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Homemade apple cider ingredients

Homemade Slow Cooker Apple Cider

A September fall doesn't feel complete without apple cider. Drink it hot with bourbon or cold over ice...homemade cider is a fall flavor that can't be beat.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 9 hours
Total Time 9 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 8 glasses
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Calories: 120
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 12 Honeycrisp Apples medium sized
  • 6 Mandarin Orange Peels Halos or Cuties for easy peeling
  • 3 Cinnamon Sticks
  • ¾ tsp Whole Cloves
  • 1½ tsp Whole Allspice
  • ½ cup Light Brown Sugar Pure Cane
  • 4½ cups Water

Equipment

  • Crockpot or Slow Cooker 6 quart used for this recipe
  • Potato Masher
  • Apple Slicer
  • Mesh Strainer

Method
 

  1. Begin by peeling apples and slicing into chunks. Be sure to remove core of the apples.
  2. Remove the mandarin orange peels and discard the flesh.
    3. You can separate the peel from the white pith; however, mandarin orange piths add a mild bittersweet taste and is not as strong as other oranges.
  3. Place the apple chunks, mandarin orange peels, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and whole allspice into a slow cooker.
  4. Add water to slow cooker. The water should not cover the apples, but rather reach the bottom of the top apple chunk layer.
  5. Close the lid of the slow cooker and brew for 8-10 hours on low.
  6. Once time is up, mash apples in slow cooker and stir in pure cane light brown sugar until well mixed. Place lid back on slow cooker and let cider brew for another hour.
    7. Brewing the cider for an additional hour allows for a more well-blended flavor profile with the addition for the sugar.
  7. Let the cider cool slightly. Carefully, strain the cider through mesh strainer and into a glass pitcher

Notes

Drink this homemade cider straight from the fridge cold or serve it hot with many variations. When serving hot, I like to top with whipped cream and cinnamon stick. You can also pair this with your favorite whiskey or bourbon to make a delicious hot toddy to warm you up during the cooler weather season.