Caramel Apple Jam
Sorry for the apple overload around here lately, but as you can see, I’m a little obsessed and after one bite of this luscious Caramel Apple Jam, I think you will be too!
Fear not, there’s no hot water bath or scary sterilizing methods necessary. This is refrigerator jam that will last you up to a month (as if!) and other than the caramel part, it is easy-peasy to make.
Not that I mean to scare you about the caramel, but if you’ve made it before, you know it can be the teensiest bit challenging, going from just right to burned in a blink. I’ve got a pretty surefire way of preventing this which I’ve gone on and on about on these pages before: DON’T WALK AWAY NO MATTER WHAT. That means make sure all your people know you need about 10 minutes of uninterrupted kitchen time and then steel yourself to not be tempted to multi-task and watch the pot. And I promise you, you’ll wind up with glorious, amber sticky stuff!
That’s not to say that you won’t have a few moments of hardened caramel that seems to refuse to melt (check out the photo below) but just keep stirring and heating…and breathing, lol!
After the apples cook down in all that wonderful caramel, you’re left with a sweet, but not overly so, apple-y jam that’s wonderful on bread—
Or by the spoonful.
Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week with a bunch of new recipes, featuring things other than apples!!🍏🍎
Caramel Apple Jam
Makes about 4 twelve ounce jars
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
3 pounds apples (I used a mix of Gala and Cortland), peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
1 vanilla bean, split down the middle
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
The Recipe
1. Bring sugar and water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Once the mixture has boiled, swirl the pan every now and then and brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to keep it from crystalizing, until the mixture turns a deep amber color, about 4 minutes. Add in the apples and scrape in the vanilla bean seeds (add the pod as well) and use a large spoon to stir to coat. Some of the caramel will seize up, but no to worry because it will melt down again as it cooks.
2. Lower the heat to medium and stir occasionally to help the apples cook evenly and dissolve any pieces of hard caramel.
3. Cook for another 20 minutes or so, until apples are softened and start to break down (although some will definitely still hold their shape) and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add in the lemon juice and stir to combine. Carefully fish out the vanilla bean pods (the mixture will be hot) and use a potato masher to break up any large pieces of apple unless you want to leave it very chunky. Ladle into mason or jam jars and let cool to room temperature. Store in the fridge for up to one month.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit Magazine.
