Ooooh, cherry-chocolate, that sounds fabulous! Only once have I been able to get really good cherries here. Sure wish I could more often. dianne - I linked to a discussion of this recipe. The one we are talking about is fairly far down. Carol posted it and notes that it was originally posted by Melly. I believe there are a couple other recipes in that thread, so be sure you get the Ferber one posted by Carol (readinglady). Here is a link that might be useful: Chocolate Raspberry jam

Seedmama, That does sound like a reasonable substitution, but because we're talking about fats in canning I wouldn't make it myself (and I'm considered a safety-ignoring cowboy by some on this forum). It's not hard to get a hold of actual chocolate, after all. All, Boy, I really am forgetful in my old age! I made this chocolate-raspberry jam again yesterday with my two young visiting nieces (aged 9 and 11; one is my brother's youngest from Montreal and one is my sister's from Toronto, so they were having a visit with each other at their auntie's place in between). We had a lot of fun! We went raspberry picking the day before and they worked hard in the hot sun, and then in the hot kitchen, but were very proud to make labels and bring their creations home to their families. We got a bigger yield than the recipe called for---more like 8 pints than 6 or 7 --- and we also found it very runny. This was no problem, as it gave me a chance to explain to my new young canner nieces that there is no such thing as a failed jam, only successful sauce! But now I went looking for this old thread to reread, and I see that when I made this jam several years ago it ALSO came out runny, but then set up almost firm a few days later! So maybe that will happen again. I had to laugh at myself because I had the same thing with the boiling---we addded the sugar after a minute of what looked like a "full, roiling boil," but then when it heated back up again it boiled much harder and I thought we should have waited longer before adding it. Sigh! You'd think an editor would know to check her sources. Anyway, we used the recipe Gardengrl had posted, calling for 3 ounces of chocolate---used a 100-gram bittersweet bar of a quality grocery house brand. MMM is it good. If it doesn't set up to be spreadable it's going to end up getting stirred into oatmeal and poured on pancakes. We love to jazz up our winter breakfasts around here with home-canned jars from the happy harvest days.... Z, who enjoyed reliving her wedding and Annie's!

The issue is that chocolate in jam(as opposed to cocoa) doesn't follow U.S. canning standards. It's the fat and the dairy that're the issue. White chocolate would be even less acceptable than dark. I'd be concerned that white chocolate might turn out oily integrated into a preserve. I'm not sure how you'd retain the delicate character. That being said, the raspberries are high-acid and there's plenty of sugar, so if I chose to BWB and shelve, I wouldn't agonize about it. I'm wasn't sure about the source of your disappointment. Are you disappointed with the flavor once cooled or the set? What can happen with preserves is they end up being cooked over a long period and they thicken but they don't really "set"; as a result of the slower process the flavor is less fresh. This can be a real problem with some stoves and pans. Just less-than-ideal conditions. Because of the chocolate and the de-seeded puree the set in this preserve is a bit more problematic anyway. Generally you can cook to about 218-219 for a sauce. One benefit of refrigeration is you can achieve things not possible with canning. So I'm imagining this raspberry preserve soft-set, cooled and thick but still pourable (think curds) and layered in a slender jar. Raspberry preserve, chocolate ganache, raspberry preserve, chocolate ganache, etc. White chocolate would be especially pretty. It would make a lovely gift great for poundcake, ice cream, whatever. Or just sneaking out spoon-by-spoon a bit at a time. Carol

I really can't say other than what the guidelines tell us. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/reduced_sugar_spread.html If you look at the low-sugar tested and approved recipes then the standard minimum ratio is 4:2 cups fruit to sugar. The use of gelatin is optional, not required but the guidelines apply to any reduced sugar fruit spread recipe whether you use the gelatin or not - no processing and fridge storage only for up to 4 weeks. Plus all of them have additional added acid - as much as 1/2 cup lemon juice or pineapple, etc. The only approved alternative is to freeze them. BWB processing time isn't relevant to the safety issue - thus the no processing guidelines. 212 degrees is the best a BWB gets you and it isn't enough to kill many molds/bacteria. All it does is create a vacuum and you do not want a vacuum environment when the pH is unknown as many molds and bacteria can grow even faster in a vacuum. Think of it this way. You are not making "jam", not in the true sense of that label. You are making a fruit spread and fruit spreads have their own set of guidelines and limitations. So if you want reduced sugar then you have 2 tested and approved methods: (a) lo-no sugar pectin for the acidity protection OR (b) a ratio of 2:1 fruit to sugar with recommended amounts of added acid and no BWB processing, fridge storage, and 4 week life span. If you deviate from either of those 2 guidelines then you are into risk areas and it is your choice. I don't mean to sound blunt but when it comes to canning safety for shelf storage we can't always have everything we want so we have to compromise. We either adjust our recipe back to its approved norms or we find alternative ways to store the recipe the way we want it to be. In this case, make it the way you want, no BWB processing, and freeze it. When you take a jar out of the freezer just keep it in the fridge and throw it away within 4 weeks. OK? Dave