Boozy Peach Jam

There's nothing quite like a fresh peach, but so often I end up with peaches that are woody or don't ripen beautifully. We invested in some beautiful peaches last month, but we ate them all before any could become jam. This recipe from Love & Olive Oil was intriguing enough that I text my husband and asked him to bring home 4 pounds of peaches. I knew we'd easily eat the extra pound because my son adores peaches. 

Boozy Peach Jam

3 lbs. ripe peaches
2 cups sugar, divided
6 Tbsp. lemon juice, divided
2 tsp. Pomona's Universal Pectin
1 1/2 tsp. calcium water
1/2 cup bourbon, divided

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Cut a shallow X on the bottom of each peach, blanch for 30 seconds and then submerge in an ice water bath. Once cool, peaches should peel easily. Cut in half, remove pits, and then chop the rest of peaches into roughly 1/2-inch pieces. You should have about 5 cups of chopped fruit.

Toss peaches with 3 Tbsp. lemon juice and 1 cup of sugar. Cover tightly and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, stirring once or twice to keep the peaches coated with their own juices. 

Once peaches have macerated, prepare jars and supplies for canning. 

Combine remaining sugar and pectin, and set aside.

Bring to a simmer, and cook 10-15 minutes, mashing as it softens, to get to the desired consistency. Add remaining lemon juice, calcium water and 6 Tbsp. of bourbon. Bring to a full boil, stirring occasionally. Whisk in sugar/pectin, stirring continuously until mixture returns to a full boil. Stir in remaining 2 Tbsp. bourbon, and remove from heat. (If you prefer a kid-friendly jam, omit the last of the bourbon or add it all prior to boiling.) 

Ladle jam into prepared jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Cool completely, and refrigerate any unsealed jars. 

Depression Era Peanut Butter Bread

 This is the third peanut butter recipe in a row on my blog. Obviously, I love peanut butter, so this recipe from Sprinkle Bakes caught my attention. I saw it yesterday and was able to bake it today. It's definitely best served with a glass of milk, full of peanut butter flavor and delicious. 

Depression Era Peanut Butter Bread

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1 1/3 cups milk

Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, stir together the peanut butter and honey. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients along with the milk. Mix using an electric mixer on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the bowl, and fold the batter until no streaks of flour remain.

Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan. Scrape batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour, until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. 

Let the bread cool 5 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool further. Slice using a serrated knife. Serve warm or cool. Makes 1 loaf.