Out of all the jams I’ve made over the years {and I’ve made a lot!} this recipe for cherry almond jam is HANDS DOWN my favorite all time jam recipe. Who knew, that after all these years of canning, there were still undiscovered recipes that could knock my socks off!
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE finding new recipes, especially ones that can make a simple hostess or last minute gift.
This cherry almond jam tastes great on toast, over vanilla ice cream {tried that out last night!} and I suspect the insanely delicious jam will work well as a mix in for coffee cake {I’m going to try it out later this week}. If you are looking for a jam recipe to enter in the county fair, THIS IS THE ONE. It has blue ribbon winner written all over it.
So basically, you need to find yourself a couple of pounds of cherries and make this jam, like pronto. Seriously, times a wastin’. Hop to it.
And in case you are wondering, my favorite peach jam comes in at an immediate second, and JJ’s zucchini relish and the ever popular carrot cake jam are tied for third as my all time favorite canning recipes.
Make this! You’ll be so glad you did.
~Mavis
Cherry Almond Jam Recipe {It’s AMAZING!!!}
Description
Out of all the jams I’ve made over the years {and I’ve made a lot!} this recipe for cherry almond jam is HANDS DOWN my favorite all time jam recipe. Who knew, that after all these years of canning, there were still undiscovered recipes that could knock my socks off! I don’t know about you, but I LOVE finding new recipes, especially ones that can make a simple hostess or last minute gift.
Ingredients
36 ounces pitted sweet cherries, chopped {weight is AFTER pits are removed}
3/4 cup almond liqueur
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 package {1-3/4 ounces} powdered fruit pectin
4 1/2 cups sugar
Instructions
Bring a boiling-water canner, 3/4 full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.
In a 6 – 8 quart sauce pot, combine the first four ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Slowly stir in the sugar and return to a full rolling for 1 minute, making sure to stir constantly to avoid boiling over. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with metal spoon.
Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. {Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.}
Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary}.
Yields {6} 1/2 pints plus a wee bit extra for snacking.
Looking for a few more canning recipes? Search my Full List of Canning Recipes
Looking for a good canning book? Here’s a list of my favorites:
- Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
- The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook
- Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It
- Food in Jars
- The Amish Canning Cookbook
- Not Your Mama’s Canning Book
Also, check out these tutorials if you’ve never used a canner before:
Tutorial: Hot Water Bath Canning
Tutorial: How to Use a Pressure Canner
Sue says
I’v done the peach jam and the zucchini relish, love this my favorite. I don’t have the pit remover for making the cherry jam. Will look for one.
Elise in the SF Bay Area says
Cherry pitters are really easy to fine, especially this time of year! I bet you could even borrow one from a friend or neighbor – start asking around 🙂
Cindy says
Hi, I see it’s been a year since your post, wanted to pass this on even though you likely now have a berry Pitter. For sweet cherries, chopstick is perfect, and for sour cherries, my best Pitter is a metal paper lip, the jumbo office size is best. You don’t lose a ton of juice with these two. My favs.
Laura says
Just bought some Rainiers here in Bellevue yesterday—$2.99 a pound. Would have sent you a picture but I couldn’t figure out how. Was shaking my head thinking of your $8 per pound cost. But at least the jam ended up being worth it!!
Lynn says
Mavis, do you know the “conditions are such” that Zaycon is referring to? I am curious what brought Zaycon down. Increase in gas prices? Business model not working?
Thanks for the heads up . . . almost placed an order last week and glad I didn’t.
Lynn
Sue says
I placed an order for one chicken breast and 2 ground beef all ready shows pd on my card. Bummer!!!!
Heather says
I had an order, too. I started a dispute of payment through my credit card company. As long as it is in dispute, your credit card won’t make you pay it or charge you interest.
Mavis Butterfield says
I have no idea, I wish I did. 🙁
Diane says
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but when you say 36 ounces…. does that mean 2 1/4 lbs. prior to pitting them or after?
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes, weight after pitting. 2 pounds 4 ounces.
Linda Noss says
That’s really too bad about Zaycon, loved their products and the pickups were so easy.
Mavis Butterfield says
Me too.
MaryB says
I’m assuming by the way it is written that the cherries are weighed after pitting but I have a question about the almond liqueur. What brand do you use and recommend? Thank you.
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes, 36 ounces AFTER pitting. I will go back and add that in. Thanks. I’m not a drinker, so I just bought the cheapest thing I could fine {which liquor store guy said would work for what I was doing} and it was $4.99. Brand: Jenkins Amaretto Liqueur 24% ALC/VOL
annie says
do not drink liquor. please make a suggestion in place of liquor.
thank you
annie
Mavis Butterfield says
Hi Annie, the recipe calls for 3/4 cup, which is a lot to substitute, so I’m not sure you’d get the same taste if you were to do a substitution. Hopefully someone else will chime and help with suggestions. Sorry I can’t be more helpful on this one.
