Christmas Jam

5 from 5

Made with strawberries, cranberries, and orange, this Christmas Jam is sweet, tart, and festive. A spoonful of this is wonderful on toast, biscuits, scones, crepes, and more. It's perfect for gifting too!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Keyword: christmas jam, christmas jam recipe

Servings: , 8 ounce jars – 2 tablespoons per serving

Ingredients

40 ounces frozen strawberries , thawed (or 2 & 1/2 quarts fresh strawberries, hulled)
1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries , thawed
5 pounds granulated sugar (11 & 1/3 cups - see note below)
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon , optional
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 pouches liquid fruit pectin (3 ounces each)

Instructions

Pulse strawberries and cranberries together in the bowl of a food processor until mostly smooth. (If you're using frozen fruit, make sure it's thawed first.)
Transfer pureed fruit to a dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot.
Add the sugar, orange juice, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine.
Bring to a full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Stir in the pectin. Place back on the heat and return to a full rolling boil again. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat. Cool for 5 minutes; skim off the foam.
Carefully ladle hot jam into clean, warm 8 ounce glass jars, leaving a 1/2-inch clearance from the top. Pop any air bubbles, wipe the jar rims clean with a damp cloth, then seal the jars with lids and bands. Tighten to your fingertips.
At this point, you can allow to cool completely at room temperature then enjoy, or store for later (storage info is in the article.) OR process the jars in a boiling water bath with water to cover fully for 10 minutes to ensure proper sealing and preservation. (Do not tilt the jars while adding and removing them from the water bath.) Once done, remove jars from the water using tongs and let the jars cool completely at room temperature without disturbing them.
Enjoy as desired. We love it on toast, biscuits, scones, crepes, and yogurt!

Video

Notes

I can already hear the gasp when you read 5 pounds of sugar. PLEASE NOTE, this recipe makes approximately 14, 8 ounce jars of jam! 1 serving is only 83 calories. So what might seem like a lot, needs some perspective. Also, you need granulated sugar for sweetness, but more importantly for it to thicken and set properly. I have not tested this recipe with a sugar substitute. If you won't be canning the jam or giving some away as gifts, you can halve the entire recipe, if desired.

Nutrition