Chai-Maple Cider
- 4 long strips orange peel*
- 2 -3 cinnamon sticks
- 8 whole cloves
- 3 cardamom pods
- 25 whole black peppercorns
- 5 cups apple cider
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 8 black tea bags
- Orange slices (optional)
- Golden rum or apple brandy (optional)
Directions:
- For a spice bag, place orange peel, broke cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom, and peppercorns in the center of a double-thick, 6- to 8-inch square of 100-percent-cotton cheesecloth. Bring up corners; tie closed with clean kitchen string.
- In a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker combine spice bag, apple cider, water and syrup.
- Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. Add tea bags, draping strings over sides of cooker. Cover; let stand for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags, gently pressing tea bags against sides of cooker to release liquid. Discard tea bags and spice bag. Ladle hot drink into mugs. If desired, garnish each drink with an additional cinnamon stick.
Tips
- *When removing the orange peel strips, use a vegetable peeler and avoid picking up any of the bitter white pith.
- This spiced cider tea doubles as aromatherapy from the slow cooker. After cooking, the cider can be kept on the warm setting for one hour.
Variation:
- Spike it if desired, add 1 to 2 tablespoons golden rum or apple brandy to each mug before adding the hot drink.
Nutrition facts:
- Servings Per Recipe 8, pro. (g) 0, calcium (mg) 21, vit. A (IU) 0, cal. (kcal) 128, iron (mg) 0, sodium (mg) 24, sugar (g) 28, Potassium (mg) 280, Trans fatty acid (g) 0, Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg) 0, fiber (g) 0, Monounsaturated fat (g) 0, Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0, Polyunsaturated fat (g) 0, Folate (µg) 9, Riboflavin (mg) 0, sat. fat (g) 0, Niacin (mg) 0, carb. (g) 32, vit. C (mg) 0, Fat, total (g) 0, Thiamin (mg) 0, chol. (mg) 0
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Yields: 6 cups (8 servings)
From: http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/chai-maple-cider/