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10 Quick Jelly Ideas

Chicken Wings and Drumsticks

Who says you can only enjoy Pepper Jellies during Christmas??!! You’ve most likely been served Pepper Jelly during the holiday season at a party on crackers and cream cheese or baked w/ your favorite Brie Cheese. Who doesn’t love this combination? There is nothing quite like the spicy kick from the Pepper Jelly mixed with the cheesy salty goodness of the crackers and cheese.

But what else can you do with pepper jelly? This is such a versatile product that there are probably hundreds of different ways you can use it, depending on your taste preferences.
We have a lot of great ideas for how to use Pepper Jelly during the rest of the year. I even included links to some recipes below!
Here I have listed 10 ways to use Pepper Jelly – other than the fan favorite crackers and cream cheese. Now all you have to do is figure out what flavor of my jellies you want to use!
1. Glaze over pork, fish, lamb or chicken while grilling.
2. Ham and Turkey Sandwich – use pepper jelly instead of mustard- Holiday Favorite!
3. Peanut Butter and Pepper Jelly Sandwiches – my kids LOVE this one – especially good with my Very Berry Jalapeno Jelly.

4. Cocktail Meatballs – Cook frozen meatballs on low in a crockpot and mix with 1 Jar Pepper Jelly. Heat until meatballs are cooked through. We like to use this with either our either of our Jalapeno jellies – Pineapple Jalapeno or Very Berry Jalapeno or our Pineapple Roasted Garlic Jelly, but works well with any flavor.

5. Use as a dip for Egg Rolls, Coconut Shrimp or Chicken Wings – melt pepper jelly a bit before serving.
6. Glaze over Pork Tenderloin – cook in oven and at the very end of cooking, add pepper jelly as a glaze.
7. Serve over ice cream (one of my favorites!)
8. Make thumbprint cookies with pepper jelly instead of regular jam
9. Deviled eggs is one of our family favorites – mix together same portions of mayo-mustard and our Pineapple Habanero jelly. For 24 eggs we use 1/3 cup of each ingredient.
10. Mix it up and make a dip! You can really use your imagination on this one, mixing pepper jelly with cream cheese is a simple dip, you can even heat it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (or until bubbly) and serve it warm with tortilla chips or crackers. Look for an Artichoke Dip w/ Pepper Jelly recipe… super yummy!

Cream Cheese Dip

Pepper Jelly Cheese Dip.jpg

Ingredients:

  • 2 8oz blocks of cream cheese, softened

  • 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

  • 2 green onions, sliced

  • 8 Ritz crackers, crushed

  • 8 slices of bacon, chopped up

  • 1/2 cup of pepper jelly

 

Directions:

  • Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a pie plate combine the first 3 ingredients and smooth it out across the dish. Top with crushed Ritz and chopped bacon. (If you're making this ahead just stop here until you're closer to serving)  Bake for 15 minutes. Towards the end of baking put 1/2 cup of pepper jelly into a microwave safe container, microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring, until melted.  As soon as the dip comes out of the oven evenly spread the melted pepper jelly over the top. Serve with Ritz or your favorite crackers.

Thumbprint Cookies

thumbprint cookies 3.jpg

 Prep Time15 minutes

 Cook Time13 minutes

 Chilling Time40 minutes

 Total Time1 hour 8 minutes

 Servings19 cookies

 Calories153kcal

 AuthorBlair

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) salted butter, softened at room temperature

  • ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided

  • 1 egg, at room temperature

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • ½ cup raspberry, strawberry or apricot jam (or other jam, jelly or preserves flavor of choice)

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and ½ cup of sugar. Add egg and vanilla, mix to combine.

  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Beat until completely combined. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Set aside.

  4. Place remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar in a small dish.

  5. Scoop the chilled dough into heaping tablespoons (I like to use a cookie scoop for this step) and roll into balls. Roll the dough balls in the granulated sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets.

  6. Use your thumb or finger to create an indent in the center of each ball. Spoon about ¼ - ½ teaspoon of jam into the center of each cookie. Place the baking sheets back in the refrigerator or freezer to chill for about 10 more minutes.

  7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies are set and golden brown on the bottom. Cool on the baking sheets for about 5-10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

  8. Notes: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for about 3-4 days. Tip: To keep them nice and soft, place a piece of white sandwich bread in the container with the cookies. You can freeze the baked cookies in an airtight container or Ziploc freezer bag for up to 3 months.

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