Cranberry Jelly
Cranberry Jelly is a low-sugar or low-honey cooked jelly made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.
Servings 5 cups
Ingredients
- 2 12 ounce bags fresh or frozen cranberries to make cranberry juice
- 2 cups of water to make cranberry juice
- 4 cups cranberry juice (from berries + water listed above) see step #3
- 1/4 cup lime juice optional
- 4 teaspoon calcium water see step #1
- ½ cup up to 1 cup honey or ¾ cup up to 2 cups sugar
- 4 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin mixed with sweetener
Instructions
- Before you begin, prepare calcium water.To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
- Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Wash lids and bands and set aside.
- Bring cranberries and water to a boil then simmer, covered on low until the cranberries burst and soften. Drip through a jelly bag to get 4 cups of cranberry juice.
- Measure prepared cranberry juice into sauce pan.
- Add calcium water and lime juice (if using) and mix well.
- Measure sugar or room temperature honey into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sweetener. Set aside.
- Bring juice to a full boil. Add pectin-sweetener mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jelly comes back up to a boil. Once the jelly returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
- Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with (marmalade/jam/jelly), leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).
- Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, bring the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)
- Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove jars from canner. Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then, confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.
I just want the recipe to that gorgeous picture. Lol. Beautiful dessert!
Could I substitute port wine for the water?
Hello Kim! We have never done that substitution before, but we cannot think of a reason why that wouldn’t work. Our other port wine jam only uses 1/2 cup sugar, so maybe start there instead of 3/4 cup. If you decide to give it a try, we would love to hear how it turns out.
So I didn’t have as much port wine as I thought so to stretch it, I did 1 cup wine with 1 cup water and used 3/4 cup sugar (I started with 1/2 cup but thought it needed more). It smells absolutely divine when cooking. I then used the jelly to make a vinaigrette for a salad with greens, turkey and pears. Delicious! Probably next year I will try the full 2 cups of wine just to see how that tastes.
You sure can! We recommend using the least amount amount called for (1/2-3/4 cup). Monkfruit sweetener does have a tendency to crystalize.
Are there ways to lessen the likelihood of it crystalizing?
Not that we know of. We. believe it is just the make up of the monkfruit and the way it reacts to being preserved.
I think this recipe needs to be tweaked: in reading the ingredients list, it seems as though you need: 2 12oz bags of berries, 2 cups of water, AND 4 cups of cranberry juice. In the instructions it feels as if you start with 4 cups of juice, but no use for the berries. Until later I’ve finally realized that you use the berries & water to make the called for 4 cups of juice….
So what should I do if I cooked the berries in 4 cups of cranberry juice? Should I simmer it to make it thicker? Or what amount of pectin & calcium water do I need now??
Hello Abby,
So sorry for the confusion, though we are not sure how to be more clear with the directions.
How much lime juice should you use?
1/4 cup lime juice, but it is optional 😊
Can the Cranberry Jelly be made without straining the berries, using the whole fruit? Would any adjustments be needed?
You sure can! You will use 4 cups of mashed cranberries, and reduce the pectin and calcium water by half.
Can this be changes to two cups prepared cranberry juice and two cups apple juice with good results? Or a 3 to 1 of apple to cranberry?
Hello Cynthia,
Thanks so much for reaching out! Yes, that should be just fine as long as the apple juice does not have any added sweetener to it.
Can I make this with commercial cranberry juice? I have some on hand from canning whole cranberries in juice.
You sure can, just made sure it does not have any added sugar in it. Happy jamming!
Did anyone at pamona test this recipe? You don’t get 4c juice from 2c water and 2c berries. I got less than 2c juice Bc evaporation. Put in jelly bag overnight to ensure max drainage. What am I missing?
Hello there,
Thanks so much for reaching out to us!
We sure have tried this recipe. It could be that the recipe calls for (2) 12 ounces bags of fresh or frozen cranberries with 2 cups of water…not 2 cups of water with 2 cups of cranberries.
Oops I should have asked, where can I find the recipe for the pie shown above?
this sounds delicious, simple but so unique