French Apricot Jam Recipe

Our french style apricot jam is all-natural with real fruits.

This apricot jam has some really cool uses and I'm demystifying it all in this recipe.

How to make Apricot Jam?

You can use fresh or frozen apricots to make your own batch of homemade jam. It's without pectin, so you just need plain sugar to get this jam right.

I have outlined the steps to make it easier for you to make this apricot jam from scratch.

You will find detailed instructions with measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1

Wash fruits, cut open to take out seed core.

Place fruits with sugar, lemon juice, and lemon halves into a large cooking pot.

Mix and heat up.

Step 2

Bring to a rolling boil and leave to simmer until set.

Take out lemon halves, discard. Blend jam.

Step 3

Test if set. The jam shouldn't run.

Pour hot jam into clean sterilized jars.

Health and Safety precautions

I have listed a set of important steps if you want to make jam at home. The same steps apply to all the jam recipes on my website.

Please follow all the steps.

During the preparation

Always use fresh ripe fruit and never ever add rotten fruit pieces to your jam. It would reduce the shelf life of your jam.

You have to make sure that the jam has set and you will know that by either doing the ice-cold plate test and/or by checking the thermometer.

If the jam is not set, it won't be good for long and that beats the purpose of preserving fruits, right?

Drop some hot jam on an ice-cold plate. If it doesn't run, it's set.

The Thermometer setting temperature is 220 Fahrenheit/ 105 Celsius. (use a candy thermometer)

After cooking

Always use a clean sterilized jar with a rust-free lid.

You can sterilize jars by cooking them in water or in the oven. That kills off all the germs.

The french way is to fill the jam up to the lid, close the jar with the lid tight, and to quickly turn it upside down to create a vacuum.

This is a reliable method in Europe and we even sell our jam on the farmers market.

Just know that the FDA in the US recommends to further sterilize the full jam in the jar by doing the water bath canning technique. You can do that if you want, I don't do it because it hasn't been necessary.

Storing

The Jam is good for over 10 months if you follow my instructions and work in a clean environment.

Keep the jars in a dry and cool place away from direct sunlight, on a shelf in your pantry, or similar.

Flavor Variations

I love pepping up my fruit preserve and you can do that too without much extra effort. You can add the following to your french apricot jam during the cooking process:

• habanero or other peppers to make it hot
• vanilla extract to round it up
• green cardamom to add a complimentary spice
• cinnamon if you like this spice
• make it with another fruit such as raspberry, peach, pear to just name a few. Just keep the fruit quantity sugar ratio.

Uses

Apricot Jam has more uses than any other preserve.

Of course, spreading it over your breakfast bread is always a great option but you can also add it to your yogurt or mix it into your overnight oats.

Apricot jam is used as a pastry filling as in doughnuts (Krapfen in German countries) or in danish pastries. It goes well with fresh cheese.

Traditionally the jam is used as an important cake glaze in Viennese Torte cakes.

The jam is diluted with water before it's spread over a baked cake. The icing that is poured over remains glossy. This is how the Sacher Torte, Esterhazy Torte, and i.e this coffee cake are made.

Apricot jam makes a great ingredient in sauces as in BBQ sauce or in dipping sauces. Mac Donald's Sweet and sour sauce is made of apricot jam.

One of my all-time favorite ways to enjoy this jam is over-baked brie. So good!!!