Queen's Jam (Raspberry Blueberry Jam)

Scandinavian-inspired, Queen's Jam is a sweet blueberry-studded, raspberry confection. It's easy to make (no canning skills needed),  fabulous on toast, scones, biscuits, waffles, pancakes etc. and so delicious, it's worthy of royalty!

I love recipes with a fun name and an interesting history. And if they're also incredibly delicious and super easy to make, it rings all my bells! So you can imagine, having my freezer and refrigerator stocked with glistening, crimson jars of this beautiful Queen's Jam makes me a happy camper. And those who have been recipients of this heavenly sweet confection seem to feel the same way!

This recipe actually started with an email from a reader. She asked if I had a blueberry freezer jam recipe. I've made blueberry jam in the past, but it's not been one of my favorites due to the abundance of blueberry skins in the jam. You can use a food processor to remedy that problem but that adds another step and another dirty dish to wash. So I did a little research and discovered this lovely and delicious Queen's Jam, a combination of raspberries and blueberries.

The history of Queen's jam is not super clear with most sources saying it's Swedish-inspired and a few claiming it has Finnish origins. From doing a bit of research, it sounds like it was originally made with wild raspberries and blueberries, but these days it seems there are a number of Swedish companies that make and distribute Queen's Jam. I even found it for sale on Amazon, imported from Sweden and describing it as "a most balanced marriage of two berries, raspberries and wild blueberries." 

A royal blend

Where does the "queen's" part come in? I'm not really sure, just assuming that this jam is so delicious it's worthy of royalty. It could also be the color. When you combine raspberries and blueberries, the result is a very regal crimson hue. With these two attributes, I think this jam deserves its name! And any way you look at it, the name Queen's Jam is much more interesting and intriguing than Raspberry-Blueberry Jam, right?

A royal name deserves a royal appearance

This delicious Queen's jam makes a lovely gift to give to a friend, neighbor, co-worker, etc. Give the jam on its own or whip up a batch of these Buttermilk Biscuits, these  Sugar-Topped Scones or these Brioche Dinner Rolls (all from our Ridiculously Easy Series) to pair perfectly with this royal jam.

With such a fun name, I decided that this jam definitely needed a pretty label to dress it up. Feel free to leave me a comment below if you'd like a printable PDF of these labels for yourself. They're easy to print up and cut out. The PDF can also be used with Avery sticky labels. Either glue the labels to the top or side of your jars or slip a label right on top of the lid of a mason jelly jar and screw on the band.

A few important tricks

Freezer jam can have issues with graininess and not setting (or thickening) well. I've discovered, after doing lots of testing and experimenting that not dissolving the sugar thoroughly can cause both of these problems in freezer jam. Most freezer jam recipes call for stirring the fruit and sugar together, adding the pectin, stirring again and then it's ready to be ladled into jars.

I've found that following these directions can cause grainy, loose (syrupy) results. A tiny little trick and a bit of extra time makes all the difference in the world. I simply microwave the sugar/fruit mixture for 3 minutes. The mixture gets hot, causing the sugar to dissolve, but the fresh flavor of the fruit is not affected. After the microwave stint, I stir the jam and then let it sit while taking care of other things. Every now and then I give it another good stir.

A little burst of blueberry in each delicious bite

I believe, from what I've read, that Queen's jam traditionally is a half and half mix of raspberries and blueberries. I took some liberty in making my recipe a little different. I use 1½ cups of crushed raspberries and ½ cup of crushed blueberries since the crushed blueberries aren't nearly as pretty as the raspberries. Just before ladling the jam into jars, I add an additional cup of whole blueberries. This gives you a little burst of blueberry in each spoonful of jam.

I've had a few jars of Queen's Jam in the refrigerator for about 10 days now and the blueberries have remained plump and pretty. I've also frozen some with delicious results after thawing.

Make someone's day!

Want to brighten someone's day and make them feel special (like royalty)? Make a batch of this delightful Queen's Jam, ladle it into jars and attach a pretty little label to identify and describe the delicious jam. Add a loaf of homemade bread or one of the Ridiculously Easy recipes listed above and you'll have a friend for life! If you don't have time to bake, pick up some good English muffins or a package of crumpets (Trader Joes has wonderful crumpets) for a fabulous treat.

