As fall comes to a close and winter begins, I find myself with an excessive amount of apples due to how cheap and abundant they are during this time of year. This results in exploring all kinds of recipes in an attempt to use them up before they go bad. One of the easiest ways to use up fresh fruit is to juice it. I have made simple apple juice plenty of times, but this time I wanted to spice it and make some cider.
The crock pot method to make this cider is so simple and effortless and it leaves the whole house smelling sweet and spicy. In this recipe, I used cinnamon bark instead of sticks. There is a very faint difference in taste in the bark, having nutmeg and clove like notes. This just paired perfectly with the other given spices, but you could use plain old cinnamon sticks if that is what you have on hand!
YIELDS
about 4 quarts
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 8 medium fuji or gala apples
- 2 naval oranges
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh, grated ginger
- 1 large stick cinnamon bark
- 1 whole star anise
- 1 tsp all spice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp whole cloves
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 6-8 cups filtered water
Directions
1. Core and quarter the apples and place them into a 6-8 quart crockpot.
2. Add the ginger, cinnamon, star anise, allspice, and nutmeg.
3. Slice one of the oranges and add to the crock pot.
4. Using the other orange, poke multiple holes into the peel using the whole cloves, until the entire orange is covered.
5. Add orange and remaining cloves to the crock pot.
6. Fill crock pot using 6-8 cups of filtered water, until contents are covered.
7. Cook on high for 3 hours.
8. Using a potato masher, mash the apples and oranges until it creates a pulpy water.
9. Cook on high for another hour. Strain the solids through a cheesecloth into a jug.
10. Stir in brown sugar. Store in the fridge.
Also by Lauren: Sweet & Zesty Pomegranate Winter Salsa
Vegan Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread
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Vegan Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread
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