Caramel Cider – SHK

This delicious and comfortable homemade caramel apple cider is absolutely perfect. We use pureed dates to add sugar to make it rich in caramel flavor. It’s just right, not too sweet, and it’s one of our favorite ways to warm up on cold nights.

The best caramel cider

I know that hot chocolate might consider the title as the most popular drink on a cold winter night. But for me personally, I choose a warm cider any day of the week. I’ve been using date caramel for the past few years to sweeten my cider. It adds a perfect sweetness, rich caramel flavor and thickens it (not to mention the enhancement of fiber and antioxidants). Absolutely delicious and easy to make.

The ingredients you need to make caramel cider:

• Apple juice– We used 100% pure pressed apple juice. Avoid using apple juice with added sugar.
• date– We use Medjool dates to make this caramel cider sugar. It adds a delicious caramel-like richness and thickens the cider slightly. Very delicious! You don’t have any “date” flavor. But, if you like, you can add brown sugar and sugar.
• Cinnamon sticks– We sautéed the cider with cinnamon sticks, but you can also add a teaspoon of cinnamon.
• Ground lilac, spiced powder and cardamom– I found this to be the perfect combo for spices, but you can play with the combo you like. Nutmeg or ginger is delicious too!

How to Make Caramel Cider:

1. Make date caramel. Add 8 -10 pits and 1/4 cup water to a high speed mixer. Pure the fruit until smooth, adding extra water at once if necessary. Set aside.
2. Make cider. In a large pot, add apple juice, cinnamon sticks and ground spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low, and then cook for 20 minutes on low heat.
3. Add caramel. Stir in about half of date caramel. Taste and add extra caramel until you reach the desired sweetness.
4. Serve. Pour cider into a cup. If needed, sprinkle with whipped cream and nutmeg. enjoy!

Tips and suggestions

Use other sweeteners:

If you don’t want to use date caramel, you can also sweeten the cider with brown sugar or maple syrup.

How to soften the hard date:

If your dates get too hard, don’t abandon them! Simply put the dates into a medium bowl and add enough boiling water to cover them. Allow soaking for at least 10 minutes. Drain and use the recipe.

Suggestions:

We covered the edges of the cup with cinnamon sugar to add something. Totally unnecessary, but that’s fun! To do this, add some apple juice (or water) to a shallow bowl. To another shallow bowl, add about 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. We also added some Turbinado sugar to attract some sparks. Stir to combine. Pick up the edge of the cup and dip it in apple juice. Let the excess drip and roll it into cinnamon sugar.

We then coated the cider with whipped cream, ground nutmeg, drizzled caramel and a thin slice of apples.

Store remaining date caramel in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

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