Café Tips for making this Queen's Jam

• This recipe calls for Certo. Certo is a liquid fruit pectin that’s available at most larger grocery stores and online. It’s usually found in the same aisle that has canning jars, lids, etc. If you have trouble finding it, ask at the front desk as stores will stock it in different areas.
• Liquid and dry pectins are not interchangeable.
• You can use fresh or frozen raspberries for this jam. Frozen raspberries generally come in 12-ounce bags. One bag should be enough to equal 1½ cups of crushed berries. You'll need about a cup of blueberries to equal ½ cup of crushed blueberries
• Jam and jelly making is an exact science meaning you need to measure very carefully to ensure good results. I love improvising with recipes but I’ve learned it doesn’t work well (without lots of trial and error) with jam (and jelly).
• Freezer jam is not processed in a water bath, so it’s not stable at room temperature like traditional jam that can be kept in the pantry before it’s opened. If you’re giving this raspberry freezer jam as a gift, be sure to tell the recipient that it should be stored in the refrigerator (or freezer for long term storage). It's fine to have it out at room temperature for and hour or two while serving.
• In addition to serving this Queen's Jam on biscuits, scones, toast, etc. we love it on my Ridiculously Easy Seeded Focaccia. I slice it thick, butter it lightly then toast it until golden in a sauté pan. So… good!
• I love to use pretty jars for my jams and jellies. These Weck Tulip Jars are one of my favorites.

• I also really like these French-made jars by Quattro Stagioni.

• If you'd like the PDF for the labels pictured above, just leave me a comment below and I will email it to you.

Thought for the day:

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Queen's Jam (Raspberry Blueberry Jam)

Scandinavian-inspired, Queen's Jam is a sweet blueberry-studded, raspberry confection. It's easy to make (no canning skills needed), fabulous on toast, scones, biscuits, waffles, pancakes etc. and so delicious it's worthy of royalty!

Author: Chris Scheuer

Servings: 80 1 tablespoon servings

Calories: 40 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups crushed raspberries 1 12-ounce bag of frozen raspberries or about 2 cups of fresh raspberries
• ½ cup crushed blueberries about 1 cups of fresh berries
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 pouch CERTO liquid fruit pectin
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 heaping cup fresh blueberries

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Wash glass jars or plastic containers and lids with hot soapy water. Rinse well then dry thoroughly. (I like to run mine through the dishwasher.)

2. Crush the raspberries thoroughly (I use a potato masher for this). Measure exactly 1 ½ cups of the crushed berries into a large microwave-safe bowl.
3. Crush the blueberries with a fork or potato masher. Measure exactly ½ cup into the bowl with the raspberries.
4. Stir in sugar until thoroughly combined. Scrape sides of the bowl to incorporate sugar crystals along the edges.
5. Place the bowl in the microwave on high power for 3 minutes. (Mixture will not cook but will become warm enough for sugar to dissolve). Remove from microwave and stir well for another minute.

6. Allow the fruit/sugar mixture to sit for 2 hours, giving it a good stir about every 30 minutes. Take a taste to make sure the sugar is dissolved. If it still has a bit of a grainy texture, stir for another minute or two until sugar is well-dissolved. When the sugar is well-dissolved the mixture will actually deepen in color and lose it's "cloudiness". That's when you're ready for the next step.

7. Mix pectin and lemon juice. Add to fruit/sugar mixture; stir for 3 minutes. (Don’t cheat. Set a timer!)

8. Add one rounded cupful of fresh blueberries
9. Fill containers to within ½ inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers and cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
10. The jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in the refrigerator before using.

Recipe Notes

See Café Tips above for more detailed instructions and further tips.

Adapted from Kraft.

Makes 5 cups of jam.

Calories 40kcal

Fat 1g

Saturated fat 1g

Sodium 1mg

Potassium 4mg

Carbohydrates 10g

Fiber 1g

Sugar 10g

Protein 1g

Vitamin A 1%

Vitamin C 1%

Calcium 1%

Iron 1%

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