Summer is peak season for fruit and berries. There’s always a huge selection available at markets, and prices often drop when the harvest for a particular crop has been good. A few days ago, cherries were available at a very good price at our local farmers’ market. So, what better thing to do than make some Cherry Jam with Vanilla, right?! Exactly. Nothing. The best part about the jam? It’s made without adding regular white sugar.
Making jam was a completely normal thing to do during my childhood. That was sometime shortly after the last Ice Age. Back then, people probably still had the mindset that you needed to prepare for cold winters and make use of whatever produce you had on hand. I feel like that practice was more or less lost over the years. But things have changed again recently. Many people are rediscovering the craft of preserving, fermenting, and pickling fruit and veggies. You could almost say the motto is »back to the roots«.
When it comes to jam, our household is a bit divided. Half of us like a sweet breakfast, for which jam is obviously ideal. I prefer something savory to start the day. I’d rather use jam for Linzer Augen or Spitzbuben Cookies. That doesn’t mean I never put jam on a bread roll, though. It just happens less often. And when I do, it’s almost exclusively reduced-sugar or sugar-free jam. Not necessarily homemade, though.
Which brings us right to the topic at hand. This cherry jam was prepared without sugar. Or, more precisely, without the standard preserving sugar people usually use for making jam at home. When making jam or fruit spreads the traditional way, a significant amount of sugar is typically involved. Personally, I don’t mind that at all. Sugar acts as a great preservative and gives the jam a lovely sweetness and a long shelf life. However, as a diabetic, I’ve become a bit more cautious when it comes to sugar in recent years…
Technically, I am not forced to make our jam sugar-free, since I don’t eat that much of it anyway. But as the saying goes, »Kleinvieh macht auch Mist«, meaning »every little bit helps«. So, whenever I have the chance to cut back on sugar, I take it. Unfortunately, many foods in our diet still contain a lot of sugar – often in products you wouldn’t expect. So, saving a little here and there is never a bad idea. Fortunately, not everyone needs to live a completely sugar-free life.
Well, to make this jam sugar-free, or better said reduced-sugar (the cherries do provide some natural sugar), I’ve used xylitol. Anyone who enjoys sugar-free or reduced-sugar baking is likely already familiar with this sugar substitute. Xylitol doesn’t behave exactly like sugar, but it comes pretty close and is excellent for making jams and fruit spreads.
It’s difficult to make jam without a gelling agent, so I used Gelierfix (2:1)* (a gelling agent) alongside the xylitol. After all, you don’t want the jam running off your bread roll or toast. The combination of xylitol and gelling agent works quite well for most types of fruit and berries. Though, admittedly, the results can vary a bit depending on the fruit. My cherry jam turned out a bit softer than I would have liked. That doesn’t necessarily have to be the fault of the gelling agent. It’s possible I didn’t pay close enough attention during the gel test. That’s a step you should definitely perform…
The result turned out great regardless. Really delicious and not too sweet… and, of course, with about 100% (a slight exaggeration) less sugar than most supermarket jams. If you’d like to try more recipes like this, feel free to browse the »Homemade Stuff« section of the blog. There you’ll find some ideas for canning and preserving.
If you don’t want to spend time searching, you can simply check out one of these two recipes. Our Blackberry Jam is also made without refined sugar and is truly delicious. If you have some blackberries at home, it’s certainly worth a look. The same goes for our Strawberry Vanilla Jam, which is also prepared without added sugar. A small difference compared to the other two jams: instead of xylitol and a separate gelling agent, this one uses a pre-mixed sugar-free gelling sugar*.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(6 glass jars, 240ml each)
35 oz. (1 kg) fresh cherries, pitted
17.6 oz. (500g) xylitol*
1 sachet (25g) gelling powder (Gelierfix 2:1)*
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla powder*
2 tsp. lemon juice
(6 Gläser à 240ml)
1 kg frische Sauerkirschen (oder Süßkirschen), entsteint
500g Xylit*
1 Beutel (25g) Gelierfix (2:1)*
1 1/2 TL Vanillepulver*
2 TL Zitronensaft
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. First sterilize the glass jars* and lids – either by boiling them in plenty of water or heating them in the oven. Be careful with the lids, they might not withstand the same heat as the glass jars. Set aside and let dry.
