One of the things I love about fall is hot apple cider. I Usually buy store bought, but it gives my hubby heart burn, so this year I attempted homemade apple cider. I asked my chef hubby how I should make it and he told me to use the crockpot. After that I literally just started adding different ingredients hoping it would taste good, and guess what?!? It tasted like Fall! Plus it made the entire house smell AHHH-MAZZ-ING!
Below is the recipe my hubby helped me put together if you want to make this yumtastic beverage. I just made that word up. I think I’ll keep it. ☺️
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 3.5 hours
Please note, this recipe makes a little over 2 quarts.
Ingredients:
7 gala apples
2 oranges
1 cup light brown sugar
3 whole nutmegs
1 tbsp of ground cloves
5 cinnamon sticks
Water
Note: I mixed Granny Smith apples and Gala apples the first time I made this, but have also used all Gala apples too. Both equally good.
Note: I did not measure the amount of water I used. I just filled the crockpot leaving about 1 inch of room at the top.
Step 1: Wash all the apples & orange.
Step 2: Cut all the apples into wedges and remove the cores. Slice the oranges. 🍊
Step 3: Add all the ingredients in the crockpot, then fill the crockpot with water about 1 inch from the top.
Tip: If you do not want the residue from the ground spices in the cider, I would recommend using whole cloves & one whole nutmeg instead of the ground spices. I only had the ground spices on hand and was too lazy to go to the store. 😂
Step 4: Turn the crockpot to high and allow to simmer for approximately 3.5 hours or until you can easily mash the apples with a wooden spoon.
Step 5: Using a large wooden spoon, mash the apples.
Step 6: Using a strainer and large bowl, dump the contents into the strainer over the bowl. You might want to do a little at a time depending on the size of your strainer and bowl.
I used a colander because our fine mesh strainer ripped a few months ago and I keep forgetting to replace it. So I had some apple & orange particles left in the cider as well as some of the ground spices, which I was ok with since this was my first time making it. However, I will use a fine mesh strainer and opt for whole cloves & nutmeg when I make this again. Either way it was still yummy! My hubby loved it and that’s all the confirmation I need.
Tip: If you don’t have a fine mesh strainer, you can use cheese cloth. I wish I would have thought about that before now. 😏
Step 7: Push down on the apples/orange in the strainer until all the cider drains into the bowl.
Step 8: Pour the apple cider into a drink dispenser or pitcher. That’s it!
Tip: I used a collapsible silicone funnel to pour the cider into a pitcher from the bowl. I have few go-to kitchen items that I swear by, and my collapsible silicone funnel that I got for $2.95 years ago is one of them. CLICK HERE for the details on one of my favorite kitchen items.
Serve immediately if you prefer hot apple cider or put in the refrigerator to cool. I prefer hot, so I drank it immediately. 😋 You can also hear it up later. Your choice!
Easy peasey apple squeezy right?!? 👈🏼 see what I did there?!? 😂 I realize I am not that funny. 😉 I garnished the cider with a cinnamon stick and two apple wedges and enjoyed my homemade hot apple cider.
Side note, aren’t these mugs amazing?!? I have always wanted clear glass mugs, so when I saw them online for $3.95 I was sold! Plus they make hot drinks look pretty. 😍 CLICK HERE for the direct link to buy the mugs.
Well friends that’s it for this post. I hope you enjoyed it! If you decide to make it please let me know! I would love to know what you think. You can tag me on Instagram at @acarriedaffairdesigns or comment below!
Until next time. Xo
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