Black Forest Macaroon Jam Canning Recipe

Our friend and guest blogger Chez LaRae created this decadent Black Forest Macaroon Jam recipe. This canning recipe will make a great holiday gift. LaRae is a self-taught baker, cooking and baking instructor, recipe developer, and an editor at @thefeedfeed. See LaRae's other recipe guest blog posts.

Black Forest Cake is the quintessential holiday showpiece. Layers of chocolate cake soaked in kirsch, whipped cream icing, and beautiful sour cherries. This recipe recreates the flavors, adds sweet coconut, and preserves them in jars. Add pretty Christmas canning labels from CanningCrafts and you have the ideal holiday gifts for your family, friends, and other special people in your life.

Decorate your holiday jam jars with Custom Watercolor Christmas canning labels. These festive holiday labels are custom printed with your text. Dress up Black Forest Macaroon jam jars, Holly Jolly  jelly, Ho Ho Holiday salsa, or even baked goods boxes.

Note: This canning project uses liquid pectin. Powdered pectin cannot be substituted in this recipe.

Preservation method: Water bath canning

Difficulty level: Easy to moderate

Yield: Makes about seven 8-oz half pint jars

Head space: 1/4 inch (.635 cm)

Processing Time: 10 minutes

You will need clean jars and closures, a boiling-water canner, rack, jar lifter, canning funnel, and wooden skewer

Black Forest Macaroon Jam

Recipe adapted from “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving” 2006.

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• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3 1/2 cups (a little over 17 oz) frozen cherries (do not thaw as they are easier to chop when frozen)
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 six-ounce pouches liquid pectin (Powdered pectin cannot be substituted in this recipe)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 3 tbsp kirsch or other flavored cherry liqueur (optional)

NOTES: The original Ball recipe called for 4 tablespoons of kirsch or cherry brandy, but we reduced that to 2 tablespoons. You can omit the liquor completely, or you can also swap to 1 tsp of brandy extract instead. We also use frozen cherries instead of fresh.

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Prepare water bath canner, lids, and jars. Put jars in hot water bath, cover, and simmer over medium heat until ready to use.

In a medium bowl, whisk to combine sugar and cocoa powder.

In a food processor, coarsely chop frozen cherries with blade attachment pulsing until the pieces are fairly small. Picture how the pieces will look in your final product – not too big, but not liquefied either. If you do not have a food processor, use a sharp knife and coarsely chop.

TIP: Snip tops off of pectin packets and place upright in a small cup next to the stove. I like to have my pectin at the ready as the next step moves quickly and you do not want to be fumbling, opening boxes, and looking for a knife while your jam is at a rolling boil.

In a large Dutch oven, combine cherries, lemon juice, and cocoa mixture.

Over high heat, stirring constantly, bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Stir in pectin. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for one minute.

Remove from heat and add coconut and optional liqueur. Mix well. Skim off foam.

Ladle hot jam into jars, leaving 1/4” headspace. Remove air bubbles and readjust headspace if necessary. Wipe rims, center lids on jars and screw bands down until finger tight resistance is met.

Place jars onto a rack in the canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Cover, bring water to a boil. Once boiling, process jam for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude* if needed (see chart below). Turn off heat and let jars sit in the canner for an additional 5 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. 

Let jars stand at room temperature untouched for 12-24 hours. After the jars cool, remove bands and check seals by pressing the centers of lids with your finger. If the lid springs back, the lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary. 

Wipe jars and affix CanningCrafts Christmas canning labels. Date and store in a cool, dry place for up to 12 months.

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*Altitude

Living at a higher altitude affects home canning recipes, just as it does baking recipes. Many people are unaware that they live at a high altitude. If you live at a high altitude, you’ll need to increase either your processing time or processing pressure. Most canning recipes state this info for elevations of 0 to 1,000 feet above sea level. If you aren’t sure what your elevation is, get more info from the National Center for Food Preservation. Or call your local extension office if unsure.

 

See our DIY Christmas Mason Jar Gift Ideas blog post for other recipes & holiday decor. 

Follow our Christmas Canning Pinterest Board for recipes & inspiration.