Cranberry and Orange Jam
This beautiful dark pink, delicious sweet, fresh jam is bursting with cranberry and orange flavour and balanced with some tart cooking apples. Quick and easy to make, it works perfectly as both an accompaniment to turkey, as well as on toast or bread for breakfast. It is also fabulous served in a Victoria sponge with, or without, fresh cream. Store this fabulous preserve in a cool, dark place and it will last for a good 12 months, so you can enjoy it all year round.
Where is this recipe from?
This recipe is from a top British food blog and one of my favourite food websites, Fab Food 4 All. Camilla shares a selection of sweet and savoury recipes, which includes a large range of preserves and chutneys. Known as Easy Christmas Jam on Camilla’s site, it is indeed very easy; it requires no pectin and no complex mix of spices. It is fresh and simple and comes together in under 30 minutes, allowing the fresh cranberries and oranges to shine.
How to make Cranberry and Orange Jam
Collect all your ingredients together:
- finely grated orange zest
- cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced. I use Bramleys.
- fresh cranberries
- freshly squeezed orange juice
- mixed spice, optional
- granulated sugar
How to make this wonderful jam:
- Sterilise your jars:
- Wash your jars and lids in hot water, place on a baking tray and put into a cold oven.
- Turn the oven on to 160°C/325°F/Gas 3 (fan 140°C)– Leave the jars in the oven for 20 minutes. They are now sterilised.
- They will be very hot, so be very careful.
- Put a small plate in the freezer: you will use this to help determine when the jam is cooked.
- Make the jam: finely grate the zest from 2 oranges.
- Either:
- Peel, core and thinly slice the apple. Add to a preserving pan/saucepan/cast iron pan with the cranberries, orange zest, juice and mixed spice (if using).
- Or
- Peel, core and roughly chop the apple. Blitz in a food processor until broken down. Tip into a preserving pan/saucepan/cast iron pan.
- Blitz the cranberries in the food processor and add to the pan with the orange zest, juice and mixed spice (if using)
- Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook over a moderately low heat for 10 minutes. If the cranberries are being cooked whole they should burst and the apples start to soften and break down.
- Stir in the sugar, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved. Use a wooden spoon or potato masher, (if you are in a hurry), to break down the apples, if necessary. If you have blitzed the apples in a food processor before hand, you should not need to further break them down.
- Increase the heat and bring the jam to a rolling boil. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the jam reaches 104°C when tested with a jam/digital cooking thermometer.
- Test to see if the jam has reached setting point: take the plate out of the freezer and put a teaspoon of jam on the plate. Leave for 30 seconds and then push one side of the jam with your finger. If the jam’s surface crinkles and moves without immediately reforming behind your finger, it is ready. If not, pop the plate back in the freezer, boil the jam for a couple more minutes and repeat.
- Fill the jars: be very careful transferring the jam as it will be very, very hot. The jars will also be exceedingly hot. Scoop the jam into a heatproof jug. Place a jam funnel over a jar and pour in the jam to the top of the jar. Repeat with the remaining jars.
- Seal with wax discs and lids: top each jar with a wax disc (optional) and a lid. Again, be very careful as everything is very hot.
- Leave to cool then wash the jars: leave the jam to cool for around an hour. Fill your kitchen sink with hot water and make sure all the lids are screwed tightly. Wash the jars in the hot water ensuring any sticky from the jam has been removed. To avoid water getting water into the jam, do not submerge the jars fully. The water should not reach the lids. Dry the jars and set on one side to cool completely.
- Label the jam: as soon as the jam has cooled and you have cleaned your jars, label it, remembering to include a date.
- Storage: store the jam in a cool, dry and dark place for up to 12 months. Once opened, store in the fridge.
Ingredients 
4 Apple 
Either: 
5 Or 
6 Cook 10 mins 
7 Add sugar 
Break down apples 
8 Boil 5 mins 
9 Test 
10 Fill jars 
11 Seal 
Made this recipe?
If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.
