Björn's Honey Sweet Mulled Apple Cider

It goes without saying that this is the time of year to cozy up with loved ones and a warm drink. I like having warm apple cider and with all the high-quality cold-pressed juices these days, the options for my base apple cider have gotten much better. I choose cold pressed cider from apples like Honeycrisp if you can find them. Regular cider will work too but steer clear of regular apple juice or juice from concentrate, you want all the cloudy goodness that comes with a cider.

This recipe calls for classic mulling spices, which I blend myself so I can tweak the amount of each spice to my mood and potency of the spices I have on hand.

I sometimes get tired of the fall spices and will use a vanilla bean instead. The result is a caramel flavor that's wonderful. Be creative.

This recipe is easy and fun to make with kids. It can also be doubled, tripled or more to serve additional people.

Ingredients:
1 cup of apple cider
2-5 whole cloves
1-3 whole allspice
3-5 gratings of nutmeg (or a scant 1/8 tsp.)
1 whole Ceylon cinnamon stick
1/2 - 2 tsp. of Björn's Traditional Honey depending on sweetness of base cider

Directions:
Combine cider, spices, and honey in a small pot on the stove. Heat on low for 15-30 min. depending on how strong you want the spice flavor. The cider shouldn't boil, it should just simmer. A bit of water can be added if it appears to be reducing in volume.

Once the cider is hot, serve in mugs with a cinnamon stick in each. It makes a great drink for kids and evening consumption because it's caffeine free but satisfying like coffee or tea.

Sometimes ciders are already sweet enough and you may not need any honey, that said, the honey adds a nice flavor so if you have a sweet cider, consider just adding a little bit of honey to gain that flavor.

Most of all, enjoy, and wishing you the best this winter season!