Clear Apple Preserves with Slices
Amber slices in syrup! Only two ingredients for a masterpiece. Clear apple preserves with slices are like honey - transparent, thick, and incredibly beautiful! They’re cooked in stages with breaks so the apple slices soak up the syrup, stay whole, and turn almost like candied fruit.
Updated : 15 January, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
1 kilograms
Apple
1 kilograms
Sugar
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare the needed ingredients. Measure the sugar after slicing the apples so you can match it precisely to the apples’ weight. Choose apples that are not too hard but not mushy - it's important the slices keep their shape after cooking. Adjust sweetness to taste.
Step 2
Wash the apples well and pat dry. Cut into quarters and remove the cores. Then slice thinly. The thinner the slices, the prettier the preserves. Do not peel the apples - peeled slices can fall apart during cooking and you’ll end up with jam rather than clear preserves.
Step 3
To make the apples release juice, cover them with sugar. Weigh the sliced apples and measure out the same weight of sugar (a 1:1 ratio by weight - e.g., 1 lb apples : 1 lb sugar). Sprinkle the sugar over the apple slices. It’s best to do this right in the pot you’ll cook in to keep all the juice. Leave the sugared apples for 12 hours.
Step 4
After this time, when enough juice has formed, place the pot over heat and start warming, stirring gently with a wooden spatula until the sugar fully dissolves. Don’t disturb the mixture too much so you don’t break the delicate slices. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Let the preserves cool completely (about 8 hours).
Step 5
To keep the pieces in shape, cook the preserves in several stages. Put the pot back on the heat, bring to a boil again, and you may gently stir so the apples cook more evenly. Leave for 8 hours again. Repeat the process, then judge by the consistency: if it’s already thick and a drop on a saucer doesn’t spread, stop cooking. If the syrup is still runny, simmer a bit longer until it thickens.
Step 6
Cool the finished preserves and transfer to clean jars. Sterilizing isn’t strictly necessary - there’s plenty of sugar and the apples provide acidity - so it keeps well. But for extra reassurance, you can sterilize the jars and lids.
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