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1
For the sour cherry jam:
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Add pitted sour cherries to a large pot. Begin cooking over medium-high heat, and use a potato masher to gently mash, leaving some cherries in large pieces. Stir in butter and almond extract. Once butter has melted, stir in powdered fruit pectin. Bring mixture to a boil.
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3
Add all the sugar at once and mix well. Bring fruit back up to a boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat and scrape off any foam with a metal spoon.
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4
Return to a full boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon.
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5
Ladle the hot jam into sterilized half pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Wipe jar rims and add lids. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool on wire racks.
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6
For the chocolate chip biscuits:
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Preheat oven to 450u00b0F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
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In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add lard and, using a pastry cutter or two knives, gently cut in lard until it resembles coarse oatmeal.
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Add lightly whisked egg and milk, and use a fork to combine most of the wet and dry ingredients together. Stir in chocolate chips. Do not over-mix. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to shape it into a flattened disk shape. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 3/4-inch thick.
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10
Cut out biscuits with a floured cookie cutter that is about 2 inches in diameter. Do not twist the cookie cutter when cutting out the biscuits-go straight down and then straight back up. This will ensure that biscuits rise up when baking.
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11
Place biscuits on the parchment-lined baking sheet and brush tops with melted butter. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
