4 Things to Make with Apple Cider

Posted by Gwen Watson on Nov 6, 2015

The apple harvest may be coming to an end, but there is still plenty of freshly pressed apple cider available! Besides being a lovely drink to sip and enjoy, there are also other things you can do with it. Here are some of our favorite ideas for using apple cider while cooking:

Apple Cider Pancakes

Apple cider pancakes have a distinct, sweet quality that regular pancakes don’t have. Just follow your favorite pancake recipe, but use apple cider instead of the milk. To make these pancakes extra tasty, try adding 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the batter just before pouring it into the griddle. These taste especially good with real maple syrup or maple butter!

Apple Cider Donuts

Donuts are a classic treat, but apple cider seems to take them to the next level! Follow any regular donut recipe that you want, but substitute the water or milk for apple cider. After the donuts have cooled slightly on a wire rack or on paper towels, roll them in cinnamon sugar. Just mix 1 teaspoon cinnamon for every ½ cup granulated sugar. You can also dust them with confectioners’ sugar that has been mixed with cinnamon, but you’ll need to do this after the donuts have cooled so that the sugar doesn’t melt.

Apple Cider Pie

What could possibly be better than apple pie? The answer is apple pie that has been laced with apple cider! To make this classic dessert, prepare any apple pie recipe that you desire. Toss the apples with ¼ cup apple cider before following the rest of the recipe. Bake the apple pie as usual. This pie works especially well when a crumble topping is used in place of regular crust. To make a simple crumble topping, pulse 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup all-purpose flour and ¼ cup diced, cold butter in a food processor until it’s the texture of coarse bread crumbs. Press mixture over the pie with your hands just before placing the pie in the oven.

Mulled Apple Cider

Sure, you can always sip the apple cider cold, but what’s the fun in that? This mulled apple cider is the perfect warm beverage for a cold day! The general idea for mulling it is to mix apple cider with spices, such as cinnamon and cloves, and let the flavors steep together. To make a large batch, add ½ gallon apple cider to a large saucepan. Add 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 teaspoon of whole cloves, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon whole allspice, and the peels from 1 fresh orange. Simmer mixture for about 30 minutes or until the cider is heated all the way through. Serve in mugs with a fresh cinnamon stick and a dollop of whipped cream. For an extra special treat, refrigerate the cider and serve it in a dessert dish over a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream.

Try these apple cider recipes when you want to do something different with this delicious fall beverage!