Cranberry and Orange Jam
This beautiful dark pink, delicious sweet, fresh jam is bursting with cranberry and orange flavour and balanced with some tart cooking apples. Quick and easy to make, it works perfectly as both an accompaniment to turkey, as well as on toast or bread for breakfast. It is also fabulous served in a Victoria sponge with, or without, fresh cream. Store this fabulous preserve in a cool, dark place and it will last for a good 12 months, so you can enjoy it all year round.
Makes 4 x 225ml jars
Ingredients
- finely grated zest from 2 medium oranges
- 300g cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced. I use Bramleys. (300g is prepared weight)
- 300g fresh cranberries
- 150ml freshly squeezed orange juice (2 – 3 oranges, depending on size)
- ¼ teaspoon mixed spice, optional
- 600g granulated sugar
Instructions
-
Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
-
Sterilise your jars:
– Wash your jars and lids in hot water, place on a baking tray and put into a cold oven.
– Turn the oven on to 160°C/325°F/Gas 3 (fan 140°C)
– Leave the jars in the oven for 20 minutes. They are now sterilised.
– They will be very hot, so be very careful.
-
Put a small plate in the freezer: you will use this to help determine when the jam is cooked.
-
Make the jam: finely grate the zest from 2 oranges.
-
Either:
– Peel, core and thinly slice the apple. Add to a preserving pan/saucepan/cast iron pan with the cranberries, orange zest, juice and mixed spice (if using).
-
Or:
– Peel, core and roughly chop the apple. Blitz in a food processor until broken down. Tip into a preserving pan/saucepan/cast iron pan.
– Blitz the cranberries in the food processor and add to the pan with the orange zest, juice and mixed spice (if using)
-
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook over a moderately low heat for 10 minutes. If the cranberries are being cooked whole they should burst and the apples start to soften and break down.
-
Stir in the sugar, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved. Use a wooden spoon or potato masher, (if you are in a hurry), to break down the apples, if necessary. If you have blitzed the apples in a food processor before hand, you should not need to further break them down.
-
Increase the heat and bring the jam to a rolling boil. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the jam reaches 104°C when tested with a jam/digital cooking thermometer.
-
Test to see if the jam has reached setting point: take the plate out of the freezer and put a teaspoon of jam on the plate. Leave for 30 seconds and then push one side of the jam with your finger. If the jam’s surface crinkles and moves without immediately reforming behind your finger, it is ready. If not, pop the plate back in the freezer, boil the jam for a couple more minutes and repeat.
-
Fill the jars: be very careful transferring the jam as it will be very, very hot. The jars will also be exceedingly hot. Scoop the jam into a heatproof jug. Place a jam funnel over a jar and pour in the jam to the top of the jar. Repeat with the remaining jars.
-
Seal with wax discs and lids: top each jar with a wax disc (optional) and a lid. Again, be very careful as everything is very hot.
-
Leave to cool then wash the jars: leave the jam to cool for around an hour. Fill your kitchen sink with hot water and make sure all the lids are screwed tightly. Wash the jars in the hot water ensuring any sticky from the jam has been removed. To avoid water getting water into the jam, do not submerge the jars fully. The water should not reach the lids. Dry the jars and set on one side to cool completely.
-
Label the jam: as soon as the jam has cooled and you have cleaned your jars, label it, remembering to include a date.
-
Storage: store the jam in a cool, dry and dark place for up to 12 months. Once opened, store in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- chopping board and knife
- fine grater
- citrus reamer
- preserving pan/saucepan/cast iron pan.
- small plate
- baking tray
- jam jars and lids
- wax discs for preserves (optional)
Where is this recipe from?
This recipe is from a top British food blog and one of my favourite food websites, Fab Food 4 All. Camilla shares a selection of sweet and savoury recipes, which includes a large range of preserves and chutneys. Known as Easy Christmas Jam on Camilla’s site, it is indeed very easy; it requires no pectin and no complex mix of spices. It is fresh and simple and comes together in under 30 minutes, allowing the fresh cranberries and oranges to shine.
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