What’s nicer than a mug of hot apple cider during the fall and winter season? Here’s a favorite recipe of mine.
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients
6 cups organic apple juice
1/4 cup real maple syrup (you can use way less – let’s face it, 2 apple juice is sweet on its own)
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)
Directions
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).