Clean Strawberry Skillet Jam

I did a bad thing yesterday and left a colander full of fresh strawberries out all day and night. When I found them today they were pretty soft and starting to bruise in some spots. Not good enough to eat as is, passable in a smoothie but best in jam!

This skillet jam is a no-brainer. It doesn't take a large amount of fruit and takes no time at all to cook up a batch. Spoon it over toast, scones, or my favourite way, over top of ice cream.

The strawberries are so sweet on their own that a whole lot of added sugar isn't necessary. The apricot preserves add extra sweetness as well as act as a thickening agent. The vanilla is optional but it adds such great flavour and makes your kitchen smell fabulous. You don't want to skip the vanilla!

Yields about 1 1/2 cups

2 cups small diced strawberries
1 tbsp sucanat
1 tbsp low-cal apricot preserves
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Add diced strawberries to a saucepan. Using a potato masher or the back of a spoon, gently mash the strawberries a little bit to extract some juice.Add the sucanat and apricot preserves and stir well.

2. Cook mixture over medium-high heat, stirring often. When a liquid consistency is reached, add vanilla extract. Continue to mash up any large pieces using the back of a spoon or a small masher. Bring to a low boil and continue cooking jam for about 10 minutes until syrup thickens.



3. Remove from heat and let cool. It will continue to thicken as it cools. If you prefer a smoother jam, use an immersion blender to puree mixture, or leave as is for a chunky, rustic texture. I did a half & half and pulsed my mixture with the immersion blender a couple times, but kept some chunks as well.

4. Spoon into a glass jar or other container with a tight fitting lid. Jam keeps in the refrigerator for a couple weeks, but it probably won't last that long!



For a different flavour combination, substitute another flavour of preserves in place of apricot. Blackberry would be fantastic!

Use it over vanilla ice cream. Trust me. :)