Home Kitchen Cherry Chia Jam

Waking up to sunny and clear blue skies is my regular motivator. If the sun is shining I will likely accomplish all things on my to-do list. If it’s not, well, I can’t make any promises- I am fueled by the sun (and coffee). Unlike today which is overcast with thick grey clouds, there’s no sun in sight and the sound of freezing rain is pelting the deck outside my bedroom window. Thus I am under covers with a cup of coffee in my left hand while typing with my right. But seriously, what the heck spring??

Back to yesterday, when it looked like it was 70 degrees outside but was truly 30, and yet who cares because the sun was out and gave me the illusion of what spring should be like! And because of this illusion, I cleaned my house, did laundry, ran to the grocery store and then I made jam. Cherry chia seed jam, and it took me all of 30 minutes.

I’ve professed many times on this blog that I am in no way a canner.

I like recipes that don’t require hours and hours of time. If you are like me then this jam is your jam!

Instead of needing loads of sugar (along with pectin and lots of time) in order to produce jam, however in this chia jam recipe, I’m using chia seeds to thicken it. We briefly talked about these last week, but the fact these little cuties can swell so much that they can thicken any fruit into jam is reason enough for me to now make my own jam all of the time.

A less sugar, less time, better for you jam?! SOLD.

To cook this Cherry Chia Jam Gather:

• cherries (I’m using frozen tart and sweet cherries)
• lime juice
• maple syrup
• vanilla
• chia seeds

Feel free to use fresh cherries if you want- but frozen cherries work fine too. In fact, using frozen means the cherries come pitted already- bonus! I had a few (frozen) bags of both tart and sweet cherries in my freezer (from making the cherry pie in my cookbook) that I wanted to use up, so today we are making a stunningly fine-looking and equally flavor-packed cherry chia jam. Stay tuned for more jams to come because I am so completely and unabashedly obsessed!

Here we go! Add two rounded cups of fresh or partially thawed (if frozen) cherries, I’m using a cup of both tart pie cherries and sweet dark cherries. I personally love the combo together, but feel free to use what you like.

Heat the cherries (and any accumulated juice that forms in the bowl from thawing) into a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium. Heat until the liquids begin to simmer and the fruit softens, about 20-25 minutes.

Once you are at this stage, remove the pan off of the heat and mash the cherries with a potato masher.

Pour in 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lime juice…

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (honey would entirely work too!)…

…a splash of real vanilla extract…

And then two tablespoons of chia seeds.

Stir it all together and let it sit for a minute or two.

After a while you’ll be able to gauge if you need more chia seeds or not. I added an additional teaspoon here because I wanted a thicker jam. If adding more chia seeds, add them a half teaspoon at a time and give them time to swell before adding more in.

Jam on! Sweet and tart and fine-looking! The color of this cherry chia jam is out of this world pretty and I would like a lipstick, shoes and matching clutch in this color please and thank you.

Note: If you do not wish to see the chia seeds in your jam then you can puree it in a high-speed blender.

How Long Will Cherry Chia Jam Last?

Store in an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 7 days.

Enjoy! And if you give this dish a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!