Ingredients
- 10 lbs frozen tart cherries, thawed and juice reserved
- 3 1/2 cups Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup ClearJel*
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 cups reserved cherry juice
- 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Directions
- Prepare water bath canner, 3-4 quart (6-8 pint) jars and lids.
- Drain thawed cherries over a large bowl for 2-3 hours until most of juice has drained off. Measure 4 cups of reserved cherry juice and set aside. (Use any leftover juice for smoothies or in cocktails.)
- In a large stainless steel saucepan stir together sugar, ClearJel and cinnamon. Add reserved cherry juice and whisk over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Add lemon juice and cook for 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Add cherries gently stir to combine. Return to a boil over medium high heat. Remove cherry pie filling from heat and stir in almond extract.
- Ladle hot pie filling into hot jars, leaving 1 inch head space. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, and center a lid on each jar. Screw bands down just until fingertip tight.
- Place jars in water bath, making sure they are completely submerged in water. Bring water to a boil and process both quarts and pint jars for 35 minutes. Wait 5 minutes before removing jars to cool on a clean cloth on counter. Cool completely before storing.
Dixie Crystals Insight
*ClearJel is a modified food starch that is commonly used as a thickening agent in canning recipes. It can be found in canning section of your local grocery store or online.
Recipe developed for Dixie Crystals by Kelley Epstein @Mountain Mama Cooks.