Nothing screams winter and holidays to me quite like Apple Cider. Soon as Canadian Thanksgiving hits I start cranking this out by the crockpot load and it doesn't stop until well after New Years. Sometimes though I just can't wait for the crockpot to do its thing - I'm not the most patient person in the world when I have a craving for something warm and delicious. What's a girl to do?
Well, I've discovered I can make a small serving of cider in my Vitamix blender. Seriously cool, right? One of my favourite blends for cool weather is this super easy to make One Cup Caramel Apple Cranberry Cider.
All you need is:
Plus some water and a little cinnamon. Easy right? If you like caramel I highly recommend adding some caramel syrup for extra flavour but this is tasty and warming without anything more than apples, cranberry and cinnamon.
Hit the "soup" preset and watch it do its magic. In just 5-6 minutes you'll have a nice warm cup of Caramel Apple Cranberry Cider. You don't even need to strain it as the apple and cranberry will be completely broken down which is just one more benefit of a high-powered blender such as my trusty Vitamix. Don't just take my word for it as you really need to try this to believe it. I was fully prepared to strain this mixture into my cup but instead simply poured it into my mug, added a cinnamon stick for ambience and sipped away.
The only downside? My husband complained that I was making too much noise while he tried to watch yet another re-run of Top Gear. It isn't like he doesn't already know what Jeremy Clarkson is going to say before he says it. But yes, having the blender running for 5 minutes on the soup preset will create a little bit of noise, however, considering just how much it is accomplishing by breaking down apples, cranberries and heating it all up I wouldn't complain. Maybe he'd have been a bit happier if I'd actually made him some too!
I love the colour of the cranberries but you could make this with many different fruit additions including pears. If you prefer a boozy cider try adding some spiced rum or cinnamon schnapps; quite frankly there are just so many options to choose from. Just think, you could be enjoying your own cup in just a few minutes from now.
One Cup Caramel Apple Cranberry Cider
No need for a big batch of apple cider? Make a small batch quickly and easily in your Vitamix or BlendTec blender. Just add apples, water, cinnamon, cranberries to the blender and watch it do its magic.
Ingredients
- 2 apples, skinned and sliced
- 1/3 cup of cranberries
- 1 2/3 cup warm water
- 2 dashed cinnamon, add more to taste
- 1-2 tbsp Caramel syrup, sugar free
Instructions
- Remove skin and slice apples. Add to blender with 1/3 cup of cranberries (fresh or frozen), water and cinnamon.
- Hit the soup preset and allow the mixture to blend and heat. Will take approximately 5-6 minutes.
- Pour into mug. Add 1-2 tbsp of caramel syrup.
- Garnish with cinnamon stick (optional)
Notes
You can also try adding spiced rum or another alcohol to make this an adults-only treat.
Try adding some orange zest to the mixture before blending for some additional flavour.
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