Description
This jam can be made in just 20 minutes. It yields the same consistency of a jam that has been cooked for hours, we owe it all to the chia seeds.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 cups fresh cranberries, washed and rinsed*
- 1 cup filtered water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons honey, more if needed (or agave nectar if vegan)
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- Juice of 1 1/2 to 2 oranges
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds***
- 2 teaspoons orange zest (about 2 oranges)
Instructions
- Heat a small sauce pan over high heat. Add the cranberries and water, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Allow the cranberries to simmer until they have popped, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Alternately you can transfer to a blender to puree, then return to the pot.**
- Turn the heat down to low. Add the orange juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add the honey, or agave nectar if vegan, a little at a time and taste-test, adding more as needed. You may need to add more sweetener than 2 ½ teaspoons depending on how tart your batch of cranberries might be. I do tend to like my cranberry dishes on the tart side, so sweeten a little at a time as desired.
- Stir in the chia seeds and allow to heat for 8 minutes, or until the jam is clinging to the back of your spoon.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the orange zest. Transfer the jam to an airtight container (I recommend a glass mason jar). Allow the jam to cool in the fridge until chilled and chia seeds have expanded before serving, at least 4 hours.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
- Serve the jam with toast, dinner rolls, biscuits, muffins, stirred into yogurt, or on a turkey sandwich.
Notes
*Could also use frozen cranberries but you may want to reduce the amount of water to account for the liquid that will be released from the frozen berries.
**If you prefer a more chunky texture to your jam then you can skip the puree step.
***If you are making a chia seed jam with a different type of berry, I suggest you add another tablespoon of chia seeds to thicken the jam. Cranberries tend to be very thick on their own.
Cook time does not include the 4 hour chilling time in the refrigerator.
