May 8, 2016 57 Comments

Easy Small-Batch Strawberry Jam

Name: Easy Small-Batch Strawberry Jam
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 4 cups fresh chopped strawberries, ((I like a mixture of small pieces and large)); 2 cups granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier Liqueur, (or lemon juice)

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Easy Small-Batch Spiked Strawberry Jam – Fresh and easy strawberry jam made with just picked strawberries, sugar and Grand Marnier Liqueur

I hope you’re not tired of all the strawberry recipes we’ve posted lately. I can’t seem to get enough of these beautiful red fruits! Over the years I’ve made jam but never anything good enough to write home about.

When I was a young girl I helped my mom can butters, jellies and jams so you’d think I was proficient in canning. That is not at all the case. I wish I had the time to learn the process all over again but until then, I’ll settle for small batch jams that take very little time to prep, and are incredibly easy to make.

Made with just three ingredients and no pectin.

Many jam recipes are made with equal parts fruit and sugar with a little lemon juice and pectin. This jam is made with a double fruit to sugar ratio, no pectin, and I substituted Grand Marnier liqueur for the lemon juice. Grand Marnier and strawberries are a match made in heaven and of course I have a small bottle that’s just begging to be used. I know you’re going to love our Easy Small-Batch Spiked Strawberry Jam with Grand Marnier.

This is the recipe to try if you’ve always wanted to make strawberry jam but didn’t think you could.

The recipe makes 2-full cups of jam that will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. I can’t say our lasted that long but it was enough to share with family.

Without pectin you must make sure to cook the strawberry jam long enough to thicken.

There’s a super easy method to test for doneness without all the guesswork. Put a glass plate in the freezer while preparing the jam. When the strawberry jam has cooked down, place a spoonful on the cold plate and leave it for 30 seconds. Tilt the plate and if the jam moves very slow, it’s done. If it rolls down the plate, cook for a few more minutes and test again.

If you have the chance to pick your own berries, please don’t let the opportunity to pass you by.

The juiciness and fresh flavor of fresh picked fruit is incredible, and that makes all the difference in recipes like this easy, small-batch strawberry jam.

Here’s a few tips for finding the best strawberries:

Pick strawberries with light colored seeds. If the strawberry seeds are dark brown and dried up, the strawberry probably is too.
Buy local strawberries if at all possible. Less time traveling to your kitchen will yield fresher strawberries, thus better flavor. If you’re buying strawberries from another country they may have been picked before they were fully ripe to survive the long distance commute.
Look for strawberries that are red all the way to the top. If the top is white, the middle of the strawberry will be too. White strawberry tops yield less flavor.
Visit your local farmers market during peak season for the best strawberries.
Finally, if you can pick your own strawberries at a local farm – go for it!

If our kitchen wasn’t in the middle of a renovation, I’d go pick more strawberries tomorrow morning and make another strawberry pie, and perhaps some jelly. No sink, no cabinets and no floor. Baking and cooking is difficult without the basics. But we do have lots and lots of dirt however!

I have one more strawberry recipe to post later this week so please stop back and check it out! If you make our jam recipe, please take a photo and post it on Instagram and tag us at Saving Room for Dessert. We would love to see how this recipe turned out for you!

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5 from 3 votes