Mulled Apple Cider

Mmmm. Hot apple cider. 'Tis so, so, so, so good. I always love it when I'm Christmas shopping somewhere and one of the stores has heated carafes of cider available. The smell is almost better than the taste.

Raise your hand if you still haven't bought one Christmas gift. *Raising hand*

I've made this apple cider recipe for years, and I've always loved the addition of maple syrup. But rather than use storebought juice, I like juicing the apples myself; it gives the cider a nice pulpy quality. (You can also use half storebought, then fill in the rest with fresh-squeezed apple juice. Or you can use storebought apple cider. Anything works fine.)

Yum.

(Adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes.)

 

The Cast of Characters: apples (or unfiltered apple juice), orange, lemon, cinnamon sticks, ground or whole cloves, allspice berries, and maple syrup.

 

 

 

Slice the peel off the orange and lemon, avoiding as much of the white junk as possible. Throw the peel into a medium saucepan.

 

 

 

Throw in the cinnamon sticks…

 

 

 

The allspice berries and the cloves (I was out of whole cloves so I had to use ground; either one is fine)…

 

 

 

Then add the maple syrup.

 

 

 

Next, either grab a jug of storebought apple cider OR your Jack LaLanne juicer.

I cherish mine. My mother-in-law got it for me.

Long live Jack.

 

 

 

Juice those apples, then pour the juice into the saucepan!

 

 

 

Bring it to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer the cider for a good 20-30 minutes. Then turn off the heat and, if you're feeling particularly festive, stir in the rum!

But only if you want to.

 

 

 

I ladled mine into a teapot…but you can just serve it straight out of the saucepan. And you can strain out the spices and peel if you want…but I kind of like the rustic nature of just leaving it all in there.

 

 

 

Serve in a teacup or mug with a cinnamon stick.

 

 

 

Mmmmmm. This'll keep you warm, baby.

Especially if you add the rum.

But you didn't hear that from me.

 


Recipe: Hot Apple Cider

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
 | 
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
 | 
Difficulty: Easy
 | 
Servings: 12

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Ingredients
4 whole Cinnamon Sticks1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves8 whole Allspice Berries Orange Peel From 1 Orange Lemon Peel From 1 Lemon1/2 cup Maple Syrup6 cups Unfiltered (fresh Squeezed Is Great) Apple Juice1/2 cup Dark Rum (optional) Preparation Instructions

(Adapted from AllRecipes.com.)

Place cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, allspice berries, orange peel, and lemon peel in a medium saucepan. Pour in maple syrup and apple juice, then bring to almost a boil. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and serve in mugs.

(Add a splash of rum for an adults-only version! Yum, yum, yum.)

Posted by Ree on December 7 2011