Christmas Cranberry-Strawberry Spice Jam Recipe
This festive Christmas Jam combines fresh cranberries and strawberries with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, slow-cooked to develop rich flavors. The blend is then lightly pulsed to create a chunky, flavorful jam perfect for holiday breakfasts or gift-giving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 4 cups of jam 1x
- Category: Preserves
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Fruits
- 24 oz. fresh cranberries (about 6 cups)
- 16 oz. fresh strawberries
Spices
- 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp. ground cloves
- ¼ tsp. ground ginger
Sweetener
- 2 cups brown sugar
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: Add fresh cranberries, strawberries, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and brown sugar into the slow cooker. Stir well to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Cook the Jam: Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Do not lift the lid or open during this time to maintain the cooking temperature and ensure proper jam formation.
- Blend the Mixture: Once cooked, transfer the jam mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender to pulse until a jam forms. Be careful to pulse gently and avoid over-blending to prevent turning the jam into cranberry butter.
- Thicken While Cooling: Allow the jam to cool; it will thicken significantly due to the natural pectin in cranberries.
- Store the Jam: Once cooled, transfer the jam to clean jars or containers for storage and refrigerate.
Notes
- Do not open the slow cooker lid during cooking to ensure proper jam consistency.
- Be cautious when blending; over-blending will change the texture to cranberry butter.
- Cranberries contain natural pectin, so the jam will thicken as it cools.
- This jam can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for longer storage.
- Use fresh, ripe fruits for the best flavor and texture.
Keywords: Christmas jam, cranberry jam, strawberry jam, slow cooker jam, holiday preserves
