This apple cranberry jam is an ideal preserve for holiday giving. It goes perfectly with traditional holiday food (try it on a turkey sandwich!), can easily be customized, and yields satisfyingly large batch.
Throughout my childhood and teenage years, my parents’ standard holiday gift for friends and family was a bag of my dad’s homemade pancake mix (in particularly flush years, we’d also gift a bottle of maple syrup). The bag would also contain printed instructions on how to turn the mix into batches of fluffy cakes or waffles. I have it on good authority that people looked forward with great anticipation to those pancake mix gifts.
Over the years, we were also the recipients of many a homemade holiday gift, including jars of lemon curd from our cousins in the Bay Area, bottles of homemade coffee liqueur and divided plastic plates from my dad’s business partner, overflowing with cookies, fudge and caramels, hand-wrapped in squares of waxed paper.
In recent years, as my canning practice has grown, more and more of the holiday gifts I give are home-jarred edibles. This year, I’m planning to give my Philadelphia cousins jars of apple butter and apple-cranberry jam, along with mini-loaves of cranberry bread. If you’d like to give your friends and family their own jars of apple-cranberry jam, the recipe is after the jump (it’d be great with some scones on Christmas morning).
I’ll be posting more ideas for gifts in jars in the coming weeks, in the hopes that I’ll be able to inspire you to give your own gifts in jars this year.
Apple-Cranberry Jam
Ingredients
- 8 cups of peeled and diced apples, approximately 5-6 large apples, 1/2 inch dice. Use a softer apple like a Golden Delicious. Firm apples won’t cook down as well.
- 4 cups fresh cranberries
- 6 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 lemons zested and juiced
Instructions
- Prepare a boiling water bath canner and 10 half pint jars. Wash new lids and rings in warm, soapy water and set aside.
- Combine the apples, cranberries, sugar, water, and lemon juice and zest in a 8 quart (or larger) nonreactive pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring regularly. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the cranberries pop and the apples soften.
- At this point, start watching closely for signs that the jam is beginning to thicken. Because both apples and cranberries are naturally high in pectin, you won't need any additional pectin to help this jam set, as long as you cook it until thick and begins to cling to the walls of the pot. Keep in mind that it will thicken as it cools.
- Remove the jam from the stove. Use canning tongs to remove a hot jar from your prepared canner. Funnel the hot compote into the jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove the air bubbles.
- Wipe the rim, apply a clean, new lid and a ring and return the jar to the canner. Repeat this process with the remaining jars and jam. Process the sauce for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude if you live above 1,000 feet in elevation.
- When the processing time is up, turn off the heat, remove the lid from the pot and let the jars stand in the pot for an additional five minutes (this allows them to cool more gradually, which helps prevent siphoning and should also help develop a more robust seal).
- Remove the jars from the canner and set them on a folded kitchen towel. Let them sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours so they can fully cool and seal. Before storing, make sure to check that the seals are firm and unbending. Sealed jars are shelf stable up to 18 months, any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.
Looking forward to trying this out! If I don’t have fresh lemons, what would be the equivalent in bottled lemon juice?
Typically, a fresh lemon yields between 2-3 tablespoons of juice. Given that this recipe calls for the juice of two fresh lemons, I’d probably start with a couple tablespoons of the bottled juice and then taste to see if it needs more, as bottled can have a stronger flavor than fresh.
As suggested, I added spices – ½ teaspoon ground allspice, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves. It took over an hour for the liquid to evaporate enough to form a nice jam consistency and I had hoped to have chunks of apple left in the jam, however, I think my choice of apples (MacIntosh – what i had on hand that needed to be used or lost) became applesauce at the end of the journey. Its still an exceptional jam! Both the apple and cranberry flavors are present with the spices I added as a nice background but barely there. I found that the initial sweetness also balanced out after the jam had been refrigerated overnight. I had canned a couple of pineapples (crushed) at the same time and added the leftover fruit to the leftover jam. Also very good! I will make this jam every year and use it for “appreciation gifts” as well as my favorite on homemade bread and hot fresh biscuits!
I am so glad this recipe was a useful guide!
This was a great recipe! I reduced the sugar to four cups and my yield was nine half pints.
