Homemade apple jam with coconut sugar
Fortunately autumn, does not mean the total absence of fruits 🙂 We’ve got apples, our delicious Polish delicacy.
Not only apples are delicious but also very healthy. Probably you hear often the famous saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” 🙂
Apples have a lot of valuable vitamins and minerals.
In addition they contain pectin and soluble fiber, which promotes peristalsis.
Apples are cleaning your body from toxins and reducing levels of bad LDL cholesterol in the blood. Prevent inflammation; also when you are facing rheumatism – eat apples! Apples also help to fight obesity
Apples have several thousand varieties, so surely everyone can find a taste for yourself 🙂 today, I’m doing some apple jam for the winter. I used Antonowka type, but you can select the apples you like or which you currently have. If you would rather skip the sweetener altogether, I also make an apple jam with cloves and lemon.
Which apples to reach for
Antonowka is my default here, because it is tart and collapses into a soft pulp as it stews, so the jam comes together without much help. Sweeter varieties keep their shape longer and need less coconut sugar, which is worth knowing if you like a jam with pieces of fruit still in it. Mixing a tart apple with a sweet one gives you both, structure and depth of flavour.
Grating rather than slicing is a shortcut I use on purpose. Shredded apples release their juice almost at once and reach the right consistency in around twenty minutes, while slices need longer and more stirring.
Getting the consistency right
Everything here comes down to water. Keep the lid on and the jam stays loose, because the steam has nowhere to go. Take the lid off for the last few minutes and it tightens quickly, so check it often at that stage rather than walking away.
The jam always looks thinner in the pan than it will be once cool. If you are unsure, stop a little earlier than feels right.
Balancing the spices
Cinnamon and vanilla do the heavy lifting and are hard to overdo. Anise is the one to add carefully, a pinch at a time, tasting as you go, because it takes over the whole jar if you are generous with it. That is why my ingredient list leaves the amount up to you.
Add the spices along with the coconut sugar rather than at the end. They need the warmth and the time to open up.
What to serve it with
This jam is at its best on oatmeal or millet porridge, stirred into natural yoghurt, or spread on pancakes. It also works as a filling for baked goods, where its thicker texture is an advantage over a runny fruit sauce.
Preparation
Wash apples thoroughly, cut it in half and remove seeds. Shred the apples on a small grater and move into the frying pan. Add spices and coconut sugar. Simmer for approx. 20 minutes under cover. Season with additional spices if you like it. Put the apples into small jars, and leave it in a cool place.
Homemade apple jam with coconut sugar
Ingredients
Method
- Wash the apples thoroughly, cut them in half and remove the seeds.
- Shred the apples on a small grater and move them into the frying pan.
- Add the spices and the coconut sugar.
- Simmer for approximately 20 minutes under cover, stirring from time to time.
- Season with additional spices if you like, then put the jam into small jars and leave them in a cool place.
Notes
Frequently asked questions
About twenty minutes under cover, when the apples are shredded on a small grater. Grated fruit releases its juice almost immediately, so it reaches the right consistency far faster than sliced apples, which need longer and more stirring.
Antonowka is the variety used in this recipe, because it is tart and collapses into a soft pulp as it stews. Sweeter varieties hold their shape longer and need less coconut sugar, so mixing a tart apple with a sweet one gives you both structure and depth of flavour. With several thousand varieties around, use what you like or what you have.
No. This version uses coconut sugar and the amount is left to taste, so you can reduce it depending on how sweet your apples already are. A jam made with no sweetener at all works too, using cloves and a little lemon juice instead. The no-sweetener version is here: apple jam with cloves and lemon. If you would rather have the sweetening decided for you, the Diet & Training by Ann app plans meals around your goal, with thousands of recipes and their nutritional values.
Put the finished jam into small jars and leave them in a cool place. Small jars are the point here, because once a jar is open you want to finish it reasonably quickly.
Cinnamon and vanilla are the base of this recipe and are hard to overdo, one tablespoon of each per kilogram of apples. Anise is the one to add carefully, a pinch at a time, because it takes over the whole jar. Add the spices together with the coconut sugar rather than at the end, so they have the warmth and the time to open up.
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