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- Alicia Silverstone
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eco purses & shopping bags! http://bit.ly/6B0H45 – on Dec 16 @ 10:30 am
What’s nicer than a mug of hot apple cider? Here’s how I made it for Thanksgiving last year:
- Prep time: 5 minutes
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- Cook time: 15 minutes
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- Total time: 20 minutes
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- Servings: 6
- 6 cup(s) of organic apple juice
- 1/4 cup(s) of real maple syrup (you can use way less – let’s face it, apple juice is sweet on its own)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 whole cloves
- 6 whole allspice berries (I never really use these, but if you have them laying around, go for it)
- 1 orange peel, cut into strips (optional)
- 1 lemon peel, cut into strips (optional)
Steps
- Pour the apple juice and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan.
- Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture. I’m not that concerned if it all sits in the broth loose – just be careful not to pour it into your mugs when you serve it.
- Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling. You can leave it on the lowest simmer during a party.
- Remove the cider from the heat. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving if desired (I never do that part – it looks fancy and nice, but feels like a bit of a waste of a cinnamon stick – so it’s optional).
1 Comment
- 1 – Nov 1, 2011
I make something very similar every year (except I use a pinch of sugar instead of the maple syrup, and haven't tried the allspice)! You can make it with cranberry juice as well-- and it's absolutely delicious. With the cranberry, I always put in actual slices of orange and lemon, rather than just the peel. I don't wrap them up either. It's a nice non-alcoholic alternative to mulled wine or sangria.
