This homemade apple cider recipe is incredibly easy to make and is a great way to use up your bounty of apples after a long day of apple picking in NY.
A few weeks ago, we went apple picking at Woodside Orchards, in Aquebogue, NY. We returned home full of fresh air, sunshine…and a peck of apples. I wasn’t in the mood to make my Apple Pie Jam (I was being lazy), so I reached out to my friends on Facebook and asked them for some ideas.
Apparently, many of my friends were staring at their own apples and were wondering the exact same thing! Our lively discussion including suggestions for: crock pot applesauce, apple crisp, apple pie, glazed apple cookies, and even pork chops with caramelized apple & onion slices.
The ideas were all mouthwatering, but I decided try something new. My friend, Edith, suggested apple cider and since I have never ever tried to make Cider before, I knew I had to try it. I had a vague idea of what I would need to do – i.e. simmer the apples for a very long time – but I needed some specifics, so I went online and pieced together a recipe.
This modified cider recipe is full of fresh apple flavor and has just a hint of fall spice. The cider did end up a bit thicker than my kids would have liked, so I just thinned it out a bit with some water. My little girl, who is an apple cider aficionado, gave it two thumbs up!
HOMEMADE APPLE CIDER
Makes ~ 6-8 servings.
Ingredients:
- 10 apples (cored, peeled, and roughly chopped)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons allspice
Directions:
Step 1: Core, peel and roughly chop your apples. (The original recipe does not call for this step, but after wrestling with the cheesecloth and saying lots of bad words, I highly recommend doing this first!)
Step 2: In a large stock pot add your apples and fill with water–just enough to cover the apples. Add sugar, cinnamon and allspice to the apples and water. Boil on high for one hour (uncovered) checking on it frequently.
Step 3: After one hour, turn down heat and let simmer for two hours (covered). Take off the heat after two hours of simmering and let cool.
Step 4: Mash up the apples to a pulp like consistency (a potato masher works well for this). Pour the pulpy mix into a strainer over a large bowl. When most of the juice has drained away, put the remainder of the pulp into a doubled up cheese cloth and squeeze over the bowl until no more juice comes out. (Make sure your pulpy apples are fully cooled for this step. I rushed it and said more bad words.)
Step 5: Drink up! This cider can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or you can freeze it for later use if you like.
If you like your cider warm, simply reheat in the microwave or on the stove. This cider can be enjoyed either plain or you can add caramel or whipped topping with cinnamon.
Happy Drinking,
Denine
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