Today I was craving a bit of summer. Something light, crunchy and sweet. My mom made killer refrigerator sweet pickles. Like little pieces of crunchy tangy candy. Perfect to accompany a relish tray to a party or just to snag a few out of jar when one want a little something sweet.
These would have been great to make but since my brother and mother were diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes I've taken steps to reduce my sugar intake. And as the original recipe had a whopping 4 cups of sugar in it, well... need I say more?
So, recipe in hand and inspired by other low-carb cooking pages (like All Day I Dream About Food and Ditch the Carbs) I set about to modify mom's original recipe and make it work - or at least be better for me!
The results are pretty darn good! Even my persnickety southern hubby Farmer D liked them! The pickles came out a little more tangy than with the original 4 cups of sugar, but nicely sweet. I recommend letting them sit in the fridge for at least a week before diving in as the flavors meld further. (But Farmer D sneaks into the jar in a couple of days. I pretend not to notice.)
For the recipe I use plain 'ol regular cucumbers -like Straight Eight - for the pickles. I find pickle cucumbers don't take to the recipe as well, but it may just be my preference.
It is always good to taste the brine to ensure it is sweet enough for your liking. Other sweetners may take some tweaking. If you decide to try them, please let me know how they turned out in the comments below!
Enjoy!
Cottonwood Row's Sugar-Free Refrigerator Sweet Pickles.
Makes 1 Quart Jar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1 1/2 TBSP celery seed
1 1/2 cup Splenda
1 -2 Cucumbers, sliced 1/8 inch or to liking
1 - medium onion, thinly sliced
1. Disinfect 1 quart jar in boiling water or by prefered method.
2. Layer cucumbers and onion slices in the jar, alternating layers.
3. Combine vinegar, water, celery seed and Splenda (or sweetner of choice) in a sauce pan.
4. Bring solution to a boil. Turn off heat.
5. Pour hot vinegar solution over cucumbers/onions in jar, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Press to remove air bubbles.
6. Wipe lip and seal with a lid. Allow to cool on counter, then move to fridge for a week before enjoying.