If you love apricots and are sad that their season is coming to an end, you can preserve them in a jar for later. We recommend a simple and easy recipe for beautifully colored and flavorful apricot jam.
Apricots are the star fruit of summer, loved for their aroma as well as their bright color. Their rich vitamin and mineral content give the body a health boost. They can be eaten raw or dried, as juice, compote, jam or marmalade. Because apricots are soft and juicy, their processing time is short, so they retain many of their beneficial properties.
Apricot jam is delicious both eaten for breakfast and included in various desserts. You can include it in cake toppers, or in creams and glazes. Apricot ice cream is also delicious, richly flavored and beautifully colored, it has the appealing texture of jelly and will instantly win over anyone with a sweet tooth.
Follow the full list of ingredients and the steps below to prepare this beautiful and aromatic ripe apricot jam yourself.
Ingredients
- 2 kg very ripe apricots
- 750-800 g sugar
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 cinnamon sticks (optional)
Preparation
The first step in the preparation of any culinary recipe is to prepare the ingredients and the necessary utensils.
Compared to the whole apricot jam recipe where firmer fruit is needed, for apricot jam you need riper fruit with soft, juicy flesh. Because you won’t be adding water, it’s ideal if the fruit is as juicy as possible. The amount of sugar needed for the jam can be varied depending on how sweet the fruit is.
If you like a slightly tarter taste, you can reduce the amount of sugar recommended in the ingredients list. Once you’ve chosen the ripest apricots, wash them well and drain in a colander. Only after they are well drained can you break them into halves to remove the pits.
How to make flavorful apricot jam
Choose a double-bottomed stainless steel pot and transfer the apricot halves into it. Add the sugar and mix well with the apricots. Cover the pot and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. Check periodically to see if syrup has formed and stir the ingredients in the pot again to speed up the melting of the sugar.
Then place the pot on the stovetop on medium heat. Using a wooden or silicone spatula, stir the apricots in the pot constantly to avoid them sticking to the sides of the pot. Add a couple of cinnamon sticks if you want a spicier flavor.
After about 20 minutes of boiling the apricots in the syrup, remove the pot from the stove. Use a vertical blender and turn the apricots in the pot into a fine, pleasantly colored paste.
Add the juice from one lemon and return the pot to the stove, this time on low heat. Simmer the deliciously flavored apricot jam for about 10 minutes.
Transfer the hot jam into clean, sterilized jars. Seal the jars tightly with the lids provided and cover them with a thick blanket. Leave them there until completely cool, and then label them with the date of preparation and transfer them to the pantry shelf.