Description
This festive Christmas Jam blends tart fresh cranberries and sweet strawberries with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, all slow-cooked to perfection. The result is a thick, flavorful jam perfect for holiday breakfasts, gifts, or festive desserts.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruits
- 24 oz. fresh cranberries (about 6 cups)
- 16 oz. fresh strawberries
Spices
- 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Sweetener
- 2 cups brown sugar
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: Add the fresh cranberries, strawberries, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and brown sugar into the slow cooker. Stir everything together until well mixed.
- Slow Cook: Cook the mixture on HIGH for 4 hours. Do not open the lid during cooking to maintain heat and moisture, allowing the fruit to break down and the flavors to meld.
- Blend to Jam Consistency: After cooking, transfer the contents of the slow cooker to a blender and pulse briefly until the mixture becomes a jam. Be careful not to over-blend, as this can turn the mixture into cranberry butter. Alternatively, use an immersion blender directly in the slow cooker.
- Thicken While Cooling: Allow the jam to cool naturally. It will thicken significantly as it cools due to the natural pectin in cranberries, resulting in a perfect jam texture.
- Store Properly: Once cool, transfer the jam to airtight containers or jars and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes
- Do not open the slow cooker lid during cooking, as this affects cooking time and texture.
- Pulse blend carefully to avoid over-processing; the goal is thick jam, not cranberry butter.
- Use fresh, ripe strawberries and cranberries for the best flavor and natural pectin content.
- This jam can be refrigerated for up to two weeks or frozen for longer storage.
- The warm spices can be adjusted to taste or substituted based on preference.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Jam
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: christmas jam, cranberry jam, slow cooker jam, holiday jam, festive recipe, slow cooker recipe, cranberry strawberry jam
