It’s officially fall! Cooler temperatures, bonfires, soups and chowders, hot chocolate, and apples! Lots and lots of apples.
This is one of our favorite jams.
INGREDIENTS
6 cups peeled and diced apples, about 1/2 inch in size
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 vanilla bean, split open
1 package powdered pectin
3 cups sugar
2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
To a large stock pot, add the apples, water, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla beans. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the apples are tender.
Add the pectin and bring to a boil stirring continually. (There will not be a lot of liquid at this point.)
Once this mixture comes to a boil, add the sugars. Mix the sugars with the fruit and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly to prevent sticking, then remove from heat.
At this point, I used an immersion blender to puree the majority of the apples. I did leave part of them whole. This step is totally your choice. If you prefer whole pieces of fruit in your jam, this step can be omitted.
Ladle the apple jam into sterilized jars, place on the two-piece lids, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
This yielded 7 half pints of jam.
What can I use instead of pectin?
There really is no substitute for the pectin.
Can vanilla extract replace vanilla bean?
Absolutely! The typical conversion would be one tablespoon extract per vanilla bean.
Glory, pectin is what “gels” your jelly or jam. Pectin is extracted from citrus fruits, ground into a powder and Is used as the gelling agent in jellies and jams. In almost all cases it must be used to make these types of items. There are a few fruits that have enough of their own galacturonic acid (pectin) that you do not need to add more.
What kind of apples are used?
I use a mix of apples, but whatever you have available will work well. I like a tart (Granny Smith) and sweet (red delicious), etc. Honestly, any apple will work well with this recipe….enjoy!
Can the sugar be reduced by half if using sweet apples?
I would suggest using low-sugar pectin if you wanted to reduce the sugar. Pectin is formulated to be used with a certain amount of sugar to ensure a proper setting.
I have some apples that I have cut up and froze. Can I thaw them and use them in this recipe or will they be too mushy?
If they are a firm apple they might be ok to use for this recipe. If they are soft apples they will probably turn mushy. However, I have blended this recipe with an immersion blender before and made a smoother jam. Soft apples would probably be ok for that.
Once you have done the water bath. Do you sit yhemnon the counter to cool?
Also I how long will these last once opened? Also do you have to store them in the fridge if they are not opened?
You do need to rest them on the counter after the water bath. My rule is to leave them for 24 hours before moving them which gives the lids time to seal properly. They do not need to be refrigerated until you open them. Once opened and refrigerated they will stay fresh for 2-3 months, but ours never last that long.
I just made a double batch. O-M-Goodness!!!! Absolutely DEEEE LISH! I did double the amount of vanilla and used extract in place of bean. 4 large apples equal 6 cups cubed. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS WONDERFUL RECIPE!
You are so welcome! Enjoy!