Raspberry Chocolate Almond Spread

- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus several hours’ cooling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3pints ripe raspberries, picked over but not rinsed
- 3cups sugar
- 2tbsp lemon juice
- 8ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- ⅛teaspoon almond extract
- 1cup toasted slivered almonds, finely chopped
Preparation
- Step 1
Fit a large pot with a rack, or line with a folded kitchen towel. Fill with water and bring to a boil. Add 4 half-pint canning jars and boil for 10 minutes. Jars may be left in the warm water in the pot until ready to be filled. (Alternatively, sterilize jars by running them through a dishwasher cycle, leaving them there until ready to fill.)
- Step 2
Place canning rings in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and add lids to soften their rubber gaskets. Rings and lids may be left in the water until jars are filled.
- Step 3
In a large, heavy pan, combine raspberries and sugar. Bring to a simmer, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Put raspberry-sugar mixture through the fine disk of a food mill or press through a fine sieve to remove seeds. Some seeds may remain; don't worry.
- Step 4
Return mixture to pan, add lemon juice, and bring back to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Add chocolate and stir well until completely melted. Boil hard for five minutes, stirring all the while. Turn off the heat, wait a minute or two, then push against the mixture. If the surface of the jam wrinkles a bit, it is the correct consistency. If not, return to the heat for another minute or two and try the wrinkle test again. Add almond extract and almonds and stir to combine.
- Step 5
Ladle hot preserves into the warm jars, leaving ¼ inch at the top, just below the first ring on the jar’s neck. Wipe jar rims clean with a damp towel. Place lids on jars, screw on rings and lower jars back into the pot of boiling water. Return to a full boil and boil the jars for 10 minutes. Transfer jars to a folded towel and allow to cool for 12 hours; you should hear them making a pinging sound as they seal.
- Step 6
Test the seals by removing rings and lifting jars by the flat lid. If the lid releases, the seal has not formed. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used within a month, or reprocessed. (Rings and jars may be reused, but a new flat lid must be used each time jars are processed.) To reprocess, reheat filling to boiling point (as in Step 4), then continue as before.
Private Notes
Comments
Finally when canning do not change any of the ingredients or the amounts - except adding sugar if the temp is too low if a temp is given (which should be). Spices like cinnamon etc (dried and ground) in small amounts are generally acceptable to add to recipes but nothing else. The lemon juice in this recipe is extremely important as it is the main acid in the canning. You MUST Use Commercially Bottled Lemon Juice- NOT Fresh. Other recipes you might see citric acid. I read many canning books.
Removing the seeds is well worth the effort trust me!
This made more than estimated- 5 cup-sized jars, not 4. And it took more time than the recipe called for too. Especially if you include clean-up! Bit to see peoples’ eyes light up when they get one of these beauties as a gift - worth every bit of it! Fantastic!
This is delicious, albeit quite a bit of work for what equated to about 4+ 8 oz jars. I think next time I would make a good portion of it in 4 oz jars. Then I'd have more jars to giveaway :) I would also try one reviewers suggestion of roasted hazelnuts instead of almonds. I ground the almond slivers in the food processor, which made them the size of raspberry seeds. I used Ghiradelli's bittersweet chocolate chips and fresh squeezed lemon juice.
Interested in making this but a little worried — has it been tested as safe for canning? If so, surprised at the use of chocolate — I know Ball has a similar recipe that uses cocoa powder, so I was thinking maybe chocolate wasn’t safe for canning.
@KW I’ve canned this recipe many times and can assure you that it’s safe, delish and stores beautifully. I often make it to gift for the holidays.
This made more than estimated- 5 cup-sized jars, not 4. And it took more time than the recipe called for too. Especially if you include clean-up! Bit to see peoples’ eyes light up when they get one of these beauties as a gift - worth every bit of it! Fantastic!