When I was pregnant with my daughter I ate all sorts of weird, ridiculous things. Like, pickled garlic, Wickles Pickles and Yummy Summer Salad every single day.
No. Lie. Every. Day.
The cost of the Wickles really started to add up at about $5.00 for a small jar, but I didn’t care, I was addicted and pregnant…who was going to argue with me? After my daughter was born, my mom took a trip to Michigan to visit my aunt and uncle. While she was there, the neighbor brought over a jar of these pickles. When my mom tried them she couldn’t believe it, they tasted like Wickles, only better! She had the neighbor write down the recipe and immediately emailed it to me. I couldn’t wait to try them. We immediately loved them and have made them regularly ever since. We always have a jar in the fridge.
You need to plan ahead with these because they take a solid week to marinate before you can eat them. I usually buy a gallon jar of pickles at Sams Club and double the recipe, because I give them away to those people I have gotten hooked on them!
You can also adjust the amount of “heat” you put in them by adding more red pepper flakes and hot sauce. I usually take out a small amount that I keep with the recipe and the rest I add in more of the hot stuff.
Each one of the specific brands of ingredients shown below are Gluten Free.
Zingy Pickles
- 2 – 32 oz jars of sliced dill pickles (you can use cheap pickles, more expensive do not taste any better in the recipe)
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 – Tablespoon hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and sliced – (I use minced garlic in a jar 1 and 1/2 tsp)
DRAIN and discard pickle juice (I just dump the jar into a colander in the sink and let them completely drain). It is very important that you completely drain them because you will be making new juice for them to marinate in. Hang on to the jars, you will put the pickles back in them.
Combine the rest of the ingredients together in a large bowl. I use a whisk to make sure that all of the ingredients are mixed up completely together. This is important so that when you add in the pickles everything is well saturated.
Then add the pickles to the sugar mixture and mix thoroughly. Cover and let stand on the counter if not too hot (or in the refrigerator) for TWO hours.
Put the pickle mix back in the pickle jars and let set in the refrigerator for a WEEK before serving. It is important to let set in the frig for a week to let the flavors blend thoroughly.
At this point, if you try them and you want them more spicy, add more red pepper flakes. The longer they marinate, the spicier they will be.
I hope you enjoy these as much as our family does. Be watching next week for a recipe I will post using these pickles.
OhMyGoodyGoodness 
Rebekah, I’m so glad you posted this recipe. And, for those like me who “can’t take TOO much heat” of red pepper flakes using less still gives them the zing and sweetness that make them so delicious.
Delicious!! They were a little sweet for my hubby, so I am going to try a little less sugar next time, but they have great flavor.
I am so glad you tried them and liked them! I think you could easily just cut back the sugar for him!
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I want to try this as well! I don’t see a brine recipe. So, is the mixture that sits with the pickles for a couple hours the brine?
Yes, you are not necessarily re-pickling them, just changing the flavor of them. You drain off the juice they come in and then put them in the sugar mixture. It will completely dissolve to make a new juice for them. These are the best! You can add more red pepper flakes to make them spicier if you want to.
Trust me they are the best.
Made these and used a quarter of the sugar called for because I like less sweet pickles. I also added a lot more red pepper. They’re awesome and I cant get enough! I started eating them 3 days after I made them, I couldn’t wait any longer. Lol. Anyone know how I’d find out the nutritional info on these after you add sugar. (you aren’t necessarily eating all the sugar you add)
Oh my gosh, I know! We can’t wait that long either! I usually try to start a new batch when I see the other getting low. I have no clue about the nutritional value on them, I am not sure I want to know! 🙂 I am so glad that you liked them. They are so great in the habanero stuffed burgers that I make, it gives a nice hint of sweet to the hot of the peppers. Thank you so much for visiting the blog!