Merry Christmas Jam Recipe so that you can surprise your loved ones this season with your homemade food gift.
Global Food Recipes
with Spices and Herbs
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TL;DR
Not only the name but also the fruit jam's flavor combination with spices will warm up your family and friends's hearts.
If you are looking to gift more jars of homemade jam preserve for Christmas, I can recommend the orange marmalade.
I think the name, Merry Christmas Jam, is fun and totally suitable. This Christmas jam recipe will get us all into the Christmas mood, no matter if it's snowing outside or not.
The jam includes seasonal fruits and spices, which remind me personally of Christmas and all the food goodies that we tend to enjoy during that time of the year.
I combined each ingredient, fresh fruits and spices, in such a way that they complement each other to create a unique magical winter jam.
Ingredient Notes
Fruits
I created the Christmas Jam Recipe by combining pears, plums, figs, and raisins, and because I want you to enjoy preparing your batch, I haven't set any fixed rules on the amounts for each fruit.
However, I have fixed the total quantity of all the fruits, which gives you plenty of freedom to combine the amounts of each fruit the way you like.
So, for example, I combined the fruits the following way: 30% pears + 30% plums + 30% figs, and the remaining 10% were raisins.
Spices
To turn this jam into a Christmas delight, I add spices that will remind you of the holiday season.
This includes green cardamom, star anise, and cinnamon.
I think the combination of these 3 spices alone is more than enough to bring out the flavors of the fruits and to make you realize with each bite that the jam is magical.
Sugar
This jam, as are all my jams, is prepared without pectin sugar because it's based on the French way of preparing jam.
Real regular sugar is used instead, which preserves the jam really well for many months.
Please do not reduce the sugar quantity in this Christmas jam recipe, because the sugar is not only a sweetener but also the main ingredient that preserves the fruits.
Process Overview
Step 1
Wash the fruits and discard the cores of plums and pears. Cut fruit into chunks and place into pot.
Pour sugar over the fruits and mix sugar into the fruits.
Step 2
Take it to heat and add the spices.
Slowly bring to a rolling boil.
Step 3
Reduce heat and let simmer until the jam thickens and sets. The jam setting point is 105 degrees Celsius/220 degrees Fahrenheit.
Check if the jam is set with a thermometer or a freezing cold plate by dropping hot jam on it (if it doesn't run, it's set).
Step 4
Once the jam appears set, take out the spices from the hot jam.
Blend the jam to a smooth or semi-smooth consistency.
Step 5
Fill jam into clean jars up to the rim; close the jar tight.
Turn the hot jar upside down to create a vacuum. Turn it back once the jar isn't hot anymore.
Label your jar with the jar name and date.
📖 Recipe
Merry Christmas Jam Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.2 Pounds Mixed Fruits: fresh pears, plums, figs and dried raisins *see Notes
- 3 Cups Sugar
- 1 Star Anise
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 12 Green Cardamom Pods
Instructions
- Keep a small plate in the freezer, this is to test the setting point of the jam later.
- Wash and sterilize your jam jars.
- For the jam, start by washing your fruits well. We won't peel them, but take out the cores from the plums and pears. Cut your fruits into large chunks and place them into a large jam cooking pot.2.2 Pounds Mixed Fruits: fresh pears, plums, figs and dried raisins
- Pour the sugar over the fruits and mix it all in.3 Cups Sugar
- Take the fruits with sugar to the heat.
- Add the spices to the fruits with sugar. Make sure to smash open the cardamom pods so that the spice aroma is released into the jam.1 Star Anise, 2 Cinnamon Sticks, 12 Green Cardamom Pods
- Bring your jam to a rolling boil (it will get super foamy).
- Take the heat down to a simmer. Stir occasionally and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes until the jam is set. The jam setting temperature is 105 degrees Celsius/220 Fahrenheit.
- To make sure that your jam is set, test it by dropping some of the hot jam on the freezing cold jam. That way the jam cools down instantly, and then only can you make out if it's running or set.
- The jam is ready when it's not running but set (please refer to video).
- Pick out all the spices, and with a hand blender, mash the jam smooth or semi-smooth.
- Pour the jam into the clean sterilized jam jars, up to the rim.
- Pour a drop or two of rum, whiskey, or something similar into the lid to add extra germ protection, as this will prolong your jam's shelf life.
