Pear & Apricot Preserves Recipe
- Cook Time: 18 Hours, 10 Minutes
- Yield: 5 cups
- Make preserves easy and in your own kitchen, with pear and apricot!
Ingredients
- 4 oz finely chopped dried turkish apricots
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1 1/2 cup Stevia Granulated White Sweetener
- 4-5 peeled, cored, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces ripe bartlett pears
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 package no-sugar pectin
- 1/2 cup Sugar Twin® sucralose granulated white
Directions
- Place empty canning jars in canner or a large pot used for making preserves.
- Fill the pot with water until the level is between 1 and 2 inches above the top of the jars.
- Bring water to a boil and leave the jars approximately 10 minutes to soak in the rolling boil, add lids using tongs.
- Then combine the apricots and apple juice in a bowl, and soak apricots there for 5 hours in the juice.
- Then drain and set aside the apricots in a bowl and their soaking liquid in a measuring cup, which should be about 3/4 cup.
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Place the Sugar Twin in a mixing bowl and add cup of the set aside liquid.
- Stir until the mixture and set aside until the mixture is clear and thick, roughly 30 minutes.
- Place 1 cup of the pear chunks in a large mixing bowl and mash the pears with a potato masher until the have the consistency of mashed potatoes; there will still be a lot of pear juice.
- Add the rest of the pears slowly and continue to mash as you add, for 1-2 minutes between each addition.
- Measure 4 cups of the mashed pears into a large stainless steel or other non-reactive saucepan.
- Refrigerate any extra mashed pears for another use.
- Then add the apricots, combined with lemon juice and the leftover liquid, to the mashed pears.
- Slowly add pectin until it is completely homogenized with the mixture.
- Simmer on high heat, stirring until you see a rolling boil.
- Stir in the Sugar Twin mixture and the Sugar Twin® and continue boiling for 3 minutes, while stirring constantly.
- While the mixture is boiling, fold a kitchen towel or heat pad and place on the counter.
- Carefully remove the boiled jars one at a time from the hot, carefully shake to dry, and place them on the towel.
- Using a ladle or large spoon, carefully transfer the hot apricot pear preserves into the hot jars, leaving approximately -inch headspace.
- Try to compact each jar so not too much air is inside, wipe the top of each jar, and place a flat lid on top and a screw band hand-tightened (but not too much) to seal.
- Move the full jars to the racks or spaces in the canner.
- Make sure the water covers the jars by 1 to 2 inches, adding water if needed.
- Cover, bring to a boil, and process the jars for about 10 minutes.
- Take off the lid and let the jars of preserves stand for 5 minutes.
- With the jar lifter, remove the processed preserves and place the jars on the folded towel.
- After 1 hour, check the lids; they should be flat when touched in the center.
- If a jar is not sealed properly and the lid can be pressed down, the contents are still safe to consume, but the jar should be refrigerated immediately and the preserves used within 3 weeks.
- Properly sealed jars can be stored in a cool place for up to 3 months.
