Caramel Apple Cider — Warm apple cider spiked with cinnamon, maple and almond extracts, apple chunks, and the mugs are rimmed with heavenly homemade salted caramel sauce!! FAST, EASY, and so DELICIOUS!!
Homemade Apple Cider Recipe
Now that fall is in full swing it’s time to break out the apple cider and savor the flavors of fall.
This isn’t just any spiced apple cider. It’s apple cider spiked with cinnamon sticks, McCormick Maple Extract, McCormick Pure Almond Extract, and diced red and green apples. The extracts are a lovely complement to the apple cider.
I have always been a huge huge fan of almond extract and have written many times that I could bathe in it or drink it. Well, in this case I literally did drink it.
Just 2 teaspoons though diluted by a gallon of apple cider combined with 2 teaspoons of McCormick Maple Extract. Maple, apples, McCormick Cinnamon Sticks, it doesn’t get any more fall is in the air than that.
What’s in Caramel Apple Cider?
To make this spiced apple cider recipe, you’ll need:
- Caramel sauce
- Apple cider
- McCormick Cinnamon Sticks
- McCormick Maple Extract
- McCormick Pure Almond Extract
- Apples
How to Make Mulled Apple Cider
Simply simmer together apple cider, maple and almond extracts, and you can either add the cinnamon sticks to the simmering pot, or you can add cinnamon sticks to each individual mug.
The upside of adding sticks to the batch of simmering cider is that your house will smell amazing as the aromas diffuse. The upside of adding cinnamon sticks to each mug is the personalized, cute-factor touch. Either way, it’s a win.
Then rim the mugs with caramel sauce, pour in the warm cider, plop in a few diced apple chunks, and slurp away.
As a tip, if for some reason you’re having one of those Indian summer days and the thought of a warm beverage isn’t what you’re craving, you can definitely serve this with chilled apple cider instead.
How Long Does Apple Cider Last?
This homemade apple cider will last up to 7 days in the fridge.
What Type of Cider Should I Buy?
For this homemade caramel apple cider, you want to buy plain apple cider (i.e. the kind without any added sugars or spices).
Tips for Making Caramel Apple Cider
I rimmed each of the mugs with Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce. It’s so good and so easy, but if you want to cheat and use store-bought salted caramel sauce, be my guest.
Or if you want to just go with traditional (non-salted) caramel sauce, that’s great too. Whatever floats your apples.
This is a situation where embracing the mess is the only way to go. Rather than trying to be super neat and only having the caramel sauce on the very tops of the mugs, I spoon it on with a heavy hand and let it drizzle down the sides.
The caramel that drizzles down and mixes with the apple cider in your mug is a heavenly combo and the caramel that drizzles down the outside of the mug, well, my daughter said, “Mom there’s no shame in licking the sides of the mug.” How true.
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Caramel Apple Cider
Ingredients
- caramel or salted caramel sauce for rimming the glasses (make your own homemade salted caramel sauce
- 1 gallon apple cider
- McCormick Cinnamon Sticks, as desired
- 2 teaspoons McCormick Maple Extract, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons McCormick Pure Almond Extract, or to taste
- 1 large red apple, gala, Fuji, honeycrisp, etc., cored and diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large green apple, Granny Smith, etc., cored and diced into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
- Either make a batch of homemade salted caramel sauce (omit the salt if you want plain caramel sauce) OR use your favorite store bought caramel or salted caramel sauce; set aside.
- To a large stockpot, add the apple cider, and simmer over medium high heat until it's as warm as desired.
- While the cider is simmering, you can either add cinnamon sticks to the batch or add them later to each individual mug which is what I did.
- Add the maple and almond extracts to the cider and stir to combine; set cider aside.
- Rim the top of each mug with a generous portion of caramel sauce (I use a spoon and drizzle it over the top of each rim and do not worry about the excess that drizzles into the mug because it's delicious).
- Add cider to each mug, add cinnamon sticks now to each mug if you didn't already add them to the simmering batch of cider, and add about 3 pieces of both red and green apples to each mug. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Post sponsored by McCormick. The recipe, images, text, video, and opinions expressed are my own.
great
Suggestions to make this more “adult ” (aka add liquor) for a Halloween party???
Exactly, add liquor :) I would Google alcohols that pair well with apple cider. I’m sure there are tons of recipes out there I’ve just never checked.
Sounds delicious! I discovered maple extract for my yogurt–I bet it is wonderful in cider too!
Oh that’s a creative way to use it in yogurt, would have never thought of that! And yes it’s so good in the cider!