Were you to just set out your jam in a cool place, it would grow bacteria. 

This is where the sugar comes in. You wonder if people didn’t have much back in the 1800s.  In general, sugar had become readily available to the middle class people living in urban areas of Europe and the U.S, thanks to European plantations in the Caribbean and slave labor.  (But that--and the whole big magilla of sugar history--is best for another day.)

In any case, sugar was not optional in making jam--it was essential.  Remember that “fruit preserves” were invented as precisely this--a method of preserving fruit for winter before refrigeration came along.  Sugar acted not only as a sweetener but as a preserving agent.  Cooking breaks down the fruit so it can absorb the sugar.  In some historic recipes, you also find the addition of vinegar for the same reason. 

The only way I’ve ever seen fruit preserves made without sugar is when it’s been cooked and pounded into sheets then then sun/air dried and rolled up for the winter.  This is called “fruit leather” in the old cookbooks.  But also, I’ve read of Indians of the Northwest who used to preserve fruit this way.  So cool.  I’m sure you’ve also seen kids eating these under the guise of “fruit roll ups.” These of course have LOTS of sugar--a la corn syrup.

So in sum, my vote is that unsugared uncooked jam is a modern invention, though please if there’s someone out there who knows otherwise, correct me.  I also think it’s probably more delicious--full of fruit flavor--and perhaps one way that modern recipes are sometimes better than old!

see also: Quince

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Hi Amy, thanks for your question. My Jewish grandmas didn’t bake hamantaschen, though they were major cookie mavens. Here’s a recipe that has a cookie crust texture like the one you seek. I culled this during the time I was a pastry chef. I love it and hope this tastes like the favorite one you miss from childhood. It’s got the poppyseed filling too. The orange is optional. Enjoy.
—Nancy

Orange Hamantaschen
Dough:
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Very finely grated zest of half a medium orange

Filling:
2 cups poppyseeds
1 cup water or milk
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 t. salt
2 eggs (optional)

1. Combine poppyseeds, liquid, honey, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring to prevent scorching. Let cool.

2. Add eggs, beating in thoroughly. If egg thins out filling too much, return to heat and stir while cooking 1 – 2 minutes

3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add butter and mix briefly. Or, if you are not using a stand-up mixer, add the butter by rubbing it into the flour, using your hands or a pastry cutter. In either case, you should mix until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

4. In a small bowl, beat together sugar, egg, egg white, and orange zest. Add egg mixture to the dough, and use a wooden spoon or beat using stand-up mixer on low speed only until the eggs are incorporated and the mixture begins to mass around the paddle, be careful not to overwork the dough. Press the dough into a ball, divide in half. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 30 minutes or until cold but not hard and stiff.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or cover several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

6. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll out to about 1/4 inch thick between pieces of waxed paper, being careful not to let creases form in the bottom sheet of paper. Turn dough over, peel off bottom sheet of waxed paper and replace it loosely. Turn dough right side up and peel off and discard top sheet of paper. Cut dough into rounds using a 3 inch round cutter. Place a large teaspoonful of filling in the center of each round. Form each round into a pocket by folding over about a third of the edge over the filling. Fold another edge and pinch to form a point, then do the same with the last edge. Repeat until all hats are formed, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. If rounds become too soft to handle, fridge the dough until it is workable again. Gather dough scraps and fridge until firm enough to reroll.

7. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes, or until cookies are just tinged with brown. Keeps up to one week in an airtight container. Yields 30 cookies.
Variations: For prune filling: Combine 2 cups prunes, 1 1/3 cups orange juice, 2/3 cup honey, 1/8 t. cinnamon and the grated zest of half a medium orange in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil. Lower the heat slightly and simmer, stirring occasionally for 12 – 15 minutes, or until mixture is soft and most of the liquid is absorbed. Cool.

For apricot filling: Substitute apricots in the above recipe for prune filling.

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