If you adore peach cobbler, but don’t always have the time to make it then this is the perfect solution. Whip up a batch of peach cobbler jam when the peaches are nice and ripe and turn any ordinary piece of toast or biscuit into a little bit of summer bliss.
How to Make Peach Cobbler Jam
I simply love peaches. Growing up in Georgia, peach juice runs in my veins. Peach cobbler warm from the oven with vanilla bean ice cream is one of the purest joys in life. But peaches aren’t always available and to make a really good cobbler can be time consuming. Since eating cobbler for breakfast is generally frowned upon, I had to come up with something that I could bring back those sweet summer memories while dashing out the door to work in dreary December. Jam is now my jam!
I’m not an expert in canning, or making jams and jellies in any way, shape, or form. Apparently I’m also not an expert in penmanship but here we are. Don’t be intimidated by canning like I was – it’s a fairly simple process, but you have to follow the rules! And who says you need to know how to can to make jam? Not me. Make small batches when you have a few good peaches and put the fresh jam straight in the fridge. Trust me, you’ll eat it before it has time to spoil. Like I said before, I am not an expert here, far from it actually but the internet has millions of tips and tricks. Me? I usually just follow the directions on the box of pectin 😉
What’s the difference in Jam, Jelly, and Preserves?
The American plethora of jams, jellies, and preserves absolutely boggles the minds of my European and Australian friends. There – jelly is always gelatin (Jell-o); you’d never put it on toast! To put it in a nutshell: Jelly is made with strained fruit juice. There are no pieces of fruit in jelly and you can usually see through it. It can be difficult to spread when cold and it is not my favorite. Jam, on the other hand, is made with mashed fruit. It’s nice and thick, spreads easily and is by far my personal favorite. Preserves have whole fruit or large pieces of fruit. I tend to cook with preserves most often, but a nice strawberry preserve on a crunchy peanut butter sandwich – YUM!
What’s the ratio of fruit to sugar for jam?
Generally 1:1. The rule of thumb is 1 cup of sugar to every cup of fruit . Then use 1 Tbs of dry pectin for every 4 cups of fruit.
First STERILIZE your jars and lids.
This may be the most important step. Place your canning mat in the bottom of a deep stock pot. Place your jars in the pot and then completely fill with water so that the jars are completely covered with water by about an inch. Put the NEW lids in a smaller sauce pan, and cover with water. Bring both pots to a full rolling boil and boil for 10 minutes, then reduce to a simmer while you make the jam.
While the jars and lids are sterilizing, grab your beautiful peaches. If they’re a little over-ripe that’s perfectly OK; that will make them all the sweeter. Peel and dice your peaches until you have 6 cups. Don’t have 6 cups? Have more? Look at the ratio above to see how much sugar and pectin you’ll need.
In a Dutch oven or very heavy, large saucepan, add your peaches, spice, butter, and pectin. Over high heat, bring to a full roiling boil stirring frequently and cook for about 20 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Remove from heat and using an immersion blender (Or regular blender if that’s all you have), puree the fruit until few to no chunks remain.
Return to the heat and bring back to a full rolling boil. Add in the sugar and cook for one minute, stirring the whole time. Remove it from the heat and set aside. Using the jar lifter, carefully remove the jars from the boiling water, draining all of the water and place on a towel or hot pad. Using a ladle and wide mouth funnel, fill the jars with the jam. leaving about 1/4 inch from the top. With a clean, wet tea towel, remove any drops of jam that may have dripped onto the rims. Remove the lids from the water with the magnetic lifter and place them on top of the jars. Seal with jar rings, but don’t tighten too much. Using the jar lifter, return the jam-filled, sealed jars to the stock pot of boiling water – adding more water if the jars aren’t completely covered. Boil for another 10 minutes.
After the jam has processed for 10 minutes, carefully remove the jars with the lifter and place on a cooling rack, towel, or trivet to cool. Within a few minutes you should hear the sweet little “plinks” letting you know your jam is sealed properly. If you don’t hear the plinks, then the jar is not sealed. It will need to be refrigerated as soon as it’s cool and eaten within a week or so. Properly sealed jars should be stored in a dark cool place and will be good for a year.
Peach Cobbler Jam
Equipment
- 6 1-cup/8 oz jam jars with rings and NEW lids
- Stock pot deep enough to completely cover jars with water; at least 1” over the lids
- Canning mat or rack
- Vinyl coated jar lifter
- Magnetic lid lifter
- Extra wide mouth funnel
- Long tongs
- Ladle
- Immersion blender or potato masher
Ingredients
- 6 cups peaches ripe, finely chopped
- 6 cups sugar
- ½ Tbs pumpkin pie spice
- 1 Tbs salted butter
- 1 ½ Tbs dry pectin
Instructions
- Place the open jam jars in the stock pot on top of the canning mat and fill with water until jars are covered by at least an inch
- Place lids in a small sauce pot, cover with water
- Bring both pots to a full boil and boil for at least 10 minutes, then reduce to a simmer
- While the jars and lids are sterilizing, make the jam
- In a heavy saucepan or dutch oven, add your peaches, pectin, butter, and spice, stirring well to combine
- Over high heat, bring to a full roiling boil stirring frequently and cook for about 20 minutes or until the fruit is soft
- Reduce heat and using an immersion blender or potato masher, pulverize peaches until almost no chunks remain.
- Bring back to the boil and add in the sugar - boil for one minute then remove from heat
- Remove the sterilized jars from the water, emptying as much water as possible
- Place the funnel over one of the jar and ladle in the jam leaving about ¼ “ space at the top, then repeat with the other jars
- Take a clean knife and run around the inside of the jar to remove any bubbles
- With a wet cloth or paper towel, wipe any jam that may have dripped around the lid of the jar
- Using the magnetic lifter, remove the new lids from the boiling water and place carefully on top of the filled jars
- Lightly tighten the rings and using the jar lifter return the jam-filled jars to the stock pot of boiling water. Add more water to cover if necessary
- Boil for 10 minutes
- Carefully remove jars from the water using the jar lifter and place on a wire rack or trivet to cool
