Hello everyone! I had to share this quick weekend find because it was too good to keep to myself. I visited one of my favorite food markets and got wildly excited about a basket of cherries. They practically begged to be turned into something, so I made jam.
I never thought I’d be someone who makes jam at home. Have you ever laughed at something until you tried it and then wondered why you ever doubted it? That’s how I feel about jamming. After experimenting with my strawberry and rhubarb jam with cardamom, I’ve kept testing different flavors and techniques. So far, everything has turned out well and produced many happy jars. This cherry and cinnamon jam is another winner.
For this recipe I used agar powder instead of sugar with pectin or gelatin. Agar is plant-based, extracted from certain seaweeds, and works beautifully as a vegan thickener. You won’t taste any seaweed — just the natural fruit flavor. Agar is versatile and useful in preserves, desserts, custards, and many other preparations, so it’s great to have on hand.
The combination of cherries and cinnamon is delicate, sweet and juicy, with a warm spice note that complements the fruit perfectly. This jam is irresistibly tasty — you might find yourself eating it straight from the jar (guilty!). It’s delicious spread on toast, spooned over ice cream, or used as a filling for cakes and pastries. Get your spoons and jars ready — this one’s fun to make and even more fun to eat.
*Nutritional information shown below refers to the entire batch, not a single serving.
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Cherry Jam with Cinnamon
Ingredients
- 400 g cherries (pitted)
- 1 ½ teaspoon agar powder
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ½ cinnamon stick
- ½ cup brown sugar
- zest and juice of one lemon
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
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Place the pitted cherries in a medium saucepan with the water, lemon zest, lemon juice and the cinnamon stick. Bring gently to a boil.
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Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the cherries have softened, stirring occasionally.
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Add the brown sugar and maple syrup, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
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Stir in the agar powder and bring to a boil, allowing it to simmer for about 5 minutes so the agar fully dissolves.
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Remove the cinnamon stick, pour the jam into sterilized jars, and let cool until set.
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Enjoy on toast, with desserts, or straight from the jar.
Please note: all my recipes are developed and tested using metric measurements (grams). For best results use a digital scale. I’ve provided US customary conversions elsewhere, but I haven’t tested the recipe using those measurements.
Nutrition