So happy to hear that it worked so well for you!
Do you think I can use apples that have thin skin without peeling them?
Even the thinnest skin will lead to funny bits in the finished jam. I don’t find it pleasant, but it’s not a safety issue.
How do use this recipe for several years I love it, I give the jars as gifts at Christmas. The recipients are always thrilled with it.
Midifications: I use much less sugar. And I use a good amount of fresh, grated ginger.
So glad you like it!
I made this last year, and I’ve never really cared for cranberry jelly, but let me tell you!! This was so easy, and so delicious. I gifted most of the jars, so I only had a little. This year, I’m making a half batch for me!! The perfect blend of sweet and tart.
I’m so happy you like it!
I love this jam and cannot wait to try this on turkey sandwiches and sourdough rolls at thanksgiving. Perfect consistency. I did add just a bit more lemon simply because I like more tartness. This recipe is a keeper.
Perfect! That’s the beauty of making things yourself is that you can customize it to match your taste buds!
Can you safely add jalapenos to this?? I know I’m late with a comment on this post but this is exactly what I’m looking for!
You could infuse some jalapenos into the cooking jam and then remove them before canning. I wouldn’t add heaps of chopped jalapeno though, as it could impact the acidity and safety.
Oh my goodness!! Made this today and tweaked it by adding the zest of a large orange instead of the lemon zest. I believe I could have eaten spoonfuls right out of the pot. Can’t wait to gift these to friends and family for Thanksgiving.
I’m so glad you’re pleased!
You mention adding other slices – do you think adding an Orange liqueur would work as well? I found a recipe using cranberries, apples & orange liqueur but it’s not for canning which is what I want to do.
A tablespoon of orange liqueur at the end of cooking would be delicious.
This turned out amazing!!! It was so easy & turned out perfect. And, it’s the first time I’ve ever made jam!
I’m so happy to hear that it turned out well for you!
Straight forward no nonsense idea and recipe with clear instructions can’t wait to try it since it is exactly what I was looking for. I’m using frozen cranberry hopefully that doesn’t change anything I’ll let you know thanks
I hope you enjoy it!
I made this with the following tweaks. Here are the specifics I want to share because it was divine!
4 lbs. previously frozen backyard Anna apples pealed cored and slice (weighed after prep)
2 lbs. previously frozen whole cranberries
6 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 lemons, extra-large from my backyard trees, zest using a micro plane, and juice (almost 1 cup juice)
2 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
4 oz. cognac
This was a higher yield: 5 – 16 oz. jars and 6 – 8 oz. jars
I’m glad you were able to make the recipe your own!
This jam is amazing! I made a double batch by adding one extra apple, 3 more cups of cranberries and 2 cups of orange juice. Then I used the same amount of sugar but traded 2 cups for Stevia…and then added one large cinnamon stick and two whole vanilla beans with the seeds scraped out and added. Finally I added a half bag of vegan white chocolate chips! AMAZING
In the future, I would not add things like chocolate to jam. It has the potential to upset the acid balance of the recipe and potentially make it unsafe.
Followed the recipe exactly, but added a teaspoon of cinnamon. So good! I almost licked the pan!
i just finished a batch of this jam. Thank you so much for posting your recipe. It turned out wonderful – used orange zest and juice, also used my immersion blender as my apples did not cook down too well.
Curious if you are adding the apples for the pectin or for flavor/texture. And, did you ever “play around with the flavors”, by adding any of the spices you mentioned in the “Notes”? Lastly, does this jam really have to be boiling water canned, especially since cranberries are acidic? I’ve read recently that this step is not really necessary for fruit jams and jellies as botulism in home canned goods is mostly found in vegetables and meats. Thank you 🙂
I’ve made two versions on this jam. The first one, I halved the recipe but otherwise followed it, except for adding a star anise pod and some ground cardamom. The second time, I made the full recipe, but with the zest and juice of two small oranges rather than the lemon, plus cardamom, star anise pod, and some cinnamon. My husband and I love both versions! I think when I make it again, I’ll put in the zest and juice of one lemon and one small orange.
