Homemade Apple and Cinnamon Preserves

👨‍🍳 Method

1. 1
   Put the fruit, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and water in a pot.

   Pot
2. 2
   Bring to a boil, stirring.

   Stove
3. 3
   Turn down the heat and simmer 30–35 minutes, until the fruit softens.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
4. 4
   Mash with a wooden spoon to the texture you want.

   Wooden spoon
5. 5
   Add the vanilla and cook 5 more minutes.

   Stove
6. 6
   Test the thickness: the jam is ready when a drop of it on a cold plate sets.

   💡The plate test: chill a small plate in the freezer ahead of time, drip a little jam onto it and wait half a minute. If the drop wrinkles when you push it with your finger, the jam is ready.
7. 7
   Pour into clean, sterilized jars.

   Jar
8. 8
   Keep in the fridge for up to a month.

   Refrigerator