Pickled Eggs with home made pickling spice

This is something that I love and SO does not. Not a lot of people seem to like them actually, not sure why. They make a great snack, and is healthy to boot. I usually get these small jars at the store - they are almost $6 for as many eggs, which to me seems kind of steep.  But maybe not, given that I just bought a dozen eggs for the same price; of course, they were from chickens that were free to range, were not fed any antibiotics, that nested with perches, and that listened to Mozart in the evenings. Maybe they'll taste different. Probably not, but I feel a tiny bit superior.

So why not make my own, seems pretty easy. And it was. The best part was mixing up a batch of home made pickling spice, well right after peeling off large intact pieces of shell from of the eggs - that was pretty sweet.

Pickling Spice

Most recipes seem to suggest letting them sit for 3 to 5 days before eating - makes sense. I found that even after 10 days they were not strongly flavoured like the store bought ones, but still tasty.

The final product. Pickled eggs with home made pickling spice,
brown from the cinnamon and unfiltered brine.

Next Time: I'll omit the cinnamon next time, and maybe filter the brine through cheese cloth

Me: 8/10
SO: n/a
SSO: n/a

Pickled Eggs with home made pickling spice
This will make enough spice for 5 or 6 batches at least.
Ingredients - Pickling Spice

• 4 Tb Mustard Seed
• 2 Tb Allspice berries
• 1 Tb Fennel seed
• 1 Tb Dill seed
• 1 Tb pepper flakes
• 1 Tb Coriander seed
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp black pepper corns
• 1 tsp cloves
• 2 broken up cinnamon sticks actually better without this
• 5 or 6 bay leaves broken up

Ingredients Pickling 

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp pickling spice from above

Method

1. For the pickling spice, just mix it all together in a jar and shake to combine.
2. Put a dozen eggs in a large pot, covering by an inch with cold water and put the lid on.
3. Bring to a rolling boil, and as soon as it does take it off the heat and keep covered for 10 minutes.
4. Rinse the eggs under cold water, peel, and put them in a quart jar.
5. Meanwhile, combine the pickling ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. 
6. Pour over the eggs in the jar, put the lid on, and let it cool. Refrigerate.