Classic Apricot Preserves
By America's Test KitchenPublished on July 12, 2020
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours cooling and 12 hours setting
Yield
Serves 64 (makes four 1-cup jars)
Ingredients
3 pounds ripe but firm apricots, pitted and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 8½ cups)2 cups sugar ½ cup water 3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
Before You Begin
Choose ripe but firm apricots. For safety reasons, be sure to use bottled lemon juice, not fresh-squeezed juice, in this recipe.
Instructions
- Place 2 small plates in freezer to chill. Set canning rack in large pot, place four 1-cup jars in rack, and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to simmer over medium heat, then turn off heat and cover to keep hot.
- In Dutch oven, bring half of apricots, sugar, water, and lemon juice to boil, stirring often, over medium-high heat. Once sugar is completely dissolved, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until mixture is thick with some pieces of fruit intact, about 25 minutes.
- Stir in remaining apricots and simmer until they are just softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, crush fruit coarse with potato masher, leaving some larger pieces intact. Return mixture to boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring and adjusting heat as needed, until mixture registers 217 to 220 degrees, about 5 minutes. (Temperature will be lower at higher elevations; see Temp the Jam for more information.) Remove pot from heat.
- To test consistency, place 1 teaspoon preserves on chilled plate and freeze for 2 minutes. Drag your finger through preserves on plate; preserves have correct consistency when your finger leaves distinct trail. If runny, return pot to heat and simmer for 1 to 3 minutes longer before retesting. Skim any foam from surface of preserves using spoon.
- Place dish towel flat on counter. Using jar lifter, remove jars from pot, draining water back into pot. Place jars upside down on towel and let dry for 1 minute. Using funnel and ladle, portion hot preserves into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Slide wooden skewer along inside edge of jar and drag upward to remove air bubbles.
- For short-term storage: Let preserves cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate until jam is set, 12 to 24 hours. (Preserves can be refrigerated for up to 2 months.)For long-term storage: While jars are hot, wipe rims clean, add lids, and screw on rings until fingertip-tight; do not overtighten. Return pot of water with canning rack to boil. Lower jars into water, cover, bring water back to boil, then start timer. Cooking time will depend on your altitude: Boil 10 minutes for up to 1,000 feet, 15 minutes for 1,001 to 3,000 feet, 20 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 feet, or 25 minutes for 6,001 to 8,000 feet. Turn off heat and let jars sit in pot for 5 minutes. Remove jars from pot and let cool for 24 hours. Remove rings, check seal, and clean rims. (Sealed jars can be stored for up to 1 year.)
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours cooling and 12 hours settingYield
Serves 64 (makes four 1-cup jars)Ingredients
3 pounds ripe but firm apricots, pitted and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 8½ cups)
2 cups sugar
½ cup water
3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
3 pounds ripe but firm apricots, pitted and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 8½ cups)
2 cups sugar
½ cup water
3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
3 pounds ripe but firm apricots, pitted and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 8½ cups)
2 cups sugar
½ cup water
3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For a strong start, we created a puree by cooking down half the chopped apricots, along with sugar, water for moisture, and lemon juice. We kept the fresh fruit flavor by adding half the apricots later in the cooking process. Coarsely mashing the cooked mixture left some discernible apricot pieces and a satisfying texture.
Before You Begin
Choose ripe but firm apricots. For safety reasons, be sure to use bottled lemon juice, not fresh-squeezed juice, in this recipe.
Instructions
- Place 2 small plates in freezer to chill. Set canning rack in large pot, place four 1-cup jars in rack, and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to simmer over medium heat, then turn off heat and cover to keep hot.
- In Dutch oven, bring half of apricots, sugar, water, and lemon juice to boil, stirring often, over medium-high heat. Once sugar is completely dissolved, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until mixture is thick with some pieces of fruit intact, about 25 minutes.
- Stir in remaining apricots and simmer until they are just softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, crush fruit coarse with potato masher, leaving some larger pieces intact. Return mixture to boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring and adjusting heat as needed, until mixture registers 217 to 220 degrees, about 5 minutes. (Temperature will be lower at higher elevations; see Temp the Jam for more information.) Remove pot from heat.
- To test consistency, place 1 teaspoon preserves on chilled plate and freeze for 2 minutes. Drag your finger through preserves on plate; preserves have correct consistency when your finger leaves distinct trail. If runny, return pot to heat and simmer for 1 to 3 minutes longer before retesting. Skim any foam from surface of preserves using spoon.
- Place dish towel flat on counter. Using jar lifter, remove jars from pot, draining water back into pot. Place jars upside down on towel and let dry for 1 minute. Using funnel and ladle, portion hot preserves into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Slide wooden skewer along inside edge of jar and drag upward to remove air bubbles.
- For short-term storage: Let preserves cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate until jam is set, 12 to 24 hours. (Preserves can be refrigerated for up to 2 months.)For long-term storage: While jars are hot, wipe rims clean, add lids, and screw on rings until fingertip-tight; do not overtighten. Return pot of water with canning rack to boil. Lower jars into water, cover, bring water back to boil, then start timer. Cooking time will depend on your altitude: Boil 10 minutes for up to 1,000 feet, 15 minutes for 1,001 to 3,000 feet, 20 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 feet, or 25 minutes for 6,001 to 8,000 feet. Turn off heat and let jars sit in pot for 5 minutes. Remove jars from pot and let cool for 24 hours. Remove rings, check seal, and clean rims. (Sealed jars can be stored for up to 1 year.)
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