2. Wash the cherries, drain them, and then pit them. The amount of cherries in the ingredients list refers to pitted cherries, so make sure you get some more when buying them.
3. Mix the xylitol, gelling powder (Gelierfix), and vanilla powder in a tall saucepan. Add the pitted cherries and lemon juice, then briefly purée everything using an immersion blender*. If you want some larger pieces, purée only very briefly.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let it boil vigorously for about 4–5 minutes while stirring constantly. Do a gelling test (using a small plate) – if the jam sets quickly, it is ready to be canned. If not, simply cook it a little longer.
5. Pour the jam into the prepared glass jars and seal them tightly immediately. There is no need to turn the jars upside down. Let them cool completely. Store the jars in a cool, dark place (e.g. basement). If you worked with clean equipment, the unopened jam should keep for 1–2 years. Once opened, store in the fridge and consume within 2–6 weeks.
1. Die Einmachgläser* und Deckel sterilisieren – entweder in genügend Wasser auskochen oder im Backofen erhitzen. Vorsicht bei den Deckeln – die halten nicht automatisch so viel Hitze aus, wie die Gläser. Zur Seite stellen und trocknen lassen.
2. Die Kirschen waschen, abtropfen lassen, dann entsteinen. Das Kilo für die Kirschen bezieht sich auf die entsteinten Kirschen – beim Kauf also etwas mehr besorgen.
3. Xylit, Gelierfix und Vanillepulver in einem hohen Topf vermischen, die entsteinten Kirschen und den Zitronensaft dazugeben und dann alles kurz mit einem Pürierstab* pürieren. Wer ein paar Stücke in der Marmelade möchte, sollte hier weniger stark pürieren.
4. Die Mischung aufkochen lassen, dann unter ständigem Rühren etwa 4-5 Minuten sprudelnd kochen lassen. Den Geliertest machen (mit einem kleinen Teller) – wird die Marmelade zügig fest, kann abgefüllt werden. Wenn nicht, einfach noch etwas länger kochen lassen.
5. Die Marmelade in die vorbereiteten Gläser füllen und sofort gut verschließen. Auf den Kopf stellen ist nicht notwendig. Komplett abkühlen lassen. Die Marmeladengläser an einem dunklen, kühlen Ort (z.B. Keller) lagern. Wenn sauber gearbeitet wurde, sollte die Marmelade ungeöffnet 1-2 Jahre durchhalten. Nach dem Öffnen im Kühlschrank lagern und innerhalb von 2-6 Wochen aufbrauchen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Cherry Jam with Vanilla (sugar-free)
- Prep Time: 00:30
- Cook Time: 00:05
- Total Time: 04:00
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Homemade Stuff
- Method: -
- Cuisine: Germany
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
You are trying to cut back on sugar? Well, this sugar-free cherry jam with vanilla might be perfect for you. We love this diabetic-friendly jam.
Ingredients
35 oz. (1 kg) fresh cherries, pitted
17.6 oz. (500g) xylitol*
1 sachet (25g) gelling powder (Gelierfix 2:1)*
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla powder*
2 tsp. lemon juice
Instructions
1. First sterilize the glass jars* and lids – either by boiling them in plenty of water or heating them in the oven. Be careful with the lids, they might not withstand the same heat as the glass jars. Set aside and let dry.
2. Wash the cherries, drain them, and then pit them. The amount of cherries in the ingredients list refers to pitted cherries, so make sure you get some more when buying them.
3. Mix the xylitol, gelling powder (Gelierfix), and vanilla powder in a tall saucepan. Add the pitted cherries and lemon juice, then briefly purée everything using an immersion blender*. If you want some larger pieces, purée only very briefly.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let it boil vigorously for about 4–5 minutes while stirring constantly. Do a gelling test (using a small plate) – if the jam sets quickly, it is ready to be canned. If not, simply cook it a little longer.
5. Pour the jam into the prepared glass jars and seal them tightly immediately. There is no need to turn the jars upside down. Let them cool completely. Store the jars in a cool, dark place (e.g. basement). If you worked with clean equipment, the unopened jam should keep for 1–2 years. Once opened, store in the fridge and consume within 2–6 weeks.
Notes
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