Pear Vanilla Cinnamon Jam

This pear vanilla cinnamon jam starts with ripe Bartlett pears cooked until soft, blended smooth and set with two whole vanilla beans and a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Spread on toast, it tastes a lot like a pear tart. It is a good project for anyone who wants a water bath canning recipe that fills about 6 half pint jars in roughly an hour of work, plus a day of setting time.

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What goes into pear vanilla cinnamon jam

• 3 1/2 lb ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
• 2 vanilla beans, split and scraped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 package (1.75 oz) regular powdered fruit pectin
• 5 cups granulated sugar, measured into a separate bowl

Why the lemon juice and sugar stay exactly as written

Pears are low in acid. The 1/4 cup of bottled lemon juice is what brings this jam into a safe range for water bath canning, so keep the full amount. Bottled juice is called for because its acidity is consistent from bottle to bottle, which a fresh lemon cannot promise.

The 5 cups of sugar can look like a lot next to 4 cups of puree. With regular powdered pectin, though, the sugar is part of how the jam sets. Cut it and you risk a loose, syrupy jar that never firms up. That is why the recipe asks you to measure the sugar into its own bowl before you start: when the moment comes, it all goes in at once and you are not scooping cup by cup while the pot boils.

Measure the puree, not the pears

The pears go in by weight, but the jam is built on exactly 4 cups of puree. Pears vary in how much juice they hold, so 3 1/2 lb can blend down to a little more or a little less. Pour the blended fruit into a measuring cup and return precisely 4 cups to the pot. Pectin and sugar are balanced against that amount, and guessing is the most common reason a batch turns out runny or overly stiff.

Use a heavy pot for the whole recipe. A thick base spreads the heat during the hard boil and keeps the puree from catching on the bottom once the sugar goes in.

How to make it, step by step

• Soften the pears. Put the chopped pears and the 1/4 cup water in a heavy pot, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the pieces are very soft and break apart when pressed with a spoon. Blend until smooth, then measure exactly 4 cups of puree back into the pot.
• Add the flavor and the pectin. Stir in the lemon juice, the scraped vanilla seeds and the split pods, the cinnamon and the pectin. Stir well so the pectin does not clump. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat, the kind of boil that keeps bubbling even while you stir.
• Add the sugar and boil hard. Tip in all the sugar at once. Stir constantly as the jam returns to a full rolling boil, then boil hard for exactly 1 minute, still stirring. Take the pot off the heat, pull out the vanilla pods and skim off any foam.
• Fill the jars. Ladle the hot jam into hot, clean half pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean, then add the lids and bands.
• Process. Process the jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. At 1,001 to 6,000 feet, add 5 minutes; above 6,000 feet, add 10 minutes.

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Letting it set, then spreading and storing it

Give the jars 24 hours to set before you judge the texture. The jam can look loose right after processing and firm up over that day, so leave the jars alone and resist tipping them to check.

Once set, the jam is smooth and speckled with vanilla seeds. It goes on buttered toast, warm biscuits or English muffins, and a spoonful stirred into plain yogurt or oatmeal works too. The batch makes about 6 half pints, which leaves room for a few jars to give away.

Sealed jars keep for 1 year. After opening, keep the jar in the refrigerator and use it within 3 weeks.

If you have more fruit to put up, our cranberry pear jam uses the same fruit with a tart twist, and the cherry cranberry holiday jam and spiced Christmas strawberry cranberry jam round out a holiday gift box. For something savory on the shelf, try the jalapeno lime pepper jelly .

Pear jam questions

What counts as a full rolling boil?

It is a boil that does not stop when you stir it. If the bubbles die down as the spoon passes through, keep heating. The recipe needs this boil twice: once before the sugar goes in and again after, when you start the 1 minute timer.

Why do the vanilla pods go into the pot if the seeds are already scraped out?

The split pods still carry plenty of vanilla flavor. They cook with the puree through both boils, then come out before the jam is ladled into jars.

Do I need to change anything at high altitude?

Only the processing time. Add 5 minutes at 1,001 to 6,000 feet and 10 minutes above 6,000 feet. The ingredients and boiling steps stay the same.

My jam looks runny right out of the canner. Is it ruined?

Wait the full 24 hours first. Jam made with regular pectin keeps setting as it cools. A soft set after a day usually traces back to an inexact puree measurement, a reduced amount of sugar or a boil that was not hard enough for the full minute.

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Written and edited by The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team

The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team writes and edits the recipes on Foodie Yummy: classic American potluck salads, holiday sides and easy comfort food, with a few low-carb options. Every recipe lists exact quantities, numbered steps and a printable recipe card, plus notes on swaps, storage and make-ahead timing. Spot a problem with a recipe? Tell us through the contact page and we will correct it. About us