Okay, so my only regret about making this red onion marmalade…. is that I should have made two {or even three} batches because HOLY COW MAN….. this stuff is crazy good. So consider yourself fully warned.
If you are looking to can something this year to give away as a gift but don’t want to make jam, this is the recipe you need to make. I know, without a doubt Mrs. HB would SWOON over this stuff being the appetizers and party platter junkie that she is.
So Mrs. HB if you are reading this, I’ll send you a jar next week along with that chicken ornament you wanted me to make for you. Because I love you. Even if you DID get a new walking buddy. 😉
If you haven’t guessed already, this red onion marmalade is a SAVORY jam, so you’re probably not going to want to break out the crumpets and have it with your morning cuppa. Instead you are going to want to buy a block of cream cheese {and let the cream cheese soften to room temperature} and spoon about 4 ounces of the marmalade over the cream cheese and serve it with an assortment of fancy crackers.
Eat it alone for an afternoon snack, or serve it to guests… just make this marmalade! Trust me, you’ll be so glad you did.
~Mavis
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups peeled, halved, and thinly sliced red onions
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 {1.75 oz} box of pectin
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
3 cups unsweetened apple juice
4 cups sugar
Directions
Fill a boiling-water canner about 2/3 rds full with water and bring it to a boil.
Saute onions, cranberries, brown sugar and cider vinegar in a 5 quart sauce pot over medium heat and cook until the onions are transparent. Add the pectin, orange peel and apple juice to the onion mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Slowly add the sugar and stir until all the sugar dissolves. Bring to a full rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and then skim off any foam with a spoon.
Next, ladle the mixture into hot prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe the jar rims and threads clean if needed. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner and then lower the rack into canner. Make sure the water is covering the jars by about 2 inches. Place the lid on the pot and bring the water to gentle boil.
Process the red onion marmalade for 15 minutes.
Remove jars and place on a towel to cool. After 24 hours check the seals. If the lid springs back, jam is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary. One recipe makes about {5} 8oz jars.
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
Karin C says
I am an avid canner , I put up around 600 jars a year or more this year my BFF asked for pickled red onions OMG they are fabulous, I put them on every sandwich I make especially roast beef , well worth it . Will have to try this recipe out .
Cheryl says
Karin, I have been looking for a caramelized onion jam recipe, might you have one in your repertoire?
Diane says
Karin, you’ve piqued my interest! Would you be willing to share your recipe for these fabulous pickled onions with us? Thanks!
Shelle says
This looks amazing! Next fall when the hubs digs up our onions, I’ll set aside some reds just for this! Mavis, I have had great success with your canning recipes and genuinely appreciate all your recommendations!
Mavis Butterfield says
Thank you Shelle!
Bea says
Hi Mavis,
I’ve enjoyed so many of your recipes and tips. The onion Marmalade is making my mouth water. Do you think this would be a good basting sauce for chicken, pork, or beef? Have you tried it with meats yet?
Mavis Butterfield says
I just made it on Sunday so I haven’t had a chance to use it on meat…. But I bet it would be a fabulous basting sauce.
Kim says
How can I eat this without the cream cheese? I love the idea of savory jams and jellies but they all cry out for cream cheese and being lactose intolerant, that’s a problem!
Mavis Butterfield says
Someone of Facebook mentioned they’ve enjoyed such a marmalade on a grilled burger. I think I’m going to try that.
LaToya says
This. Looks. Bomb.
And guess what? I have started a list of GOALS for 2019.
One of them? “Canning – learn, and do.”
YEE HAW! — or as you say, giddy up!!
Mavis Butterfield says
You need to make this jam!!!
Mrs HB says
Of course I am reading this ! Can’t wait to try . Looks delish!!!!!
Paige says
Mavis,
When you are creating jam/jelly/marmalade recipes, do you use any ratios? How do you know how many jars to prepare? Id like to be as adventurous as you are in this field! Thanks for any information you can provide.
Linda says
An old friend used to give me a jalapeno pepper jam that you poured over cream cheese. It was clear like your onion jam, and I will try this, but I wonder – does anyone have the recipe for jalapeno pepper jam? We really miss that!
And MAVIS, I’m wondering- do you usually read the comments added a couple days after the day of the posting? I ask only because I got back from a cruise last week (I know, I know) and did not take the internet package the ship offered (pricey and we needed peace and quiet) and read all your postings when we got home. You had asked for help on damping your wood stove and I posted quite a long treatise, then thought you might not even see it several days after your post.
Krystal @ Three Wondrous Acres Homestead says
This is one of the most odd recipes I’ve ever come across, and you have most definitely ignited my curiosity! I love weird, odd recipes, and this fits the bill. I know you mentioned crackers and cream cheese; are there any other fun uses you’ve found for this? Perhaps a main dish for dinner? Thank you for sharing this!
Bobbie Armstrong says
O.M.G. This jam is freaking amazing- I dont have any cream cheese on hand, but I did put it on my ham sandwich in lieu of mayo/mustard- SO GOOOOOD. It’s great with ham. I’m also eating it straight up on crackers as we speak. Make it. Do it now!
Mavis Butterfield says
Ohhh I bet it would be good on ham! Great suggestion Bobbie!
Dawn says
I’m a little late with this comment – I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for over a year because I forgot it was in my gift foods list last Christmas!
My experiences: I had fresh cranberries on hand so I used them instead of dried: doubled the volume to 1 cup and made sure to cook the initial mix long enough to drive off any extra moisture they might have brought to the formula. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. It turned out sweeter than I expected, with less onion flavor. It went phenomenally well with the goat cheese I tried it over, but completely overpowered the camembert. I’ll make sure to tell the people I give it to to stick with stronger pairings to cut the sweetness.
I also would have chopped the onions smaller, in hindsight. Halving then slicing leaves long worms of onion in some bites; even cutting the slices in one more half would have helped a lot.
My recipe ended up making three pints – I filled and processed four half-pint jars to give away and filled a pint with the extra (I expected to have a lot less extra!) for immediate tasting and my own use. Be sure to have an extra jar or two on hand if you’d like to properly preserve your excess.
Overall I’m a fan! If comments came with ratings on this site, I’d leave four stars out of five. Thanks for the recipe!
Judy says
I put together gift baskets for Christmas and add one or two homemade jams / jellies. Your recipe made the list this year. It is absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Mavis Butterfield says
So glad you liked it!! 🙂