Roasted Apple Jam

 

Got apples?  Too many apples (is there such a thing?)?  Oh man, make this Roasted Apple Jam.  Seriously.

Or go buy apples just for this, really, pack up and run right out, totally worth the excursion.  Well wait, read this then go.

Recently we trekked on over to southwest Michigan as so happened during prime apple season, rolling my eyes in pleasure, and I picked up a slew.  Um, four half pecks worth of four different varieties which is a lot for us two.

I know, I know, I mention that particular area often and you may be eye rolling not in pleasure over it, but hey, they really do have *mwah* the best fruit and produce over there.

I had allll these treats mapped out, apple goodies to bake.  A whole schedule lined up in my Paprika app calendar, even pre-planning ideas well before we left on our jaunt because I was so anticipatory over buying a uh s__load of apples. 

Sadly, a large portion of apples decided to tank on me despite being stored in a cool, humid environment, aka our sawdusty basement.

As it turns out, some apples store better than others but regardless, these were going speedier than they should have and boy was I monstrously bummed.

To salvage the remaining before I lost everything, I made this Roasted Apple Jam and you should too.

What drew me to this particular recipe? 

No sugar and no pectin. 

Simplicity.  It's apples, cider, honey, and cinnamon, essentially.  Or, my reworked version anyway as the original called for a ton (too much IMO) of clove. 

Sure, yeah, it's pretty similar to an applesauce ultimately but eh, who freakin' cares when it's spread across whatever and it tastes this good.  Or yes, straight off the spoon. 

*shrug* what can I say.  Oh, I know what:  make this jam.  Eat it on anything -- bread, toast, biscuits, waffles...Buttermilk Dutch Baby, pancakes...it'd be out-freaking-standing on a charcuterie.

...anything, any thing. 

Recipes I haven't even shared with you yet.  Plan ahead.

I bet it'd make cardboard palatable, that's how good this is.  Eh, don't try that though.

Now, I am personally not a canner person, having canned maybe five jars of something in my entire lifetime.  I am not a canning expert.  It's not that I am canning averse; I'm not a jam jelly maker nor am I a cook, nor do we have a garden that grows food nor am I a food stocker-upper per se.

If you want to give jars of this as gifts, ah Ha, such a stellar idea, dunk the filled jars* in boiling water for ten minutes then let them cool completely.  You'll hear the lids snap when sealed.  Or, read about canning more in depth online as I'm a make-it-work-with-whatcha-got type when it comes to this.  Read:  hack.

Anyway.

This Roasted Apple Jam.

So note, in these photos, you're going to see a lot of ingredients.  I doubled the recipe then took photos but the recipe in print below is not doubled, it's a single, if you will.

The hardest part, and most time consuming, is peeling and coring your apples.  I imagine you could leave the peels on if you wanted.  But, at least core then slice thinly.

If you do peel, save the peels in a bag and toss them in the freezer for later use for like apple chips or something.

Meantime, get the cider on the stove and boiling up with the cinnamon sticks and vinegar.  Gotta reduce that by half and it usually takes a bit. 

I typically don't time it.  It does take longer than most recipes suggest.  I just keep carefully pouring the liquid into a clear glass measuring cup* until it reaches the required reduction.  Note, if you go too far, no big deal, just add back some fresh cider.

Once you're close on peeling and coring apples, toss the honey into a large pot and warm it up.  Look for it to foam and turn a very light shade of brown.  It'll also smell really heady too.

By the way, you can break out the fancy honey* if you'd like but its flavor profile will end up mostly buried in the apples so, ya know, up to you.  Any honey is fine.

Honey ready to go, drop the apples and ground cinnamon in there, whirl it around, take a big deep sniff, and let everything soften up.  It'll just keep smelling better and better.  Yeah, you can thank me now if you want.

After the prescribed time, pour in the reduced cider and stir that around.  Holy cow, doesn't your house smell outstanding at this point or what?!

Top, pouring in the reduced cider.  Bottom, cider is mostly absorbed.  Yum.  Omg.

Take the pot off the stove, carefully give a quick taste without burning your tongue off, and here you can add the lemon zest and lemon juice if you'd like, all, part, or like me, none.  Me, I am all in on bringing out every last bit of apple, don't cut it with acid.  But, up to you.

Voila, tada, roasted apple jam.  Mmmm.

If you used some apples that still held onto their little sliced shapes, you can whip out the potato masher* and smash them up as I did or if you want a supremely smooth jam, whirl it in your food processor.*  Again, up to you.

One recipe makes a pint and a half so, jar up accordingly and oh my word, enjoy. 

I'll be over here with the jar and a spoon if you need me.

Mmmm.  Mmm.  Mm, yeah, heavenly.

Roasted Apple Jam

Yield

24 2 tablespoon serviings, 1 1/2 pints

Prep time

25 Min

Cook time

45 Min

Total time

1 H & 10 M

Roasted Apple Jam: a simple no pectin, no sugar recipe made with a handful of wholesome, delicious ingredients that you can spread on near anything.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds apples (approx. 6 apples, 1361 g), mix varieties for best flavor and texture
• 2 cups (473 ml) apple cider
• 2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup (84 g) honey
• 1 teaspoon (3 g) ground cinnamon
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, optional

Instructions

1. Begin by peeling and coring the apples, then slicing them thinly, approximately 1/8" thick.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the apple cider, cinnamon sticks, and vinegar to a low boil and reduce to half, about 1 cup, anywhere from 15-30 minutes.
3. Heat the honey on low in a skillet, pan or dutch oven large enough to hold the apples until the honey is foaming and has changed to a very lightly browned color, around 5 minutes.
4. Add the cinnamon and the apples to the pan, stirring to combine everything and raise the heat to about medium or medium-low.  Cook the apples, stirring occasionally with a heat-safe utensil, until they have softened, about 30-35 minutes.
5. Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks from the reduced cider and add the cider to the softened apples, stirring to combine thoroughly.  Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and add the optional grated lemon zest and lemon juice to taste.  Mash or puree if/as desired.
7. Let the apple jam cool then scoop it into jars.  Keep refrigerated for about 2 weeks.  This recipe can also be canned for longer term, shelf-stable storage.

Notes:

Adapted from Food Network.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

50.96

Fat (grams)

0.13

Sat. Fat (grams)

0.02

Carbs (grams)

13.44

Fiber (grams)

1.56

Net carbs

11.88

Sugar (grams)

10.84

Protein (grams)

0.20

Sodium (milligrams)

1.61

Cholesterol (grams)

0.00

Please see the "info" section for nutrition details and information about gram weights.

apple, jam

recipes

American

*The Ball canning jars, glass measuring cups, fancy honey, potato mashers, and food processors are Amazon affiliate links.  Happy baking, thanks!  Please see the "info" tab for more, well, info.