Simple step-by-step recipes for thick apricot jam for the winter at home, with and without pits

There's nothing better than starting your day with a cup of strong, aromatic tea and fresh, crispy toast topped with delicious, homemade apricot jam.

If you haven't already prepared a couple of jars for the winter, fix that immediately. We'll learn how to make jam from juicy apricots below.

Specifics of making apricot jam

Making jam is different from making preserves, and housewives who have never made jam before should first familiarize themselves with the specifics of its preparation:

1. No liquids are added during cooking. The apricots should cook in their own juice.
2. Cook the jam in one go, occasionally pausing the process to add additional ingredients or to make the apricot mixture homogeneous.
3. The jam's consistency should be smooth and dense. It shouldn't spread across the plate.
4. A good jam should not contain apricot pits or skins.

How to select and prepare apricots

The success of any dish depends largely on the ingredients you use. Jam is no exception, and choosing apricots carefully is essential. When shopping, follow these guidelines:

1. Traces of rot are not allowed on the product.
2. Damaged fruits can be used in cooking, but it is better to use whole products.

Preparing for cooking doesn't take much time. Selected fruits are rinsed with cold water and dried. Then, the pits are removed.

Please note! Most recipes call for pitted apricots. Therefore, be sure to purchase a little extra.

How to make apricot jam at home

There are many recipes for making apricot jam (confiture) that housewives are eager to share with others. We've selected a selection of especially delicious recipes that you definitely need to try;

• a simple recipe for winter;
• in a multicooker;
• using a blender;
• in a bread maker;
• seedless;
• with agar-agar;
• with gelatin;
• with almonds;
• with lemon;
• with orange;
• with vanilla and cane sugar.

The recipe for each of them will be described separately.

A simple recipe for the winter

This is the easiest recipe you can make without any problems. To make it, you'll need:

• sugar – 700 grams;
• apricots – 1,000 grams.

Cooking algorithm:

• prepare the fruit;
• We place it in a cooking container. A copper basin is ideal for this purpose;
• Sprinkle sugar on top and let the mixture sit for 2 hours. This is necessary for the fruit to release its juices;
• Place the container on the stove. Cooking temperature should be low;

• after the mixture boils, keep it on the fire for 15 minutes;
• do not forget to remove the foam that forms during the boiling process;
• turn off the heat and let the jam cool;
• using a blender, achieve a homogeneous consistency;
• Place the container back on the stove, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

The finished, thick jam is distributed into jars, sterilized and rolled up.

In a multicooker

If you have a slow cooker at home, you can make jam in it. Here's how:

1. Take one kilogram of pitted apricots and place them in the multicooker bowl.
2. Add 700 grams of sugar.
3. Select the “Vegetables” mode and heat the apricots for 2 minutes to release the juice.
4. Once the juice has been released, puree the mixture and add citric acid.
5. In the multicooker menu, select the “Bake” option and set the timer for 20 minutes.
6. Skim off the foam.
7. We roll the jam into jars.

Using a blender

You can make jam using a blender like this:

1. Take 1500 grams of apricots and blend them.
2. Place the resulting puree into a cooking container and place it on the fire.
3. Add half a kilo of granulated sugar.
4. After the mixture boils, cook for 5 minutes and add another half a kilogram of sugar.
5. Boil for another 5 minutes, add the last 500 grams of granulated sugar and leave the container on the heat for 10 minutes.
6. Add a little citric acid.
7. We roll up the jars.

In a bread maker

The cooking process is similar to that of a slow cooker. The differences are as follows:

• After the mashed apricots are placed together with sugar in the bread machine bowl, the “Dough Proofing” mode is activated;
• the mixture should be cooked in the “Bun baking” mode;
• When ready, the jam is distributed into jars and rolled up.

Seedless

Sometimes you might purchase a variety of apricots that are difficult to remove from the pit. In this case, you can do the following:

1. Cook whole apricots in a water bath for 30 minutes after the water boils.
2. Pour the released juice into a cooking container, and remove the pits from the cooled apricots; after heat treatment, they are easily separated from the pulp.
3. Prepare processed fruits according to any recipe you like.

With agar-agar

If you want your jam to be thick and gelatinous, add agar-agar during cooking. It has the ability to gel foods, which is why it is often used in cooking.

The preparation method isn't much different from the standard recipe, and you can use it for step-by-step preparation. The difference is that at the end of cooking, you need to add agar-agar and continue cooking the jam for 2-3 minutes.

Important! Cooking time with agar-agar is slightly reduced: instead of the standard 15 minutes, we cook for 10.

With gelatin

Gelatin performs a similar function to agar-agar and helps thicken the jam.

There is one caveat to its use: gelatin can slightly change the taste of the jam.

This is because it's made from animal cartilage and bone tissue. Keep this in mind when preparing it. Otherwise, the recipe is similar to agar-agar, and you'll also get a tasty and healthy product.

With almonds

You can prepare almond jam like this:

1. Take 200 grams of almonds and peel them.
2. Boil one kilogram of apricots and 700 grams of sugar for 10 minutes.
3. Add almonds and a teaspoon of cinnamon.
4. Cook for another 10 minutes.
5. We roll it into jars.

With lemon

We take:

• a kilogram of pitted apricots;
• 800 grams of sugar;
• lemon – 1 piece.

Remove the lemon peel and cook it along with the rest of the mixture according to the standard recipe.

With orange

You can make it using the lemon jam recipe. If desired, you can add a little orange zest at the end. It will give the dish a rich aroma and a more distinctive flavor.

With vanilla and cane sugar

Cane sugar differs from regular sugar in that it contains molasses. This imparts a slightly bitter flavor and makes it less sweet. Vanilla adds new, unexpected notes to the jam.

To prepare you will need:

• pitted apricots – one kilogram;
• brown sugar – 800 grams;
• vanilla – 2 pods.

Add vanilla to the jam 10 minutes before the end of cooking. The jam cooks for a total of 20 minutes.

How to store apricot jam

Jam without additives has a long shelf life, and the preserves will remain fresh until the next apricot harvest. Store at room temperature.

Jams made with ingredients other than apricots and sugar are stored in the refrigerator. This type of jam has a shorter shelf life than regular jam.