Apple Jelly Recipe

TL;DR

My parents have various apple types growing at home and the best way to use them up is by turning them into an apple jelly.

We have always prepared jam, jellies, and even marmalade at home, it's just part of the yearly food harvest routine.

Therefore, this apple jelly, follows the French preparation method. That means, the apples are cooked in water first, then the infusion is strained and cooked down with sugar.

The process is simple enough and doesn't involve water bath canning the jars (we don't do that for jelly and jams in Europe).

You are always free to water bath can your jelly jars to add another layer of preservation to your jellies.

Choice of apples

The sour green apples are the best for making apple jelly, as they're loaded with natural pectin.

Pectin is the substance which exists naturally in certain fruits (mostly in the apple skin), and which helps in setting and in turn preserve the jelly.

Apart from that, green unripe (but about to ripe) apples are great. Those that fall off the tree too early are usually turned into apple jelly because they are more intense in flavor and contain enough sourness.

Pick an apple type that is suitable for jam/jelly for the most flavorful apple jelly.

Some apple varieties, such as the well-known Gala, are just not that well-suited for jellies. You want your apple jelly to be super flavorful.

Most suitable Apple varieties to pick to make apple jelly:

• Grenadier
• Cox Orange
• Streifling Herbst
• Crabapple varieties to prepare crab apple jelly
• Granny Smith
• McIntosh
• Pink Lady

How to make it?

Step 1

Cut your apples into chunks, pour lemon juice over the apples so that they don't get brown.

Step 2

Place the apples into a large pot with water and bring to a boil.

Cook the apples in the water so that the water gets infused with the apple flavors.

Step 3

Strain the apple so that you are left with the hot fruity juice infusion.

Step 4

Take the infusion back to the pot and add sugar to the infusion. Mix it all well.

Bring the apple juice infusion and sugar to a rolling boil.

Continue to cook for a longer period of time until the jelly has reduced considerably.

Step 5

Test if the jelly is set with a thermometer or setting test. Pour hot liquid jelly into a clean, sterilized jar up to the rim.

Lock with the lid and turn upside down to create a vacuum. Let cool, label, and store in a dry and cool place.

When is my jelly set?

Use a Jam/Jelly Thermometer to check the setting point of the jelly.

At the same time, make the setting test by dropping some jelly on a spoon or plate, which you kept in the freezer.

The jelly will cool down instantly and that way you will know if it is set. If the jelly runs, it needs more cooking time. Then repeat the preserve setting test.

The Apple Jelly setting temperature is 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit.

Be careful not to overcook the jelly.

The jelly will always appear liquid in the pot when it's cooking hot, so that can be misleading. The setting test and checking the thermometer are necessary for that reason.

Jelly will turn into a Jelly consistency only when it cools down; otherwise, it will appear liquid when hot.

Flavor variations

To prepare apple jelly flavor varieties, you can add some of the following flavors to the infusion or cooking process.

Technically, it's better to add them to the infusion process when you infuse the water with the apples because the extra ingredients get strained out with the apple pieces.

• elderflower — My favorite! You can use fresh elderflower when they are in season in spring or homemade elderflower syrup. If you love elderflowers, you might enjoy my mum's elderflower jelly.
• cinnamon — A classic fall flavor.
• apple pie spice blend or chai spice blend, or try adding some pumpkin pie spice for a twist!
• vanilla bean — Slit open a vanilla bean and scratch out the black seeds. Both seeds and vanilla bean can be added to the infusion to make the most of this expensive spice.
• lemon — Lemon halves with the fresh juice also add natural pectin to your jelly (which helps in setting your jelly). Just make sure to use lemon that had not been sprayed with pesticides (usually organic lemons).
• rosemary — Fresh rosemary adds a lovely herbal touch to your apple jelly.

Uses

I love apple jelly spread over my breakfast roll. With a cup of black coffee, that's all that I need to start my morning energized.

Besides the obvious breakfast uses for apple jelly, you get to use it as part of a dessert or sweet treat.

Here is how we have been using this apple jelly at home:

• in a Swiss Roll filling
• in thumbprint and other cookies
• as a doughnut filling
• to layer cakes
• mixed into plain yogurt
• as a filling in sweet crêpes or pancakes
• in puff pastry pockets and Dutch pastries
• in oats, müsli or rice porridge
• as a filling in baked bars

Storing

Use sterilized Jam Jars with a clean sterilized lid. You can sterilize the jars and lids by boiling them or by heating them up in the oven.

The aim is to kill all germs and that way the jelly will preserve over months!

When filling up your jelly jars, use a home canning kit with the tongs to take out the hot sterilized jars and to pour the jelly in the jars with a canning funnel. These tools come in super handy!

Fill up the jars to the rim with the hot jelly. There shouldn't be any space left for jelly. This is to airlock it when closing the jar, and it will avoid germs and mold.

Add a few drops of rum or any other spirit into the jar lids to kill the remaining germs (this is optional). Close the jar with the lid properly and turn the jar quickly upside down.

This will create a vacuum and that way the jelly will preserve over months!

After 24 hours, you can turn them back and label them with the day you cooked the jelly and the name.

Store the Apple Jelly jars in a dry, dark, and cool environment. That way, your jelly will be good for at least 10 months minimum!

More Fruit Jelly Recipes

• Quince Jelly
• Red Currant Jelly
• Black Currant Jelly