Recipe: Hot Apple Cider in Apples!

One of my favorite scents is the smell of apples and cinnamon. You could achieve this by baking a pie or buying a candle but my favorite way is by making hot apple cider.

Toast autumn's arrival with hot apple cider, the quintessential fall evening drink. With this easy-to-make crock-pot recipe, you will be ready in no time to serve a few mugs to your friends at a festive gathering, or just grab a mug for yourself and settle down before the warm hearth.

Things you'll need:

1 gallon apple juice

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 piece of cheese cloth

cooking twine

3-4 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks broken into small pieces

1 whole nutmeg

Orange peel

Small crock pot

Directions:

1. Place cloves, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg and orange peel in the cheese cloth. Draw the corners of the cheese cloth together and tie the twine around to create a small spice sack.

2. Pour apple juice into a crock pot and stir in the lemon juice with a wooden spoon. For tangier cider, you may opt to add a little more lemon juice.

3. Plug in the crock pot and set the heat on a low or medium setting. If you do not have time for the cider to heat slowly, use a high setting and stir more often.

4. Allow apple juice to heat for approx 20-30 minutes or until warm.

5. Put the spice sack directly in the apple juice. Stir the cider occasionally, moving the spices around the crock pot if necessary.

6. Remove spice sack and discard once cider is heated to preferred temperature.

7. Pour the piping hot cider in your mug (or apple if you're daring)!

8. For a cute touch add a cinnamon stick as a stirrer!

Author note: If you want something even easier, go to a nearby store and look for 'mulling spices' read the directions (normally just requires apple cider juice) and you'll have cider with a lot less ingredients!

Wednesday: Reasons to love Etsy!