So, if you have been following the blog, you know that we went apple picking last weekend. We have been enjoying orchard fresh apples all week. I made apple crisp stuffed apples, a few pans of apple slices, bourbon caramel apple ice cream and the girls and I have been eating apples for snack all week. They are actually the perfect size for the snacks for the little ones without having any leftover.
I was looking at the bowl on Friday and realized we still had a couple dozen apples left. I wanted to make sure that we used them all up before they went bad. While trying to think of the best way to use them up without making another dessert! Then it hit me… I love apple cider. I figured it couldn’t be that hard and it would use up almost all of the apples we had left. It was perfect, it left us a handful for snacks and it came out amazing.
What are the best smells of Fall?
Well, to me the best smells of Fall are the warm spices. This recipe not only gets all of those smells going, but you will have this intoxicating aroma in your home for the entire day. You will smell cinnamon, clove and ginger wafting through the air. You will smell hints of fresh orange and that sweet apple smell. I mean truly, they make candles to smell like this and you not only get to enjoy this wonderful smell; but you get to enjoy the incredible take afterwards too.
Do you like yours hot or cold?
I love apple cider hot or cold. I always preferred it hot, until we went the orchard. We had frozen apple cider freezies. They changed my world and hot to enjoy apple cider. The girls absolutely loved them. I really encourage you to try this. All you have to do to make this at home is after you make the apple cider, pour it into ice cube trays. Freeze the apple cider cubes and then pulse them up in the blender. It creates a whole new flavor and really brings out the apple flavor of the cider. It is like biting into a really cold, really juicy, fresh apple. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it hot, but this may be my new favorite way to enjoy this drink.
What flavors to add to the apples?
Here are a few different ways you can make this cider.
Oranges- Add oranges into the pot with the apples helps a few things. The orange adds a beautiful acid, a freshness and also helps add that beautiful golden color
Spices- I used cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and fresh ginger; but if you don’t have those on hand you can use what you’ve got. Also, if you don’t like one of those, just don’t add it in. The cinnamon is essential for the cider, but the clove and ginger are just an added warmth that is really lovely.
If you don’t have whole spices or fresh ginger, you can make a sachet of ground spices. You just need cheesecloth and some string or twine. You just want to make sure that you layer the cheesecloth enough and tie it right so that the spices don’t leak out. It isn’t the end of the world if some do because you will strain it through cheesecloth at the end anyway, but you don’t want a bitterness to come out of the ground spices.
Slow cooker or stove top- This recipe is great because you can do it in the slow cooker or on the stove top. I did mine on the stove top, but it is basically made the same way. The great part about the slow cooker is that you can make it and leave it to cook. Either way you will want to mash the apples down about half way through the cooking process.
If you are using the slow cooker you will want to cook the cider for 5-6 hours. For the stove top and you have it at a slight boil, you can cook it in about 3-4 hours. If you are keeping it at a simmer on the stove top, you will keep it on for the 5-6 hours.
Sweeteners-Â You can sweeten your cider in many ways. I used light brown sugar and it was perfect for our tastes. Yet, you can use agave syrup, maple syrup, light or dark brown sugar or conventional sugar or sugar free sweeteners. It is truly a matter of taste. I will say though that make sure you start off with a smaller amount of sweetener and taste. Add more if you need more, but remember you cannot remove it.
Chef’s Tips-
If you are making it on the stove top, make sure that even if you want to get it done quicker and you keep it at a low boil; make sure it is not a rolling boil. You will extract more of the apple flavor if you cook it low and slow.
Also, let it steep to cool. What that means is after it has cooked for the amount of time that you feel it is ready, allow the apples and spices to stay in the mixture until it is almost room temperature. Then strain it out. This will allow any last bit of flavor to be pulled out of the apples and spices.
Lastly, make sure that you use a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth to strain this mixture. You will have a lot of very fine particles from the mashed fruit and spices that you do not want in your cider.
Homemade Apple Cider
Ingredients
- 12-15 medium apples assorted types, quartered
- 2 oranges quartered
- 3-4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger
- 16 cups water
- 1/2 cup sweetener of your choice (I suggest brown sugar, maple syrup or agave syrup)
Instructions
- Combine all of your ingredients in a stockpot or in the slow cooker. Cover with water, leaving about an inch or two of space at the top of the stockpot.
- Heat the cider over high heat until it reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the apples are completely soft.
- Mash the fruit using a potato masher or a wooden spoon, take a minute to mash all of the apples and oranges against the side of the stockpot to release more of their flavors. Then cover and simmer for 1-2 more hours.
- Using a fine-mesh strainer and cheesecloth, strain out all of the solids (apples, oranges, spices), pressing them against the strainer to release all of their juices. Discard the solids.
- Stir in your desired amount of sweetener, to taste. Start with the half cup and then add by the tablespoon if you need to add more so that you do not over sweeten. Taste along the way.
- Serve hot, chill and serve cold or freeze and pulse in the blender for a frozen cider slushy.
- You can store in a pitcher in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
What else can I use apple cider for?
Apple cider donuts-Â Who doesn’t love apple cider donuts, right? They are must have on all of our family outings in the Fall. You can use this recipe and make them at home. Check out my recipe for my apple cider donuts in desserts.
Apple cider vinegar-Â You can also make your own apple cider vinegar. It seems hard, but it is super simple and the homemade cider makes a beautiful flavored vinegar. Check out the recipe on the site.
Send your pictures and post in the comments if you make this at home.
ENJOY!
