Say happy holidays with this festive Cranberry Orange Jam! Make a batch of holiday homemade jam to give as Christmas gifts, or save this small-batch jam for yourself so you can enjoy cranberries year round. You can also skip the canning instructions and serve this as a cranberry orange sauce instead.
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Spreads
Special Diet Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
2 ⅔ - 3cupsgranulated sugar(2 ⅔ cups / 600 grams will give you a jam that is just sweet enough. Do not use less than 600 grams if you plan to jar the jams and store the jams outside the refrigerator)
Wash the oranges and using a fruit peeler, peel off the outer most layer of the oranges. Try to peel just the outer orange layer, leaving the white pith behind. Slice the peel into thin strips, no longer than 1-inch long. It's okay if you have smaller strips. Place the strips in a maslin pan.
Peel the white pith from the oranges and discard. Cut the oranges in half. Remove any seeds. Squeeze the juice from the orange halves into the maslin pan. Tie the squeezed orange halves into a muslin cloth and place in the maslin pan.
Add the water into the maslin pan. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, occasionally prodding the muslin bag and stirring the orange peel strips, until the orange peel strips have softened. You'll keep the muslin bag cooking in the jam pot until the end.
Wash the cranberries and add them into the pan. Add in the apple juice. Bring the pan to a boil again, and cook for about 10 minutes, until all the cranberries have popped and have broken apart. If any cranberries remain whole, use a spatula and lightly press the cranberry against the side of the pot until it "pops".
Add in the zest and juice from the 2 limes and the sugar. Bring to a roiling boil, scraping the bottom of the pan frequently to avoid the jam from sticking and burning, until the setting point is reached. The setting point is 220°F / 104.5°C. See notes if you do not have a thermometer.
As soon as the setting point is reached, remove the pan from the heat and leave it to stand for a few minutes. Remove the muslin bag. Gently stir the jam and transfer the jam into warm, sterilized jars (see notes). Seal the jars immediately. Store the jam in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or process the jars in a boiling water canner or pressure canner.
Notes
Oranges: Try to choose organic unwaxed oranges. If you cannot find unwaxed oranges, scrub the oranges under hot water. Setting point: If you don't have a thermometer, to test for doneness, dip a wooden spoon into the jam, then hold it above the surface. Twist the spoon a few times and watch the jam drip. When the jam slowly comes together into one long drip down the middle of the spoon, you've reached the setting point. If the jam drips frequently as individual drops, keep boiling. To sterilize jars: My preferred method is to sterilize jars in the oven. Wash jars with hot soapy water. Put them upside down in an oven set at 285°F / 140°C for at least 20 minutes. Store in the warm oven until ready to be filled. They will dry in the oven. Using a Boiling Water Canner: Detailed instructions can be found from the US National Center for Home Food Preservation.