Ways to Use Up Jam

The never ending jam saga over here at From the Hart Farm. A few years ago I made too much jam. This year I am determined to get it all used up. If you’ve been around you’ve definitely heard me talking about it. In fact, several recipes were born simply because of this. Which got me thinking, maybe there are others like me? If you’ve ever found yourself in my situation, I’m offering a roundup of ways to use up jam so we can all clear out our cupboards. 

Jam Coffee Cake

This is my absolute favorite of the ways to use up jam! Coffee cakes are one of my favorite treats as it is. I’ve always loved the cream cheese ones but this jam coffee cake is a close second. It’s got that cinnamon sugar piece to it that makes it extra delicious. Slice this up with your coffee for a sweet breakfast treat. 

Jam Quick Bread

I like jam bread because it has versatile purposes. Can you serve it for breakfast? Heck yes. Can you serve it for dessert? Absolutely! This one is good any time of day. Slather on some butter and you’ve got yourself a great afternoon snack.

Strawberry Blondies

Contrary to the name, you can use different jam flavors here. Make them into blueberry blondies or apple blondies with some apple butter. They are an awesome dessert that still allows you to use up all different flavors of jam. Of course my favorite is strawberry, but that’s usually the case with jam.

Jam Cake

Not to be confused the the jam coffee cake. They are pretty similar but have some distinct differences too. This is not one that I would serve with coffee. Okay, maybe I would! Life is too short to not eat the cake for breakfast sometimes! As with all of these recipes, get creative with your jam flavors to make this one unique.

Jam and Fruit Cobbler

This yummy desert may be the easiest of the ways to use up jam. Dump some fruit and jam in a pan. Top is with a quick cobbler crust and yours done! There is so much room for creativity here. Mix and match different flavors of fruits and jams for a sweet treat. 

Jam or Jelly

The age old question. Jam or jelly. Are they really that different. I believe I get into this in one of my previous posts. If you really want to know the difference go check out the jam coffee cake. However, for our purposes here they are going to be interchangeable. You can use jam or jelly in any of these recipes. They are similar enough that they are going to perform in the same way.

It literally comes down to how much fruit is in the jar. Chunks of fruit are not going to change any of these. I’ve tried them with both! For the purposes of being able to do a roundup, I’m calling them all “jam.” Again, feel free to use jelly if you have it. 

Not Setting? 

The other reason that you might find yourself looking for ways to use up jam is that it didn’t set. That’s right, these recipes will work well if you have jam or jelly that didn’t set. I know this firsthand because I have been in this situation as well. I made a batch of olive berry jam that just didn’t set. Not one jar! I’m still not sure what I messed up but it was something big. We also had some of our grape jelly not set. 

I’m really big on not throwing stuff away. Just ask my husband who has suffered through some super spicy food because I accidentally canned extremely hot peppers. I keep trying to use them instead of throw them out. In that same manner, I’m trying to use up all the non-setting olive berry and grape jam that we have lying around. Another thing that I’m hoping to have cleared up before next canning season.

In Summary: Ways to Use up Jam

Whether it’s just making too much or non-setting jam, there are definitely ways to use up jam. These are just 5 easy recipes that we like to use. I’ll also throw it on top of meat for an easy marinade, giving it a sweet flavor. This is especially good for chicken! However, my favorite way to use it up is to bake with it. Jam and jelly is so sweet that it allows me to cut down on the sugar in recipes by quite a bit. That’s even with the low sugar Pemona’s pectin version of jelly too. Pemona’s is the only way I like to make jam anymore and it even allows me to cut recipes so I don’t end up in this situation again (hopefully).

What is your favorite jam or jelly flavor? I’m all about the berries. I love strawberry or raspberry the most. A good apple butter is close too and super good in the fall. The only kind I won’t eat is orange marmalade, but my husband loves it! Let us know if you’re team orange marmalade in the comments!