If You're Not Adding This to Jam, You're Missing Out

I'm begging you try this unexpected condiment combo.

As a food writer, I'm always looking for things to spice up my everyday cooking practice—even something as simple as a PB&J sandwich. But it wasn't actually me who made the latest culinary discovery to revamp my breakfast routine and just generally consume my daily thoughts. It was my boyfriend, a veritable cook himself, and hot sauce aficionado who dreamt up this experiment. And ever since, both he and I can't stop making this unexpected condiment combination. Here's why you, too, should be mixing hot sauce into your jam.

My New Favorite Spicy & Sweet Condiment

It might sound strange at first, but if you look around, there are examples of spicy-sweet pairings all over the food world. From the phenomenon that is hot honey, to the viral Gochujang Caramel Cookies that took the internet by storm last year, people love putting heat in their sweets.

Here's why hot sauce and jam (or jelly!) work particularly well together: It is essentially making hot pepper jelly without making hot pepper jelly. But, the fruit adds dimension, and it's got that spicy kick and acidity from the hot sauce that some more cloying pepper jellies can lack. What's more, depending on which fruit jam and type of hot sauce you choose, there are endless customizable combinations.

We paired blackberry jam with the delicious (and $3!) habanero hot sauce from Trader Joe's. Habanero-based hot sauces are an ideal choice, as these peppers have a natural floral, fruity quality that pairs well with actual fruit. Scotch bonnet-, serrano-, and jalapeño-based hot sauces would also make a good choice. Avoid super tart or vinegary hot sauces like Tabasco or Crystal here, as the bitter flavor won't mesh well with the jam. The goal is to have fun with it, so experiment with different fruit-sauce pairings and taste as you go!

Of course, you can make your own Berry-Habanero Jam from scratch, but this little hack makes it doable on any given weekday. Aim to add about a dash or two for every tablespoon or two of jam, depending on how spicy you like it.

How I Use My Semi-Homemade Spicy Jam

Now for the fun part: how to use it. This stuff is good on (nearly) everything, but pairs particularly well with cheese. We enjoyed in on grilled cheeses, cheesy egg breakfast sandwiches, and just straight-up with some Cheddar. But gosh, would this be good on a cheese board or charcuterie platter, especially paired with softer cheeses like Brie, goat cheese, or blue cheese. A baked Brie with this in the middle?! Now we're talking.

It's also be great in a sticky-sweet glaze for chicken wings or thighs, or paired with pork chops. Basically, you can use it anywhere you'd use pepper jelly. You could even bake it into some thumbprint cookies, and give your guests a little spicy-sweet surprise when they bite into them! The possibilities are truly endless, and since you probably already have these two condiments in your fridge, what's stopping you from mixing them together? The results might surprise and delight you—I know they delighted me.