The traditional, classic grape and berry jelly has been a household staple for many years, and has been peanut butter’s sister since the PB&J sandwich was invented. Obviously, we all know that jelly is very concentrated in sugar, making it an unhealthy choice if eaten in large amounts, or eating it on crackers every day.
It’s also not packed with a lot of healthy nutrients, except for the organic jellies with berries and fruit in them. The amounts of added sugars and juices added often override the nutritional value from the fruit, anyways. Aside from nutritional value, regular jelly often can’t be used in everyday recipes and on sandwiches with meat, since it is so sweet and fruity. Here’s why you’ll be turning to the popular pepper jelly, and ditching the traditional grape jellies in your kitchen cupboard.
Pepper Jelly Can be Used in Many Recipes
Let’s be honest, you can’t just put regular fruit jelly on a ham and cheese sandwich and expect it to be delicious, or add it to a glaze on ham and expect everyone to love it. Regular jellies are just way too sweet and that’s it – there’s no spice, tartness or savoriness to them. They’re just sweet as can be, which is why they pair well with the smooth flavor of peanut butter.
Pepper jelly can be used as an appetizer on top of a block of brie cheese served with different kinds of crackers and pretzels, in the center of a charcuterie board, and even as a glaze on top of fishes, meats and ice cream. Yes, you heard me correctly, ice cream. The great thing about pepper jelly is the fact that it’s not too sweet, and packs a punch of heat with a slight tart. Jellies are easier to spread than jams since they are less chunky in texture, and pepper jelly makes a great addition to sandwiches and burgers as well. The flavor of pepper jelly is sweet and a little spicy from the pepper flakes, and makes meat and salty foods taste even better.
It Comes in Many Flavors
The great thing about pepper jelly is that it comes in all sorts of flavors, so you can pair it with all different kinds of meats and whatever you feel like making that day. Some of the flavors include cranberry, “not-so-spicy,” carribean mango, jalapeno, southwestern chipotle, and pomegranate.
Is Made with Ingredients You Can Pronounce
A lot of grape jellies are packed with preservatives and concentrated juices, making them an unhealthy and cavity-producing choice of spread. The quality pepper jellies you’ll find in grocery stores have less than 10 ingredients, including things like red and green pepper flakes, pectin, sugar, water, and lots of dried red peppers. Now that you know what’s in pepper jelly, you can ditch your classic grape jellies that are nothing but high amounts of sugar and fruit juice concentrate.
