My friend Wynn shared this recipe for Rum Raisin Apple Pie Jam with me somewhere around my second bushel of apples this fall.  It looked interesting, so I gave it a whirl.   I followed the recipe to a T, with the exception of the sugar. 9 cups of sugar to 6 cups of apples?  That made my teeth hurt just reading it.   I cut the sugar back to 2 cups  and used some of the excellent dark rum Peter brought Pat from Guatemala.  

You know how I say no one in my family eats my jam other than me?  Well, this is the exception to that.   I made a batch and while I swapped some, I was shocked to discover we’d gone through the entire batch of 7 jars in less than 3 weeks.  So I made another batch, this time adapting the recipe a little bit more – in addition to cutting the sugar, I left out the raisins.  They really aren’t that necessary and you probably could get by without the rum (hey T, please ask Peter to bring Pat another bottle of rum for Christmas because I may have made a dent in the bottle making jam with it), but this jam really does taste like apple pie in a jar.  I’m considering a third batch, as it’s clear round two, which has not been shared, isn’t going to last long.  It’s perfect on biscuits or toasted cuban bread or just straight of the jar with a spoon.

Apple Pie Jam (Adapted From Serious Eats Rum Raisin Apple Pie Jam)

• 6 cups peeled, cored, and chopped apples (about 5 medium apples)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice or apple cider
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Freshly grated zest of one lemon
• 1 (1.75-ounce) package regular powdered fruit pectin
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Combine the apples, liquids, lemon juice & zest in a pot.  Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples start to break down.  Remove from heat and mash the apples.  Add the pectin, stirring to dissolve.  Bring to a boil and add the sugar all at once.   Boil hard for one minute, then add spices and remove from heat.  Skim any foam off the surface, then jar.  If canning, leave 1/4″ head space and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat, uncover the pot and let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes before removing.

Yield:  Seven 8-ounce jars.