syrup.
- Reheat syrup to a slow boil. Cover cucumbers in hot syrup. Cover and let stand at room temperature for another 24 hours.
Day Four
- Drain cucumbers, reserving the syrup.
- Reheat syrup to a slow boil. Cover cucumbers in hot syrup. Cover and let stand at room temperature for another 24 hours.
Day Five
- Drain syrup one last time and save.
- Pack sterilized jars with pickles.
- Bring syrup back to a boil. Ladle into jars to cover pickles and fill to the ¼" line.
- Add a cinnamon stick and whole cloves to each jar if desired.
- Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes.
Amy (Savory Moments)
I've heard of these pickles before, but I've never had them! They are definitely intriguing and I'd love to give them a try. Lovely color, too!
Pam Handshy
You show a picture of red spears. Is there a process or recipes to candy spears? I've only done the sticks before (with the exception of some shredded cukes for ice cream topping), but would love to be able to do more.
Thank you!
PamH
Audrey
The pickles turn red due to the food coloring in the cinnamon imperials.
PJ Mann
These were our favorites at Christmas! I have started the process and was wondering how long to process 1/2 pints in the boiling water canner? I was thinking 10 minutes
Audrey
Pints take 10 minutes, so I think that is a safe number for 1/2 pints. You could try a little less, but I'd rather err on the side of caution when it comes to canning.
Wahoohick
Hi. I'm in the process of making these pickles.How many whole cloves do you put in each half of a pint jars? Thanks for your recipe.
Audrey
The recipe is my brother's, so I cannot say from experience. I am going to use our mother's answer and say "add enough" and shrug. Haha!
I know, not much help.
You only need a few; they will permeate the liquid as the pickles sit. If you like cloves add 4 or 5. If not add 2 or 3. If you are like my mom and don't like cloves add 1. Hope that helps. Enjoy the pickles, I am waiting for my brother to send me my annual supply.