- Close the jar with the lids tight and turn it quickly upside down when it's still hot. This will create a suitable vacuum and your jam won't get moldy. Leave the jam like that for about 24 hours.
- Label your jam with the jam name and date. Store in a cool and dry place. Keep in the fridge once opened.
Notes
- The fruits need to be 2.2 lb/1 kilogram altogether. So you can use 10 oz/ 300 grams plums, 10 oz/ 300 grams pears, 10 oz/ 300 grams fresh figs, and the remaining 3.5 oz/ 100 grams of raisins. Or adjust the number of fruits to your liking and let us know in the comments how you made yours.
- Use regular granule sugar or, to pep up things, brown sugar. Do not reduce the amount of sugar! This would ruin the jam, and it will turn bad within weeks. The sugar preserves the fruits.
- Always use clean sterilizer jar and lids.
Nutrition
Storing Instructions
Store your jam in a cool and dry place on a shelf for up to 10 months. If you want the jam to remain good longer, take the jars through a water bath.
As this jam is per our French jam-making custom, we don't water-bath jams, as it's not required if you work in a clean environment with sterilized jars and lids.
Keep in the fridge once opened. Don't double-dip, as this can be a cause for mold growth.
More Winter Jam ideas
- Homemade Date Jam
- Pear Preserves
- Persimmon Jam
- Plum Jam
- Apple Jam by theviewfromgreatisland.com
Can I mix in canned fruits? Often Canned peaches/pears are offered at a local food bank with dried plums, figs, and raisins. These are usually left behind because no one knows what to make with them. I'd like to try it and be able to feature it with the foods we give out.
I Sue, theoretically, yes. But canned fruits are sweeter and in that case, you would have to adjust the sugar content accordingly. I can't tell you how much sugar to use because I haven't tried using canned fruits to make jam. You would have to reduce the sugar quantity. I recommend trying this with a smaller batch to test the result. We would definitely want to read about your experience here. Others might find this useful too.
This turned out so good! I used fresh picked pear and plums. I gave a jar to several friends and they loved it too. Will definitely make again.
Thanks Amanda for your feedback! Glad you guys loved it. 🙂
Hi Helene,
Does 1kg of fruit really only make 3 jars?
I was looking to do this for the whole family. 10 Jars.
So do I need roughly 4kg of fruit?
Cheers,
Alex
Hi Alex, yes the quantity of 1kg fruit and 700 gram sugar makes about 3 jars (300 ml each). This is because the ingredients are cooked down. You can use smaller jars too to gift. I recommend always work with just 1 kg of fruit at a time because it's easier to get the setting point right. I have done it with 2 kg of fruit and it just complicates everything. You could work in batches but if you really want to prepare a larger batch, I would not do more than 2kg in one large pot. The same applies to anybody converting this to pounds.
Just made this. Really enjoyed making it and its tastes delicious. Did have a bit of a mess though when turning the jars over, they popped and jam started pouring out. I've managed to get the lids on tight and they are upside down now, just wondering why it happened, and hoping it still keeps well until Christmas
Hi Emma, If they popped open it's because the jars are not that great. If the seal is tight, this can't happen. I had this happen to seals that didn't tighten properly. Maybe other jars from another brand are better for that purpose next time. They will keep well until Christmas at least if you store them in a dry and cool environment. Of course, having followed all the other points such as setting time and clean jars is also important.
Hi Patty, you can of course can your jam in your jars, just the way you would can your other jams at home. That said I have a new post, which will be posted in the next days, which talks about canning jams, fruits, etc.
Is the fruit weight, before or after cutting up?
Hi Millie, Thanks for the question! The fruits are weight after cutting up. Please excuse the confusion I will fix that in the recipe asap so that it's more clear.
Sounds yummy! I'm wondering if I can substitute some dried fruit for fresh, such as prunes, , dried figs, apricots. Thanks! I
Yes you can! Just make sure that the fruit and sugar weights remain the same as per recipe.
This looks amazing and I will definitely try it! How long does the jam typically last after opening?
Hi Victoria,
If you followed the instructions by working in a clean environment, then your jam will last about 3-4 months stored in the fridge after it was opened. The unopened jam will last for over 10 months in a cool and dry environment away from direct sun light. Happy jam making! 🙂