Description
This festive Christmas Jam combines fresh cranberries and strawberries with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Slow-cooked to perfection and then lightly blended, it results in a beautifully textured, naturally pectin-rich jam that thickens as it cools, perfect for spreading on toast or serving with holiday cheeses.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruit
- 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
- Add Ingredients to Slow Cooker: Combine the fresh cranberries, strawberries, spices, and brown sugar in the slow cooker. Stir thoroughly to mix all ingredients evenly before cooking.
- Cook on High: Set the slow cooker on HIGH and cook for 4 hours. Do not open the lid during this time to ensure proper cooking and thickness development.
- Blend to Jam Consistency: Once cooking is complete, transfer the mixture into a blender or use an immersion blender. Pulse gently until a spreadable jam forms. Avoid over-blending to prevent turning the jam into cranberry butter.
- Cool and Thicken: Allow the jam to cool completely. The natural pectin in cranberries will cause the jam to thicken significantly as it cools.
- Store: Once cooled, transfer the jam into sterilized containers or jars and store appropriately for future use.
Notes
- Do not open the slow cooker lid during cooking to ensure even thickening.
- Avoid over-blending to prevent creating cranberry butter instead of jam.
- The jam will thicken as it cools due to natural pectin in cranberries.
- This jam can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for longer storage.
- Adjust sugar quantity according to your preferred sweetness level.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Christmas jam, cranberry jam, holiday jam, slow cooker jam, festive spread, fruit jam recipe, cranberry strawberry jam
