If the issue is pH, and from the above comments it is, you can test your jelly's pH and know for sure if it will store safely. (I have just started canning, myself, so I read this thread to see what the folks here thought of the reduced sugar's effect on preserving the food. I don't know anything about that, but I know how to test pH.) According to the WSU extension site, and others, your food needs to be below 4.6 pH in order to prevent botulism from growing. Having strayed from the recipe, your jelly may be too low in acid/too high of a pH. Maybe not. If you are willing to spend $10-$15 on some pH paper, (or you know someone in a science lab) you can find out your jelly's pH. You will have to find narrow-range pH paper, I have used pHydrion brand, in the range of 2.8-4.6. I've just found that for $8 on the site in the link below. When I tested my jelly, I first placed some pH paper in vinegar and/or lemon juice, to test that the paper was working properly. It indicated a PH lower than 2.8, which is correct. I tested each batch--luckily I did not have to open sealed jars; I had some extra from each batch that went into the fridge. I warmed my jelly to make it more spreadable, massaged it onto the paper, then wiped it off and compared the paper to the color chart. I also did a run where I added a couple of drops of distilled water to make the jelly more spreadable. It had the same results, but was a little easier to do. Since a roll of pH paper will last for many years, it seems an excellent investment--especially for beginning canners! Oh, I just found this excellent resource. I wish I had it a month ago! http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/foodsci/ext/pubs/formulatingdressings.PDF Here is a link that might be useful: chemassociates.com

