Canning Spirited Peaches

For my second canning project as Canbassador for the Washington State Fruit Commission, I chose to use my bounty of peaches to make Spirited Peaches... simple, elegant, and Oh so delicious!

Here's what I did...

I peeled, pitted and sliced my peaches (treat with Fruit Fresh or lemon juice to prevent browning)

For 7 cups of sliced peaches I mixed...

1 cup sugar
and
2 cups water

I brought this simple syrup mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, over medium high heat.

I then added the peaches to the syrup, brought the mixture back to a boil, lowered the heat and boiled gently for 5 minutes.

To each hot, sterilized pint jar, I added...

2 Tbsp. Brandy
1 Tbsp Peach Schnapps

Then, using a slotted spoon, I packed the sliced peaches into the jars within a generous half inch headspace. (Note: Next time, I'll add the peaches to the jar FIRST, then add the liquors... the method I used COULD have resulted in jar breakage... fortunately it didn't THIS time, thank goodness... hindsight is 20/20 you know!)

I then ladled hot syrup into the jars to cover the peaches, leaving a half inch headspace. I removed any air bubbles, then adjusted the headspace by adding more syrup if necessary.

I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth, then tightened the lids on to fingertip tightness.

I processed the jars in a boiling water bath, ensuring they were completely covered with water. I brought the water to a boil and processed the jars for 20 minutes.

After processing, I removed the jars from the canner using my jar lifter, and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool, and to listen for the PING! of each successfully sealed jar! Lovin' the PING!

There was about a cup of spirited peaches left over after filling all the jars... Mr. G and I shared them... Oh My Goodness!!! Delicious!!!!

For a printable copy of this recipe, click here.