Martha Stewart Sweet and Spicy Bread-and-Butter Pickles

Martha Stewart sweet and spicy bread-and-butter pickles are easy to make ahead and they snap when you bite in. An ice and salt soak firms the Kirby cucumbers before they hit a hot cider vinegar brine with sugar, mustard seeds, and red pepper flakes.

Pile them on cheeseburgers, chop them into egg salad, or tuck them into a turkey sandwich at your next summer cookout. Slice the cucumbers a full eighth inch thick so they stay snappy after canning.

Martha Stewart Sweet and Spicy Bread-and-Butter Pickles

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Side DishCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

32

servings

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

60

kcal

Crisp, tangy cucumber rounds with a sugary bite and a slow burn from red pepper flakes, packed in a golden cider vinegar brine.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Kirby cucumbers or summer squashes, cut into ⅛-inch-thick rounds (about 6 ½ cups)
  

• 1 medium white onion (about 8 ounces), halved and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
  

• 2 heaping tablespoons coarse salt
  

• 2 cups ice cubes
  

• 3 cups cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
  

• 2 1/4 cups sugar
  

• 1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
  

• 3/4 teaspoon celery seed
  

• 3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  

• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes or 3 dried hot chiles
  

Directions

• Salt and ice the cucumbers: Toss cucumbers and onion with salt in a large colander. Add ice, and toss again. Place over a bowl, and refrigerate, tossing occasionally, for 3 hours. Drain. Rinse well, and drain again.
• Make the brine: Bring vinegar, sugar, mustard and celery seeds, peppercorns, turmeric, and red-pepper flakes to a boil in a saucepan. Add cucumbers and onion. Return to a boil.
• Fill the jars: Ladle into 4 hot sterilized pint jars, leaving about 1/2 inch below each jar's neck. Wipe rims of jars with a clean, damp cloth, then cover tightly with sterilized lids and screw tops.
• Set up the canning pot: Using tongs or a jar clamp, transfer jars to a rack in a large canning pot or a large, deep pot filled with hot water. Keep jars upright at all times, spaced 1 inch apart, and not touching sides of pot.
• Process the jars: Cover jars with water by 1 inch. Cover pot, and bring to a boil. Process in boiling water for 10 minutes. Let cool, then press down on each lid. If the lid pops back, it is not sealed: refrigerate immediately and use within 1 month.

Tools for this recipe

• Kirecoo 12-quart stainless steel stock pot, Ball regular mouth mason jars, 12 pack, Benriner Japanese mandoline. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use regular cucumbers instead of Kirby cucumbers?

Kirby cucumbers hold up better because they have thinner skin and fewer seeds than slicing cucumbers. If you can only find regular cucumbers, peel them, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and cut them into 1/4-inch half-moons instead of rounds. They will be slightly softer, but the ice and salt soak still helps.

How long do homemade bread-and-butter pickles last?

Sealed and properly canned jars keep in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Opened jars or jars that did not seal should go straight into the refrigerator, where they last about 1 month. Toss any jar with mold, rising bubbles, or an off smell.

Can I skip the canning and just refrigerate these pickles?

You can skip the water-bath canning entirely and store the jars in the fridge right away. They will keep for 2 to 3 weeks this way. The trade-off is you lose the long shelf life that canning gives you, so only make a batch you will eat quickly.

What can I use instead of cider vinegar in bread-and-butter pickles?

Distilled white vinegar works as a direct swap, and the recipe lists it as an option. White vinegar has a sharper, cleaner taste, while cider vinegar adds a mellow, slightly fruity note. Avoid balsamic or rice vinegar, since their lower acidity can make the pickles unsafe for canning.

Why are my bread-and-butter pickles soft instead of crunchy?

The most common reason is skipping or shortening the ice and salt soak. The full 3 hours in the fridge draws moisture out of the cucumbers, which makes the cell walls contract and gives you that snap. Cutting the slices thicker than 1/8 inch and avoiding over-processing in the water bath (stick to exactly 10 minutes) also help.