Cranberry Orange Jam
A glossy, sweet-tart refrigerator jam bursting with cranberries and orange. Ready in 30 minutes, no canning required, and dangerously spoonable.
Ingredients
- 3½ cups 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
- Zest and juice from 1 orange
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1½ tablespoons low- or no-sugar pectin
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients. In a large saucepan, combine the cranberries, orange zest, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, and salt.
- Cook the cranberries. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, as the cranberry skins burst and the fruit softens.
- Mash the berries. Use a potato masher to smoosh the mixture together. You can leave some cranberry pieces for texture or mash more thoroughly for a smoother spread.
- Add the pectin. Add the low- or no-sugar pectin and stir well to combine.
- Thicken the jam. Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook for 3 minutes, stirring as it thickens.
- Cool and store. Remove the jam from the heat and let it cool. This recipe makes about 2 cups, enough to fill two 8-ounce glass jars.
- Refrigerate. Store the jam in the refrigerator and use within 3 weeks.
Notes
This is refrigerator jam, not shelf-stable canned jam, so keep it chilled. And always use a clean spoon when serving (we want to avoid introducing crumbs, butter, and assorted snack debris into our beautiful berry concoction).
Want a Little Zing?
If you like your holiday flavors with a little sass, add one of these after combining the jam ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon minced candied ginger, for warm, spicy sweetness
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and finely minced, for a bright little kick