Apple Pie Jam (Spiced Apple Jam)

This apple pie jam aka spiced apple jam recipe is a wonderful way to use windfall apples (or in my case the ones the birds have pecked). I have usually just stewed my apples and frozen them but this recipe allows you to quickly enjoy the deliciousness of spiced apples on your toast or on scones with some cream. You can use it as filling for some quick mini apple tarts or spread it on crepes and serve with yoghurt or ice cream to make a tasty dessert. Recipe can easily be halved if you only have a few apples. Makes approx 6 small jars.

1kg cooking apples
120ml water
juice of a lemon
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
800g sugar
200g brown sugar

Peel and core the apples. Remove any rotten or buggy bits but blemishes don’t matter. Put all the peels and cores into a muslin bag or square of kitchen cloth and tie up – this will provide the pectin that will make the jam set. If you don’t want to do this, then use jam setting sugar or add some pectin.

Roughly chop or dice the apples and put in a preserving pan or large, heavy-based saucepan.

Add the water, lemon juice, sugars and spices, and the muslin bag of peels and cores. Bring this to the boil slowly, stirring until the sugar dissolves to prevent sticking.

Increase the heat and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for approx 15 minutes until setting point has been reached. Remove muslin bag, squeeze it against the side of the pan and scrape any jam off with a spoon.

You can check for setting point by placing a teaspoon of jam onto a cold saucer – it is ready if it starts to congeal and wrinkles when you push your finger through it. If it hasn’t set, then return the pan to the heat and bring back to a rolling boil and test again after a few minutes.

Allow jam to cool for a few minutes and then ladle into hot sterilised jars and seal.