Step 1: Suit Up and Slice (10 minutes) Put those gloves on first—I learned this the hard way when I rubbed my eye after cutting peppers once. Never again! Wash your Jalapenos and slice them into rounds about as thick as a quarter. Keep the seeds unless you’re making these for your mother-in-law who thinks black pepper is spicy.

Step 2: Get That Syrup Bubbling (5 minutes) Dump the vinegar and sugar and all those spices in your rip-roaring little saucepan. Raise to medium-high heat and give it a stir to start bubbling like a mad scientist. Let it bubble and foam for exactly 5 minutes—set that timer because burnt syrup is not a good time.

Step 3: Add the Stars of the Show (4 minutes) Carefully dump in all your pepper slices. The bubbling will calm down, which freaked me out the first time but it’s totally normal. Let them swim around in there for 4 minutes. They’ll start looking all glossy and beautiful.

Step 4: Scoop and Pack Use your slotted spoon to fish out the peppers and pack them into your clean jars. Don’t squish them, but get them in there nice and tight.

Step 5: Thicken That Gold (6 minutes) Here’s where the magic happens—bring that leftover syrup back to a rolling boil for another 6 minutes. It gets thicker and more syrupy, which is exactly what you want coating those peppers.

Step 6: Seal the Deal Pour that hot syrup right over the peppers until they’re completely covered. Wipe the jar rims clean, screw on the lids, and let them cool down before you stick them in the fridge.