This cranberry chia jam recipe is filled with seasonal flavours like cranberries, orange zest and the sweet flavor of pears and honey.

Whether you need something to serve with a holiday dinner, breakfast or an easy hostess gift, this homemade jam is simple to make.

I love cranberry recipes in the Fall and Winter like these No-Bake Mini Cranberry Cheesecakes and this Easy Cranberry Pecan Baked Brie because the colour of the vibrant deep red berries evokes the holiday spirit!  If you’ve never made your own jam, this is a great recipe to start with.

Why you’ll love this easy recipe

• Quick & Easy: Make this in under 30 minutes with just 7 simple ingredients you can find at your local grocery store.
• Healthy: This easy jam comes together with the addition of chia seeds and is a healthier alternative to sugary jams and store-bought cranberry sauce. Plus cranberries are high in vitamin c!
• Make-Ahead:  This jam is so versatile and it freezes well too. So, you can make this chia jam ahead of time and just take it out of the fridge or freezer when you need it.

Ingredients needed to make this simple jam recipe

Cranberries: I like to use fresh cranberries because a bag of cranberries is so readily available in the Fall and Winter; but in a pinch use frozen instead

Pears:  Pears provide some natural sweetness to this recipe; you can use green or red Anjou, Bartlett or even Bosc pears in this cranberry chia jam recipe

Honey:  Honey adds a nice touch of sweetness to balance out the tart cranberries; you can substitute with pure maple syrup if desired.

Seasonings: A touch of cinnamon and a pinch nutmeg round out the flavours.

Orange zest: Zest from an orange goes so well with cranberries!

Chia seeds: When warmed, chia seeds act as thickener to this jam so don’t skip it.

How to make this delicious recipe

1. Mix together the water, cranberries, chopped pears, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest in a medium saucepan.
2. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once the mixture is bubbling and cranberries are starting to pop, turn to low-medium heat and stir in the chia seeds.
3. Cook stirring frequently until desired texture is reached – you want the pears to be very soft and cranberries to start breaking down / bursting, about 15-20 minutes. If you prefer a more ‘smooth’ mixture, use a potato masher to crush the ingredients in the pan and then let the mixture cool fully.
4. Once cool, store the jam in your fridge for 1-1.5 weeks in a glass jar or freeze in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Defrost frozen jam in the fridge before enjoying. 

How to enjoy this homemade chia jam

• With turkey: I like to use this cranberry chia jam as an updated version of homemade cranberry sauce on the Thanksgiving table with turkey dinner! 
• Baked brie: Use this cranberry pear chia jam as a topping for baked brie cheese. Preheat the oven to 375F; place the brie cheese in a parchment paper lined baking dish; top the brie with about 1/3 cup of the jam; and then bake it for about 15-20 minutes until the brie is just starting to bubble.
• Cheeseboard: Use this cranberry jam as a wonderful addition topper for cheese on a holiday cheeseboard.
• Granola: Pair this cranberry pear jam it with my Coconut & Almond Granola and yogurt for a delicious breakfast.
• Breakfast: Use as a topping for french toast, pancakes or simply spread on your morning toast or english muffin with almond butter or peanut butter – yum!

Expert tips

• You can use green or red Anjou, Bartlett or even Bosc pears in this cranberry chia jam recipe.
• This Cranberry-Pear Chia Seed Jam makes a lovely gift! You can fill 4 small mason jars with the jam and then add little holiday gift tags. Just make sure to store the jam in the fridge until you’re ready to gift.
• I use black chia seeds in this recipe but you can use white chia seeds if desired.
• You’ll find the familiar bags of fresh cranberries in the grocery store or local market during the Fall and Winter season.
• Have leftover cranberries in the fridge? This cranberry-pear chia seed jam is a good way to use them up and enjoy them!
• There isn’t too much sugar at all in this recipe so it’s a great low sugar option.

Common questions

How to store

Once the jam is fully cooled, store in an airtight glass jar or container in the fridge for 1-1.5 weeks. Alternatively, freeze in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Defrost frozen jam in the fridge before enjoying. 

More cranberry recipes to make from the blog

• Easy Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars (for the holidays)
• No-Bake Mini Cranberry Cheesecakes
• Winter Cranberry Aperol Spritz

Print

Easy Cranberry & Pear Chia Seed Jam (low sugar)

Cranberry & Pear Chia Seed Jam is an easy jam for the holiday season! Serve with baked brie, turkey dinner or gift a jar for the holidays.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cranberry

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2 cups

Author Jess

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2 cups fresh cranberries (frozen works also if needed)
• 3 green or red Anjou, Bartlett or Bosc pears, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (leave the skin on the pears)
• 1/4 cup honey (substitute with maple syrup if desired)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg
• zest from half a large navel orange
• 2 tbsp chia seeds

Instructions

• Mix together the water, cranberries, chopped pears, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest in a medium saucepan.
• Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once the mixture is bubbling and cranberries are starting to pop, turn to medium-low heat and stir in the chia seeds.
• Cook, keeping at a simmer and stirring frequently until the pears are very soft and cranberries have burst, about 15-20 minutes. Let the mixture fully cool.
• Once cool, store the jam in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-1.5 weeks or freeze for future use.

Notes

• This Cranberry-Pear Chia Seed Jam makes a lovely gift! You can fill 4 small mason jars with the jam and then add little holiday gift tags. Just make sure to store the jam in the fridge until you’re ready to gift.
• Have leftover cranberries in the fridge? This cranberry-pear chia seed jam is a good way to use them up and enjoy them!
• You do not need to peel the pears before making this jam as the skin on the pears does soften and cook down as the jam simmers at a gentle boil.

Photography by: Kaeleigh Pugliese

The post Easy Cranberry & Pear Chia Seed Jam (low sugar) appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

I’ve been gifting a holiday cookie box every year for as long as I can remember.

So I’m going to share with you my tips and cookie recipes to create your own Christmas cookie box to give this season.

How do you build a Christmas cookie box?

Step 1: Choose the vessel for your cookie box.

A shoe box or gift box works really well as a base for building.

Step 2: Once you’ve chosen a cookie box, it’s time to setup the different sections.

You can cut out pieces of paper or cardboard to make dividers in the box or try using cupcake liners to separate the sections.  Scrunched up parchment paper also works well to provide a base in the holiday cookie box for all the baking to rest on in each section.

Step 3: Now that you have created dividers in the box, you can count how many sections you need to fill.

This helps you decide how many Christmas cookie recipes or bars to make!

Step 4: Time to bake!

From gingerbread to sugar cookies, peppermint bark to holiday bars and other holiday goodies, it’s totally up to you! I like to mix and match my home-baked Christmas cookie recipes along with some local treats too.

So this holiday season if you’re looking for a homemade gift Christmas cookie boxes might just be the way to go!

For some recipe inspiration, here is what I filled this year’s cookie box with:

Nanaimo Bars

Shortbread Cookies with Lemon Icing (plus a variety of toppings from sprinkles to pistachios & dried cranberry)

Lemon Squares

Chocolate Bark (peppermint and salted caramel)

And for a bit more inspiration, here are some of my favourite recipes from mine and other food bloggers:

Soft Pecan Cookies with Maple Glaze

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Chocolate Pretzel Bars

Chewy Rosemary Sea Salt Caramels

Chewy Winter Spice Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

It brings my so much joy to bake homemade goodies for family and friends for the holiday season. And the Christmas cookie box is the perfect way to gift those delicious morsels!

If you’re looking for even more inspo check out My Holiday Baking List from a few years ago.

What are you baking this holiday season? I’d love to know in the comments below.

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post How to Make a Christmas Cookie Box appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.