Canned Brandy Spiced Pears Recipe (2024)

‘Tis the season. If you have a lot of pears to preserve you will love this home canning recipe for pears. Rich and spicy, this canned pears recipe is the perfect way to preserve that fresh fruit bounty.

Do you have pear trees growing in your yard? Bought extra pears from a farm stand or at the grocery stores and have more than you can possibly eat? Grab your canner and ripe pears and let’s made and store some canned pears!

Canned Brandy Spiced Pears Recipe

This is a great recipe to make when you have extra fresh pears. There are many ways to preserve pears including pear butter, raw packing pears, pressure canning, freezing, freeze-drying, or dehydrating. This recipe is a water bath canning process with a little added flavor in the recipe.

The most commonly preserved types of pears in the United States are Bartlett pears, D’Anjou pears, or Bosc pears. Those are considered the best pears for canning. For more information on the type of pear most suitable for canning, click here.

This recipe does not use sugar, the sweetness comes from the natural fruit juice as well as the added honey. If you prefer cups of sugar in your canning pears, this is not the recipe for you.

Where do I find crystallized ginger?

Crystallized ginger can be found in the spice aisle at your supermarket or health foods store. During the holiday season, you may also find it in the holiday baking or produce aisles.

Can I substitute the brandy in this recipe?

Both bourbon and rum make great substitutes for the brandy, but they will change the flavor of the pears. For a non-alcoholic version of this recipe, omit the brandy and increase the juice by ¼ cup.

Tips and variations for making this canned brandy spiced pears recipe:

● For a deeper flavor depth, substitute cranberry juice or apple cider for the apple juice.
● While these pears are quartered, you could also can pear halves, or small pieces of diced pears.
● The shelf life for these canned spiced pears is 2-3 years. I recommend you eat them within a year.
● This recipe uses pin jars. I do not know the processing time if you want to use quart jars.
● Wash your canning jars, lids, gaskets, screw tops in the dishwasher on the sanitize cycle, in boiling water on the stove, or in extremely hot sink water.
● Different altitudes may impact this recipe.
● These are terrific when served with vanilla ice cream.
● You can also serve with real whipped cream. Yum!
● Store the jars in a single layer in a dark place without the screw top ring on so you can keep an eye on the seal of the lid and make sure it is not compromised during canning and storage. You, of course, can keep the rings on if you prefer.
● This recipe came from the Better Homes and Gardens Complete Canning Guide, page 168. If you can a lot and are looking for some interesting canning recipes, you want this cookbook.

If you enjoy canned fruit recipes, you may want to try these canning recipes:

● Canned Drunken Vanilla Bourbon Peaches Recipe
● Canned Cinnamon Apples Recipe
● Canned Spiced Port Plums Recipe

Canned Brandy Spiced Pears Recipe Ingredients:

● 6 lbs firm Pears (approximately 15 pears)
● 1 TBSP Fruit Fresh (ascorbic acid)
● 4 Cups Apple Juice
● 1½ Cups Honey
● ½ cup Lemon Juice (bottled)
● 3 TBSP Crystallized Ginger
● 2 Cinnamon Sticks, broken
● ½ tsp Whole Cloves
● ¼ cup Brandy

Canned Brandy Spiced Pears Mise en Place:

● Water Bath Canner
● 6 Pint Canning Jars with lids
● Knife
● Cutting Board
● Peeler
● Measuring Cup
● Measuring Spoons
● Large Saucepan/ Large Pot
● Strainer
● Spatula
● Slotted Spoon
● Ladle
● Wire Rack

Canned Brandy Spiced Pears Recipe Directions:

1. Wash your canning jars, lids, gaskets, screw tops in the dishwasher on the sanitize cycle, in boiling water on the stove, or in extremely hot sink water.
2. Dissolve Fruit Fresh in a large bowl of water.
3. Peel and quarter pears. Remove seeds.
4. Submerge pears in Fruit Fresh mixture. Set aside.

5. In a large saucepan, combine juice, honey, lemon juice, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil, while stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
6. Drain pears and add to syrup mixture. Add brandy to the syrup mixture and bring to a boil. Once the mixture has boiled, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Use a slotted spoon to pack pears into hot jars. Leave a ½” headspace.
8. Ladle syrup over pears, leaving a ½” headspace.

9. Using a rubber spatula, remove air bubbles from the jar. If needed, add more syrup to maintain the ½” headspace.
10. Wipe rims at the top of the jar and fit jars with lids and rings.
11. Process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes.

12. Remove jars from the canner and cool on a towel or wire racks.

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