Ann says
Alcohol boils away in the cooking process, leaving only the almond flavor to enhance your jam.
Janice Jones Schroeder says
thank you, Ann, for adding this -that was going to be comment also.
Ellie K. says
I would substitute an equal amount of cherry juice with maybe one teaspoon almond extract added at the end? Not sure how the almond flavor would hold up during the canning process but it’d be worth a try.
Michèle says
WHAT?!!! I’ve heard nothing about Zaycon and am supposed to pick up an order around the first of July! Have they gone out of business? Mavis I thought you just picked up an order??!!
Lisa says
Yes, I just found out. No reason, no communication. Call your credit card company and dispute the charge!
Mari says
Mavis your jam looks wonderful and so clear. I have a small tree that last summer fruited prolifically and I was wondering about jam. I am curious as to how that happens when you cook the cherries in their skins but make no mention of straining them out. Do they cook down to mush or have I missed something?
Another question….. Why do you can jam in a hot bath? I’m from New Zealand and we boil the jam, put it into hot jars and quickly seal with metal lids. Lasts for years (given the chance). Same for most pickles, chutneys sauces etc. Traditionally we only ‘can’ fish and fruit… But never jams. Too me it seems overkill. What is the reason?
E in Upstate NY says
Mari,
In this country lots of research has gone into canning recipes, not how does it taste, how easy is it to make, but how safe the process is. That is why US and I believe Canadian instructions no longer use wax/paraffin to seal jelly, and that the lid and invert instructions are no longer used. It was deemed to be unsafe.
Even tomatoes while water bathed, have citric acid added. It was found, regardless of tomato type, they all were just on the edge of being properly acidic for water bath canning. Hence the addition of citric acid.
Hope this helps you understand.
Dianne Sullivan says
I am about to try your cherry almond jam. I have been making jam for years and have never put it in a canner. Always invert for 10 min. and check seal. Never had a problem. A number of years ago Sure-jel started doing this but then they took it down. I make sure everything that goes into the jars is boiling and so are the jars.
Karyn says
I adore your carrot cake jam!! It is what brought me to your blog years ago. I am having better zucchini luck this year and would love to try the relish. Do you ever double the recipe? And I love to kick up the heat on some things, wondering if you have ever added hot peppers or some other source for heat
Mavis Butterfield says
I am not a fan of doubling recipes but I think the addition of a little hot pepper would be a great addition.
Gigi says
Well darn. I had an order placed with Zaycon a few months ago and then it was delayed? I hope they come out with some update. Since my credit card was charged a while ago, I hope it works out smooth. I was still getting email sales last week. This is a bummer for sure.
Em says
I have read on another blog that some of the Zaycon drivers are still delivering orders, at least in the short term.
I hope Zaycon can recover from the issue, whatever it is. Maybe they had a supply interruption, or a processing plant break-down.
Bonnie Schmidt says
Mavis, could you guess how many cups of pitted cherries you used? I have no way to weigh the cherries, but I did go out today and buy everything to make the jam. My cherries were $1.99 per pound at Aldi, but the liquor was $7.99. The jars were about $10 at WalMart. This is going to be pricey stuff! Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Bonnie
Mavis Butterfield says
1 cup of pitted cherries is roughly 6 ounces. So 6 cups pitted cherries? Hope that helps.
Bonnie Schmidt says
Thank you!
Beryl says
Hi Mavis, I made your cherry jam this morning, it is delicious! I put some on a dish of chocolate cherry ice cream and it was awesome. I got my cherries for $.77 pound at Sprouts! I love all zaycon stuff, sorry to hear of the problem.
Janice Jones Schroeder says
Beryl, wow we have a Sprouts here while they have fabulous prices on fruits, I have never been fortunate enough to get cherries for that price-$.77 is unimaginable. For that price, I would have been making everything I could think of-cherry! lol
Bec says
Hi – I’m also wondering about the Amaretto – I know the alcohol boils out, so it just adds the almond taste so you think? Or is there a bit of alcoholic taste also?
Thanks!
Sara says
We’re traveling, and I don’t have access to my canning supplies. Would this recipe work if I left out the pectin, and just refrigerated the jam?
Em says
Sara,
I’m not a professional, but I’ll make a quick attempt to answer your questions.
First, with any jam/preserve/etc., the “canning” part it to make the product shelf-stable, so you could refrigerate or even freeze your excess product. (If you can round up a large stock pot, you could do the water-bath process using that.)
