Apple cider is a classic fall drink that is so easy to make at home you won’t even believe it. In just a couple hours you can enjoy delicious homemade apple cider, too!
September is finally here which in my mind means it’s basically fall and that means I can unashamedly break out all things fall like apples and pumpkins and football and hoodies. Might hold off on the hoodies since it’s supposed to hit 90 this week. But the time is coming, y’all.
When I was in college I had a roommate who’s family owned a small farm that produced all kinds of things like honey, beef, and apples. Every year around the middle of September she would come back from visiting her boyfriend with jars and jars of homemade apple cider. And it was heaven in a jar my friends. Sweet and tart and cinnamon-y and packed full of all my favorite fall flavors. I started requesting it so much that she joked she was going to charge me for it.
Last weekend I really had a taste for it and wondered how easy it was to make. You’ll never believe it y’all. I did it on the stove top but now that I think about it I bet I could make it just as easily and deliciously in a crock pot. Just let it simmer and bubble and get jiggy with it all day and then mash up the apples to get all the juices out of them. Ohmygoodnessgracious. So good.
If you do it on your stove top then know how to uhm actually work your stove. 5 months of living in this house and I still fight with the gas stove at least once a week. The first time I made this I set the heat too high and all the water evaporated and burned my cinnamon and sugar and spices to the bottom. Don’t do that. It won’t taste very good and you’ll have to scrub the burned bits off the bottom of the pot.
So take it from me and do it right. And you’ll have this sweet cinnamon apple cider as your just reward. Other than gulp it straight from the mason jar you can also do amazing things with it like bake it into some donuts which I’ll be doing later this month. I also like to use it instead of simple syrup to keep my caramel apple cupcakes nice and moist. It’s also good warm with a little salted caramel drizzled in. Take that Starbucks!
What’s your favorite fall drink?
Homemade Apple Cider
Ingredients
- 6 apples
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- Water
Instructions
- Cut apples into quarters and toss into large pot. No need to peel or core them.
- Cover them completely with water and add cinnamon sticks, sugar, and lemon juice.
- Bring to a boil and let boil for 30 minutes. Then reduce a simmer and simmer, covered, for 2 hours.
- Move off the heat and allow to cool completely. Pour water through a strainer into a large bowl and remove the cinnamon sticks before mashing the apples with a potato masher to extract the juices.
- Strain pulp through cheesecloth into bowl then stir before storing in mason jars.
- Cider keeps in the fridge up to 10 days.
Mary (The Godmother @ Goodie Godmother)
Wednesday 9th of September 2015
I NEVER knew it was that easy to make cider... on my list for fall this year! Now it just has to get cool enough to go apple picking...
Meaghan
Thursday 10th of September 2015
I'm so excited to go apple picking with Nicole this year. Isn't that crazy how easy it is! If you don't like a little grit to your cider be sure to use cinnamon sticks instead of ground cinnamon. I didn't mind it but I'm also cinnamon obsessed :P
~Meaghan