I have a weakness for croissants. When I make them I will fill some with a little jam or nut filling (almond is wonderful) and I bake some plain. Chicken salad makes a great filling and if there is still any plain croissants left, I make them into breakfast sandwiches. Croissants Food Network Please Note: The final rise after shaping can take awhile in a cool kitchen. If you put them into a warm oven, be careful! If the oven is too warm it will melt the butter, which will then run out when baking. Ask me how I know... 1 ounce fresh yeast or 1/2 pkg instant yeast 3 1/2 cups unbleached flour 1/4 cup white or packed brown sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1 cup milk, or more 1 pound unsalted butter 2 tablespoons flour, for dusting 1 egg 1 tablespoon milk In a mixer with a dough hook, place the yeast, flour, sugar, salt and the milk and mix for 2 minutes until a soft moist dough forms on the hook. If most of the flour isn't moistened with this quantity of milk, add more, a tablespoon at a time until it is moistened and smooth, using up to 4 tablespoons. Turn mixer on high and mix for another 4 minutes until very smooth and elastic. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a floured board, cover with a damp tea towel and allow it to rest for 15 minutes to relax the gluten. Remove the towel and, using a French rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10 by 9-inch rectangle 5/8-inch thick. Wrap in plastic then chill for 1 hour and up to overnight. Ten minutes before the dough is done resting in the refrigerator, prepare the butter. Beat it with your rolling pin on a floured surface to soften it and form a rectangle 6 by 8 1/2 inches. Place it between parchment paper or plastic wrap and set aside. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it on a floured work surface into a 10 by 15-inch and 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Brush any excess flour off the dough. Place the shorter side of the dough parallel to the front of your body on the work surface. Place the butter in the middle, long-ways. Fold the bottom up over the butter and brush off any excess flour and then fold the top down over the butter to overlap and encase the butter. Press down lightly with the rolling pin to push all the layers together and make sure they have contact. Continue rolling the laminated (layered) dough to form a new 10 by 15-inch rectangle, patching any holes with a dusting of flour where butter may have popped through. Fold into thirds, like a letter, brush off any excess flour and mark it with an indentation made by poking your finger once at the corner of the dough meaning you have completed the first "turn". Wrap well in plastic and chill 1 hour and up to overnight. Do this again three more times (some people only do 3 turns total, some do 6, some do 3 plus what's called a "wallet" turn for the last one which is a 4 fold turn that's folded into itself like a book jacket) marking it accordingly each time and chilling in between each turn. After the fourth turn, you can let the dough chill overnight, or, for 1 hour, or, roll it out to a 13 by 24-inch square that is a little less than 1/4-inch thick and cut out your croissants and shape them. I roll out my dough and cut it with a sharp large knife into 6-inch strips then cut them into triangles, 4 inches wide at the base of the triangle (or for a more curved croissant cut the triangles 6 inches wide). Stretch these triangles again 9 inches long, then place on the work surface and put a piece of scrap dough in the center of the wide end to enclose, which will plump up the center. Roll the triangles up toward you starting at the wide end and place them 2 inches apart on a parchment lined sheet pan with the tip tucked under and the ends slightly curved in to make a crescent shape. You may freeze the croissants at this point, or, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk and brush the croissants with this egg wash. To proof the croissants, place them in an oven that is warm but not turned on, with a pan of hot water in the bottom to create a moist environment like a proof box. Set aside to proof for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours until puffed up and spongy to the touch. Remove from the oven. Spritz a preheated 425 degree F oven with water, close the door, and get the croissants. Place the croissants in the oven and spritz again, close the door and turn the oven down to 400 degrees F. After 10 minutes, rotate your pan if they are cooking unevenly and turn the oven down to 375 degrees F. Bake another 5 to 8 minutes until golden brown. Traditional Hot Cross Buns (source unknown) serves 12 3 cups flour Note: I hold out about 1/2 C of this flour and add if dough seems too soft) 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. all spice 1/2 tsp. nutmeg cinnamon 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 egg, beaten 3/4 cup raisins 1/3 cup candied citron fruit Yeast Mixture: 1 Tbs. dry yeast 1 Tbs. sugar 2/3 cup warm milk 1/2 cup warm water 1 cup flour Glaze: 2 Tbs. milk 2 Tbs. water 3 Tbs. sugar Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Mix all yeast ingredients in a bowl. Set aside and let it foam. Sift flour, salt, spice, and sugar in a second bowl. Add fruits and mix well. Mix butter, eggs and add to yeast mixture. Add yeast mixture to flour mixture. Knead dough on floured surface, 8\-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Divide into 12 equal pieces, shape into round buns. Place rolls close together in a baking pan. Cover and let rise at warm room temperature for 45 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut an X\-shape on the dough surface. Bake in oven at 425 degrees F for 15\-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on rack. Make glaze by bringing ingredients to boil in a saucepan for 2 minutes. Brush glaze over buns thickly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hot Cross Buns with Dried Sour Cherries www ( ?? ) Yield: 16 buns For Buns: 6 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 cup milk 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves Grated zest of one lemon 1/4 cup warm water 2 packages (1/2 ounce or 4 1/2 tsp) active dry yeast 1 whole egg plus 2 egg yolks 3 1/3 cups all\-purpose unbleached flour, plus more for kneading 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup dried sour cherries 1/2 cup chopped pistachios (I omit) Melted unsalted butter for pan and brushing 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon milk (glaze) For Icing: 1 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar 1 to 2 teaspoons milk, heated Buns: Combine 5 tablespoons of the sugar, the milk, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and lemon zest in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the milk is hot and the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl. Let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, combine the warm water with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes. Whisk the whole egg, the egg yolks, and the yeast into the cooled milk. In another bowl, stir together the 3 1/3 cups flour and the salt. Add the yeast mixture, stirring until a sticky dough forms. Stir in the sour cherries and pistachios. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board or countertop and knead until smooth and elastic, 10 to 15 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle with a little more flour. Transfer to a lightly buttered bowl and brush the surface with a little melted butter. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft\-free place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Punch down and knead briefly. Re\-cover and let rise a second time, about 30 minutes. Punch the dough down again and knead briefly. Divide into quarters and divide each quarter into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball and place in a lightly buttered 9\-by\-13\-inch pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise a final time until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the buns with the egg glaze. Bake until golden brown and the buns sound hollow when rapped on the bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon warm milk in a bowl. Stir until smooth, adding another 1 teaspoon milk if needed to achieve a smooth consistency. Spoon into a pastry bag or a lock\-top sandwich bag, seal, and snip off the tip of one corner. Squeeze the icing from the bag, piping a cross over each cooled bun. Serve the buns at room temperature. Nancy

Is this it?: Marlen's Coffeecake 1 box white cake mix with no pudding in the mix 1 (4-serving-size) box instant vanilla pudding 8 oz. sour cream 1/2 cup vegetable oil 4 eggs Topping: 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup chopped walnuts 1-1/2 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon 1-1/2 heaping teaspoon cocoa Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 10" Bundt pan. Mix all cake mix ingredients together at once. Beat at least 5 minutes-do not under-beat. Put half of the batter in pan and sprinkle with half the topping. Add the rest of the batter. Sprinkle the rest of the topping. Cut through well with knife so that topping is mixed with the batter. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Cool 10 minutes before turning out. Note from Marlen: I like to make extra topping and sprinkle some of it on the pan before adding the batter. I found a bunch of her recipes here on a quick Google search. I love her picadillo.

You could roll the dough out into a longish rectangle, spread one or more of the fillings in the center, then cut angled slashed strips of the dough from the outside edges to the center, but not cutting into the dough covered by the filling. Now, alternate placing the slashed strips across the filling in a sort of braid design. Brush the top with a beaten egg mixed with a TB of water. Sprinkle with sliced almonds if you have them. Bake in a medium oven (350-375) until golden brown and done on the bottom. While warm, drizzle with 10X powdered sugar mixed with milk and a little vanilla and drizzle this glaze all over the top of the braid. Feel better now? Teresa