wild highbush cranberry jelly

Clear, ruby-red, tart and delicious. Serve on toast, over ice cream or yogurt, or as a condiment with meat.

5 cups highbush cranberries

3 cups water

4-1/2 cups prepared juice

1- 2 oz package (57 g) or pectin crystals

4 cups sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh or bottled

Put highbush cranberries and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. As the berries begin to soften, mash or crush them gently. Boil for 10 minutes, then put berries into a jelly bag and strain overnight.

Measure juice, adding water if the liquid doesn’t add up to 4-1/2 cups. Put into a large pot and add the pectin. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add sugar and lemon juice. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Then boil hard for 1 minute without stirring. Skim off foam. Pour liquid into hot sterilized jars to within ¼ inch from the top. Seal. Makes 6 half pints.

For more information on highbush cranberries (Viburnum edule), click here to see a previous post. Also, see my recipe for highbush cranberry compote.

thumbprint cookies

This recipe comes from my Betty Crocker Cookbook (40^th Anniversary Edition).

Making thumbprint cookies is a fun and great tactile activity to do with kids. With this recipe, I can enjoy my home made jam and it also lets me use up the ground almonds that are a by-product of my home made almond milk.

¼ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup butter, softened

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 egg, separated

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup finely chopped nuts (I use toasted ground almonds)

jelly

Heat oven to 350 degrees (F). Mix sugar, butter, vanilla and egg yolk. Stir in flour and salt until dough holds together. Shape into 1-inch balls.

Beat egg white slightly. Dip each ball into egg white. Roll in nuts. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb deeply in the center of each. Back about 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool. Fill thumbprints with jelly. (Note: in the picture I used highbush cranberry compote instead of the jelly. The gingery tart compote balanced the sweetness beautifully!). Yield: 2 dozen cookies.

Why not have a ‘jam tasting’? Make a batch of these cookies and use an assortment of your favorite jams and jellies and fruit butters to fill them. A yummy and colorful addition to your Christmas cookie platters.

Resource:

Zeman, A.M. (1991). Betty Crocker Cookbook: 40th Anniversary Edition. Prentice Hall:New York.