Food and scent have a way of taking us back. A little cinnamon, peppermint, orange, evergreen, or baking spice can bring back a place, a person, or a Christmas we haven’t thought about in years.
When I smell a turkey baking, I’m back in my Nana’s kitchen. She lived in a small, modest old house where the washing machine was still in the kitchen. There was an old gas stove where I once melted a box of crayons and proudly called the result a pretty rainbow.
My cousins and I ate in the kitchen while the adults sat in the dining room because the table wasn’t big enough for all of us. Later came the smell of apple pie baking, with a platter of gingerbread cookies and the familiar treats that appeared every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I can still picture that house when those scents find me.
As I raised my own children, I kept many of the traditions I grew up with. In our family, the Christmas tree was always up by Thanksgiving. The weeks before Christmas were filled with baking family favorites, then setting them out for everyone to enjoy throughout the month and on Christmas Day.
Cinnamon and peppermint have always been my Christmas staples. Their scent makes the season feel closer, like a warm hug when you walk through the door. And one of my favorite things to make is a pot of warm apple cider. I let it simmer for hours with cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, and orange slices. The aroma fills the house long before anyone pours a cup.
I’ve adjusted this recipe many times over the years until it tasted just the way I wanted. I hope you’ll make it as written, then play with it and find the version that becomes your family’s tradition. This has become a requested staple on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I've made it every year for years. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Apple Cider
Ingredients
-
1 gallon apple cider
-
1 teaspoon whole cloves
-
1 teaspoon whole allspice berries
-
3–4 cinnamon sticks
-
1 medium orange, sliced into rings
-
2 whole star anise
-
⅔ cup brown sugar or ¼ cup pure maple syrup
-
Optional: ½ cup whole cranberries
The cranberries look beautiful floating in the cider, and they add a lovely touch of flavor, too.
Directions
-
Save your empty cider jug if you’d like to use it for leftovers.
-
Add the cider, cloves, allspice, cinnamon sticks, orange, star anise, and brown sugar or maple syrup to a slow cooker. Add the cranberries if you’re using them. You can also make this in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with a lid.
-
Cook on low for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally. If you’re using a saucepan, keep it at a gentle simmer and check on it from time to time.
-
When the cider is ready, turn the slow cooker to warm so guests can help themselves throughout your gathering. If you used a saucepan, keep it over very low heat while serving.
-
For leftovers, remove the fruit and spices. Let the cider cool, then use a funnel to pour it into the clean gallon jug or another covered container and refrigerate it. Reheat what you need on the stove.
My favorite way to serve it
Dice an apple into small chunks, leaving the red peel on. Toss the pieces with a little lemon juice or citric acid to help keep them from browning, then drain them and set them out in a small decorative bowl.
Add ½–1 teaspoon of diced apple and half a cinnamon stick to each mug before ladling in the hot cider. A couple of fresh, whole cranberries look lovely, too. Use any combination you like, but I wouldn’t skip the chopped apples.
For an adults-only nightcap, add a splash of spiced rum, brandy, vodka, or bourbon to an individual mug. My great-grandmother’s favorite was blackberry brandy.
And if you’re craving this outside of cider season and can’t find apple cider, apple juice works, too.
The best part of a recipe like this is what happens around it. Someone comes into the kitchen to ask what smells so good. Another person stays for a cup. Before long, you’re sharing stories you haven’t told in years.
Maybe that’s why I make this cider every season. I love the flavor, of course, but I also love the way it makes the house feel and the memories we make while it simmers.
Want to keep this recipe? Download the free printable apple cider recipe.
