I woke up to a car completely covered in frost this week, #notmyfavorite. I wasn’t quite ready for the change in weather! When it gets cold outside, it’s time to bust out the thermos. If you’re not a fan of hot chocolate, then you’ve got to try out hot apple cider! My kids have a deep love of Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice. I may or may not have bribed them with it on a few cold, dark school mornings. So, if you find yourself in need of a little warming up (or bribery for school mornings), then check out these five yummy hot apple cider recipes!
Before you delve into the recipes, can I suggest having something to keep your cider hot on the go? If you’re going to be serving a group, then a big thermos like this will keep things nice and toasty until you’re ready to indulge. If you’re just trying to preserve the heat for your own drink, then this is perfect! If you’re trying to get your kids out the door and also don’t want to deal with spills and cold drinks, these stainless steel tumblers would work awesomely as well.
5 Yummy Hot Apple Cider Recipes For Those Chilly Fall Days
Hot Apple Cider (From Scratch)
Equipment
- Stock Pot
Ingredients
- 5 large apples (quartered)
- 1/2 orange (quartered)
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- ½ tsp. cloves
- ½ tsp. whole allspice
- ½ whole nutmeg
- ¼ c. packed brown sugar
Instructions
- Begin by putting the apples, oranges, spices, and brown sugar in a large stockpot. Then, cover with about 2" of water and bring to a boil. Next, reduce to a simmer and allow to simmer, covered, for at least two hours.
- Next, remove the orange quarters before using a potato masher to mash the apples. Then return mixture to a simmer and allow to simmer, uncovered, for another hour.
- Last, strain the apple mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. Make sure to press on the solids to get all the good juice out! Then throw away the leftover solids. Serve the cider and enjoy!
Slow-Cooker Apple Cider
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 8 Gala apples (cored and quartered)
- 4 sticks cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp. whole cloves
- 1 tsp. whole allspice
- 10 c. water
- ½ c. brown sugar
Instructions
- Begin by placing the apples into the slow cooker. Then add in the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, and ten cups of water.
- Cook the mixture on "High" for 3 hours.
- Next, mash the apples with a potato masher before adding in the brown sugar and cooking for an additional 1-3 hours on "Low".
- Last, strain the solids from the liquids using a mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Discard the solids and serve the cider hot!
Copycat Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice
Equipment
- large stockpot
- small stockpot
Ingredients
- 64 oz. 100% pure apple juice
- ½ c. white sugar
- ½ c. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. flour
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- 1 c. water
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- caramel topping or sauce
Whipped Topping
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 5 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Begin by making the whipped topping. Whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar in a chilled bowl, on high speed, until soft peaks form. Then cover and refrigerate until you're ready to serve. Next, heat the apple juice in a large pot over medium-low heat. Do not boil.
- Then, in a small pot, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and water before bringing to a boil. Allow the mixture to boil for 2-3 minutes or until it begins to thicken. When the mixture begins to thicken, remove from heat and allow to cool. Next, stir in the vanilla extract.
- When the cinnamon dolce syrup is thickened and cool, pour it into the steamed apple juice and whisk until combined and at an appropriate temperature.
- Serve immediately, topped with whipped cream and drizzled with caramel topping.
*Adults Only* Hot Apple Cider
Equipment
- large stockpot
Ingredients
- 16 c. apple cider
- ¼ c. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. allspice
- 1 pinch grated nutmeg
- 2 tsp. whole clove
- 1 orange
- 2 c. bourbon
- cinnamon sticks (for garnish)
Instructions
- Begin by heating the apple cider in a large pot over medium heat. While the apple cider is heating, stir in brown sugar, allspice, and nutmeg and bring to a slow boil.
- While the cider is coming to a boil, stick the pointy ends of the cloves into the orange so that the entire orange is covered and only the buds of the cloves are showing. When the orange is done, add it to the cider and reduce the mixture to a simmer. Then cover and continue cooking for another twenty minutes.
- Before serving, add the bourbon and stir to combine. Serve the cider in mugs with a cinnamon stick for garnish.
Easy Apple Cider
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 64 oz. apple cider
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp. whole allspice
- 1 tsp. whole cloves
- ⅓ c . brown sugar
Instructions
- Start by combining the apple cider and cinnamon sticks in the slow cooker. Then, wrap the allspice and cloves in a small piece of cheesecloth and add to the slow cooker. Next, stir in the brown sugar and bring to a boil by setting the cooker on "High." When the mixture has reached a boil, reduce the temperature to "Low" and keep warm.
So, happy fall, ya’ll! I hope these hot apple cider recipes will keep you and yours warm and toasty on those chilly autumn evenings.
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