Recipe For Homemade Cherry Jam

Looking for a great recipe to enjoy one of the most delicious fruits of summer? You can enjoy cherries all year round with this cherry jam. Eat it in moderation.

If you see crates full of cherries on the market, it’s a good time to prepare homemade cherry jam. It is ideal for the whole family to sweeten desserts, breakfasts or snacks.

Recipe to make delicious cherry jam yourself

The best thing about this recipe is that it is very easy to make. To prepare homemade jam, you only need a few ingredients: icing sugar, lemon and your favorite fruit.

In addition, it only takes a little time to cook, you have to stir a bit so it doesn’t burn and you have to have the patience to remove the stems and seeds. But it is definitely worth it and the result is always delicious.

You can use it to make a classic breakfast and spread it on buttered toast. It also adds a touch of sweetness to yogurt or adds some fruit to, for example, a chia pudding. You can also use it to fill cookies or a cake.

Homemade cherry jam

Here is the basic recipe for a medium amount of cherry jam. Because it has a good shelf life, you can make a lot of it. If you have a lot of other fruits, you can also make different types of jam.

Ingredients needed

500 grams of fresh cherries
250 grams of jelly sugar
½ lemon

Preparation

Before you start, prepare a container to pit the cherries. This way you can collect all the juices and not waste anything.
Once pitted, weigh the cherries to accurately calculate the amount of sugar you will need. You need half the weight of the fruit in sugar. So if you have 400 grams of cherries left over, use 200 grams of sugar.

Then add the lemon juice and sugar to the cherries in the bowl where you also collected all the juice. Stir well so that all ingredients are well mixed. Then cover and let it sit for 1 hour.
Then put the mixture in a pan and heat it over high heat until it starts to boil. Then put it on low heat and let it cook for another half hour. You need to stir it occasionally with a silicone spatula so that the sugar doesn’t burn.
Then puree the cherry jam with a stick blender. The final texture depends on your own preference. You can make it smooth or leave pieces in it.
To check if the jam is ready, scoop a little bit onto a plate and pick it up with your fingers. If a thread forms when you take your fingers apart, it’s done.

Then let the jam cool slightly. Although the texture may seem too runny, the jam will thicken over time.

Saving your jam

To keep it safe, you must sterilize the preserving jars first. You can do this by submerging them in boiling water for 10 minutes. Then you have to keep them warm until you use them.

Finally, fill the jars with the jam while it is still hot, leaving about an inch of space at the top. Close the preserving jars and then return them to the pan of boiling water. Simmer for about another 30 minutes to eliminate any pathogens.

If you prefer a less sweet version, you can also make jam without sugar or with other sweeteners, such as one with red berries. The jam will then have a shorter shelf life.

The ideal cookies for your cherry jam

Store your jam in the fridge or unopened at room temperature

With this recipe we now show you some cookies with jam in the middle that are perfect for a cup of tea or coffee. You can also eat them for dessert.

Ingredients needed for a pound of dough

3 hard-boiled eggs (yes, that’s right)
2 cups flour
½ cup butter
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
the zest of 1 lemon
milk
homemade cherry jam

Steps to make the cookies

First separate the whites and yolks from the boiled eggs. Pass the yolks through a fine sieve.

Then make a mound of flour and place the crushed yolks in the middle. Then add the chopped butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon.
Mix well until it forms a homogeneous whole and wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Chill it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Then dust a work surface with flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. It should be about half an inch thick.
Then shape the cookies with a round cookie cutter with a diameter of about 5 centimeters.
You should make twice as many rounds as the number of cookies you want to make, because two rounds make one cookie. With a smaller cutter about 1 centimeter in diameter, make a hole in the center of half of the cookies.

Then cover a baking tray with baking paper and place the pieces without holes there. Then place the cookies with the hole on top and spread the cookies with some milk to get a better baking result.
Fill the hole with a teaspoon of cherry jam.
Finally, bake the cookies in a hot oven at 165 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. Then remove them from the oven and let them cool.

Enjoy your homemade cherry jam all year round

To prepare homemade cherry jam, it is best to take advantage of the optimal season for cherries. Then the fruits taste their best and the result is truly exceptional.

When buying, it is best to choose cherries with a smooth and shiny skin, without dents and spots. The cherries that are darker in color tend to be sweeter, but size doesn’t seem to matter in flavor or sweetness.

Cherries are low in pectin, so the result is usually slightly thinner than other jams. If you want a thicker jam, you can add a thickening agent, such as powdered gelatin or pectin.

Everything you make and pack at home, such as jam, should be stored in a dark, cool and dry place. The best temperature is between 10 and 20 degrees (unopened jar).

Once opened, you can keep the jam in the fridge for up to 1 month. Nutrients can be lost over time. The jam will also change in smell, taste and texture. When opening a jar, always check for signs of mold or yeast contamination.