I used the apples we picked from my mother-in-law’s neighbor, which are a mix of unknown (presumably) heirloom varieties (my husband estimates the trees are probably nearly 100 years old). Some of them look similar to Mackintosh, while others look somewhat like Gala. I also had some yellow, Golden Delicious type apples. Some cook down better than others, which gave a good texture to the jam. I had to cook it longer to get the apples nice and soft, and the apples took on that glossy, translucent appearance of candied fruit, while still having some texture to it. Besides tasting delicious, they look beautiful, too!
Can pecans or walnuts be added to this?
Yes. That would turn it into a conserve!
Just made this jam with this year’s haul of heirloom cidering apples – incredibly flavorful. I ended up using my stick blender at the end to break up the apple chunks. This one is a keeper.
Love the recipe! I put in some pumpkin pie spice and three seeded habaneros for some heat. Fantastic!
Instead of water I added apple cider-yummy!
Hi Marisa,
I just made this recipe last night! I got 4 beautiful pints and had a little leftover in the pot to spoon warm jam into bowls of yogurt before bed. What a nice recipe, only the second jam I’ve ever canned. I had 6 good sized Macintosh apples but was a little short handed once they were peeled and diced, so I supplemented with some smaller chopped honeycrisp apple. Worked like a charm. Thanks! I just ordered your Food in Jars cook book last week and it should arrive soon 🙂
Ariel, I’m so happy to hear that the recipe worked well for you! And thank you for ordering my book!
Wow this is the quickest, easiest and most foolproof jam I think I’ve ever made! I make Christmas hampers for my family every year and this is perfect as a foil for all the uber sweet chocolate and cookies because it has a bit of bite. I used one lemon and half an orange to make it extra christmassy.
So glad you like it!
This recipe sounds wonderful. My only concern is that, I’ve made cranberry jam before and the skins can be a bit too much texture-wise. Does the addition of the apple chunks balance out the cranberry skins?
I think the apples help balance out the cranberries nicely. However, if you hate all cranberry skins, this recipe might not be the right one for you.
Puree the mixture in a blender before pouring into jars
I would like to say thank you for this also recipe. I just love apple butter. It’s a nice gift to give as a gift. For like Christmas, birthday’s for any extc.
This is an awesome jam! I love it. Just canned it today and had some extra. Super delicious! We had this with cheese and crackers. Yum!
Has anybody weighed their apples? I’d love to know how many grams or ounces are in 8 cups of 1/2 inch dice.
I purposely use firm apples so they hold some of their bite when cooked, and I add lots of diced fresh ginger and cook it closer to a soft set. I label it as Apple cranberry chutney and suggest it over Brie or Camembert. This is always a huge hit.
Delicious! I have made several of your jams and this is my husband’s favorite so far! I divided it into 2 batches because I don’t have a large enough pot. I followed the recipe exactly for the first batch and for the 2nd batch I replaced the spices with fresh some grated ginger. They are both yummy, but our favorite is the first batch. I just found cranberries on sale at Costco, so I plan to make more asap. Perfect for holiday gift giving.
I subbed orange for lemon and added cloves – delicious!
My daughter and I made juice with the cranberries and then used them to make jam along with apples that we had froze in the fall (heated up in the microwave) Just had to watch when filtering the juice that we didn’t throw away the “silt” or pectin. instead of water we used a cup of our home made juice. turned out great!
I am making this right now and added a tsp of pumpkin pie spice. It smells delicious, looks amazing and the kid taste tester says “It’s a keeper!!” 🙂
Made this yesterday, it is fantastic. It was my first time canning and I made this recipe and followed your awesome instructions for water bath canning. Super awesome instructions. Thanks for all the great info and recipes.
is it necessary to use quite that much sugar? i’m moving towards lower sugar recipes these days, and wonder if the amount could be cut back at all without affecting the canning safety. thanks!
Sugar doesn’t make something safe. It ensures set and acts as a preservative. You can cut the sugar back, just know that the yield will be lower and you’ll need to cook it longer in order to get it to set up. For more on the role of sugar, read this: https://foodinjars.com/2012/07/canning-101-sugars-role-in-home-preserved-food/
Made this today to send out as gifts for Christmas. It tastes fantastic. I will definitely be making more. I stock up on cranberries this time of year!