9 best step-by-step recipes for apple jelly with and without gelatin for the winter

Apple jelly prepared for the winter is a delicious dish that will come in handy for your everyday and holiday tables. Apples are a storehouse of vitamins, and even in a canned state they retain a lot of vitamins. And jelly options, supplemented with cinnamon, mint, quince, pumpkin or cranberry, will be a real find for those who would like to keep their immunity in order during the cold season.

General cooking principles

Apple jelly is prepared according to various recipes, but it is important to remember that the seeds and any hard parts must be removed. If they remain, the banks will certainly swell, and all the housewife’s efforts will go down the drain. With the addition of gelatin, making jelly is much faster, but still it will not be a completely natural product. But choosing a recipe without gelatin will delight you with its taste, spicy, rich aroma and unusual consistency. In any case, the applesauce is evaporated over low heat in a saucepan with thick walls and a bottom until completely thickened.

Selection and preparation of the main ingredient

Choosing the right apples is very important. The taste of the dish depends on them. Any variety is suitable, but the fruits must be juicy, elastic, fresh, without defects, bruises, cracks, or signs of rotting. Alas, the color of the puree will be identical in any case, so there is no point in taking bright fruits.

On average, from one kilogram of apples, if you take into account the entire process of processing and evaporation, you get up to 200 grams of jelly. Therefore, if you plan to make a kilo of jam, then you need to take 5 kilos of fresh product.

How to prepare the container?

A mandatory step is proper sterilization of the jars. You should:

• carefully inspect the containers for chips and cracks (these cannot be used);
• wash thoroughly under running cold water with detergents, you can use soda;
• rinse with boiling water and set to sterilize.

Sterilization can be carried out using various methods.If the supply of apples is large and you plan to close a lot of jars, then you can put them in the oven for 15 minutes with their necks down, and then rearrange them, preventing air from entering, on a clean cloth. If there are only a few jars, then each can be placed in the microwave or on the spout of a kettle with boiling water.

How to make apple jelly for the winter?

You can use the following recipes.

Recipe without gelatin

The recipe without using gelatin is the simplest in nature. The list of ingredients is minimal, but the taste will amaze even gourmets. The possibility of cooking without the use of gelatin is due to the fact that apples contain pectin, which itself acts as a natural thickener (therefore the skin is not removed). You will need:

• 1 kilogram of apples;
• half a liter of water;
• 400 grams of sand.

The main product is thoroughly washed, the core is removed, and cut into slices of 2-3 centimeters. Place apples in pans and add water, boil over low heat. You can’t stir, you need to wait for the juice to appear. After this, the liquid is expressed. Add sugar to the resulting broth and cook over low heat until thickened. The finished composition is laid out in jars and rolled up.

Without sterilization

To prepare thick jam you will need:

• 1 kg apples;
• 800 g sugar;
• teaspoon of citric acid.

The fruits are cut in half, the seeds are removed, and immersed in water in which citric acid is diluted. Keep for 15 minutes, after which it is prepared according to the standard recipe. Acid is a universal way to make sterilization unnecessary.

Cinnamon

For this recipe you will need:

• 2 kg apples;
• 1.5 liters of water;
• 400 grams of sugar;
• 4 sticks of natural cinnamon (do not use packaged cinnamon).

In essence, the process is identical to the standard one; cinnamon is added at the last stage (there is no need to roll with it).

With mint

The option with mint will cheer you up in cold weather. The mint must be taken fresh, only the leaves, and not all the branches at once.

For aroma, it is added to the boiling mixture; it can be left in the finished composition during rolling - it will give a greenish tint.

Spicy jelly

Need to:

• 1.5 kg apples;
• 500 g sugar;
• 10 carnation stars;
• lemon.

Cloves and fruits are simmered over low heat until soft, then whipped with a blender (the foam is removed). Add sugar and lemon juice and cook until thickened.

With cranberries and quince

Cranberry and quince will add a piquant taste to the jam. Necessary:

• 1 kg of main ingredient;
• 0.3 kg cranberries;
• 0.5 kg quince.

Everything is thoroughly cleaned. While the apples are being prepared according to the standard recipe, the cranberries and quinces are being prepared. They can be passed through a sieve or ground in a blender. Pour into applesauce when it has already boiled for 15 minutes. Wait for complete thickening. Sometimes this recipe will require the addition of gelatin.

With gelatin

Gelatin is a thickener that will help save time on preservation. The fruits are finely chopped and passed through a juicer (a blender will also work). The foam is removed from the resulting juice. Gelatin is diluted with water according to the instructions and left to swell.

Gelatin is placed in a saucepan with juice, sugar is added. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a spoon. It is impossible to allow it to boil; as soon as the process begins, the mass is removed and rolled into jars.

With pumpkin

The pumpkin is cut into small pieces and steamed in a frying pan with a thick bottom. When the apples are almost ready, add the mixture to the puree.You need to make sure that the pumpkin is fresh and of a sweet variety.

From apple juice

You will need to take fresh produce and process it using a juicer. The resulting juice without foam is placed on low heat and cooked together with granulated sugar. Gelatin is diluted and added at the last stage. Do not allow foam to appear (it is removed with a spoon during the process) and the mass to boil.

Expiration date and storage rules

Apple jelly is not a very perishable product, but it should be taken into account that the longer it is stored, the more vitamins are lost. Therefore, it is advisable to eat prepared jam in the first year and not allow it to be stored for 2 or more years.

Closed jars are placed in a cool and dark place, and open jars must be placed in the refrigerator.