Regarding the second question, the pectin is going to help provide thickening/gel to the jam. Cherries don’t have as much naturally occurring pectin as some other fruits. If you don’t use additional pectin, the jam might be very thin if you follow the recipe as it is.
You could consider adding a fruit that is higher in pectin, but honestly, I would not want to “guess” at the proportions, as I would probably get it wrong and end up with a sad mess.
Here is a link to an article that explains the pectin issue more fully:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/high-and-low-pectin-fruit-1327800
Good luck!
Pamela Chmielewski says
You could also save grapefruit skins and membranes and put in a mesh bag. Put that bag full in your cherries as they boil and the grapefruit pith/peel is full of pectin. Pull out the bag before canning the jam.
Jillbert says
Just made this today with some on-sale at $1.99/lb cherries and the last 1/2 cup of Amaretto in the cupboard (I can’t even remember buying it….never mind drinking it!). OMG! Best jam ever! I don’t think those jars are going to last long here. I’d better hurry back and snag some more cherries!
Laura Dinkins says
Worked my way through roughly 30 lbs of cherries this week, wow that is not the most fun job, but so worth it.
Made the jam, love it. Wrote a blog post about it with a link to this post for the recipe.
Ann says
Can you use frozen cherries?
Mavis Butterfield says
I used fresh cherries, but I would think you could use frozen.
Tiffany says
Finally made this today (been wanting to since last year). LOVE IT! Husband’s first response was “you’re making another batch right?!” He want’s to give to friends too. Love that! Second batch tomorrow for sure! Think it will be served over the homemade ice cream in the freezer soon.
Cindy says
Can you use sour cherries for this recipe?
Mavis Butterfield says
I’ve only tried it with sweet cherries.
Teri says
Can you make thisxwithcdried sweet cherries by boiling them back to soft?
Mavis Butterfield says
No.
Shantel says
Is is 4 – 1/2 cups of sugar as written, meaning 2 whole cups? Or literally 4 1/2 cups of sugar?
Mavis Butterfield says
4 1/2 cups of sugar.
Chris says
Are you using sweet or tart cherries?
Bonnie Dacierno says
Is there an error in the recipe where it says slowly add sugar in and boil 1 minute?
I always add pectin after sugar has dissolved and boil pectin for 1 minute.
Cookies4kids says
Sorry if this has been answered but could this be made with other booze like rum or a kirsch?
Jill Hopkins says
I’ve made this three times and followed the recipe exactly, it’s not setting and is liquidy.
Claire says
Hi, do you strain the fruit pulp, your jam looks so smooth? Thanks
Nancy D says
Making this AGAIN for Christmas gift boxes to mail to my four boys and their families across the US. (That is if I can keep my hubby out if it. Even though I make him his own jar!) So far this year we’ve made your apple pie jam, carrot cake jam, strawberry rhubarb jam as well as this Cherry jam. They are all highly requested! Thanks Mavis!
Mavis Butterfield says
I loved hearing this!!! 🙂 So glad everyone likes the recipes and that they have become family favorites. 🙂
Janine says
I’m dying to make this but I’m curious if anyone has substituted almond extract for the liquor. If so, would you use the same amount? TIA!
Tammy says
Almond extract is very concentrated in flavor, you would only need a little bit (in the 1 teaspoon range). I haven’t made this recipe but I have a recipe that uses almond extract for cherry jam and it calls for just 1/2 tsp for 3 cups of pitted cherries, and the almond flavor is there. Here’s the recipe for reference:
https://www.food.com/recipe/black-forest-preserves-311518 .
Tsutee Winters says
So, I made the Cherry almond jam the morning of 6-26-2023 and as of yet it hasn’t set. still waiting. I know sometimes it takes 48 hours. On a good note all the jars sealed.
I had some left over that I put in a jar in the fridge, it is more set than the others.
Taste test………………..woah it it sweet!, but the flavor is great. Probably gonna use it in some quick bread recipe.
Tsutee
Gwenn says
Has anyone made this with tart/sour cherries? I’m afraid that with 4.5 cups of sugar and sweet cherries it will be wayyy to sweet for our tastes.
Sherry says
Very good with just the right amount of almond flavor. I had some pitted bing cherries in the freezer so this was so so easy and fast! Gifting some jars to family, I know they will love it! Thanks for sharing!
Jessica says
Does the cherry jelly keep its pretty red color? I’ve made strawberry jelly before and followed proper canning procedures and it loses its red color. Still tastes great but not so hot for gifting.
Thanks!
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes, it retains the red color you see in the photos.
Britney Bartlett says
Curious~is there a freezer version of this? I love making freezer jams and this sounds delicious
Lisa Sharpe says
Is this recipe designed for sweet cherries or sour ones?
Mavis Butterfield says
I used sweet cherries.