Apricot Jam with Brown Sugar
Beth LeeApricot Jam with brown sugar and bourbon is a fun variation on a more traditional apricot preserves recipe. Darker in color with a sharper almost butterscotch-like finish, this recipe will become a welcome addition to your annual apricot extravaganza.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs apricots pitted and coarsely chopped
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ⅛ cup lemon juice juice from about ½ a large lemon
- zest of ½ a lemon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon bourbon optional
Instructions
Prepare fruit
- Combine the apricots, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium-sized bowl.
- Mix well and let it sit for a few hours on the counter or overnight in the refrigerator.
Cook the preserves
- After the fruit has macerated (soaked in the sugar mixture), put it in a heavy-bottomed pot (wider than tall preferably) and bring it to a boil on medium heat.
- If it boils too dramatically, turn it down. Maintain a low boil and stir frequently.
- Foam may start appearing on the top of the mixture. Use a spoon to scoop it away into a small bowl. Don't discard it! Save it for your morning toast or mix it into some yogurt or top your ice cream. It's delicious! Also, if you want a smoother, less chunky result, use your potato masher to smooth it out.
- After about 10 minutes, you'll see the fruit breaking down, becoming glossy and leaving residue on the side of the pot. Those are signs you are nearly done cooking the jam. To check, keep a plate in the freezer and when you think the jam is ready, pull the plate out and put a dab of jam on it. Put it back in the freezer for 1 minute. If it wrinkles or stays separated when you push it, it's ready. If it falls back on itself, continue to boil the jam a little longer. After you make preserves and jams a few times, you will know by the sound of the boiling, what the preserves look like, and how much the mixture has reduced that it's ready to be put in the jars.
- Once the mixture is ready to go, add the vanilla and bourbon and mix well. Let it boil for another minute and then use your canning funnel or any funnel you have, ladle the preserves into clean, sterilized jars. (Even when just refrigerating and/or freezing the preserves, start with clean jars and lids. A pass through the dishwasher will do the trick).
Notes
- Buy the best apricots you can find. Check the farmers' markets and small farm stands for firsts, or seconds at a discounted price per pound.
- If you like a more firm texture for your jam or preserves, feel free to use pectin. But since my recipe is lower sugar than a typical jam recipe, try Pomona Pectin or Ball RealFruit Pectin, both made specifically for lower sugar jams. For a great tutorial on how to do the canning process, see this strawberry key lime jam recipe from my friend Cheryl at Pook's Pantry!
- Bourbon is a nice addition but certainly optional. Fresh apricots, brown sugar, lemon juice and zest will yield a wonderful result too!
- Brown sugar does scorch more easily than white, so pay attention while this boils to maintain that low boil and not let the heat rise too high or too fast.
Nutrition
Serving: 1jarCalories: 370kcalCarbohydrates: 88gProtein: 4gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 19mgPotassium: 868mgFiber: 6gSugar: 82gVitamin A: 5.825IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!