Cranberry Apple Cider (in the Slow Cooker!)

While California doesn’t get as cold as other places in the country, and we’re currently experiencing a heat wave, I’m still feeling Christmas-y this year, and wanting something warm to drink at night. I begged a friend to send me the holiday drink recipe for her Cranberry Apple Cider she made last year, tweaked it a little through trial and error, and present a nice option for holiday get-togethers that takes very little effort (and is soooo good).

It takes about five minutes to prepare, and you leave it in the slow cooker for three hours—it really doesn’t get any easier than that! For parties and get-togethers, it’s pretty perfect, and it’ll be the one thing you don’t have to worry about when you’ve got company coming over. This recipe makes about ten cups of cider, which isn’t bad—just make sure you have other drink options on hand for your guests so you don’t run out!

Ingredients

• One Liter of Apple Juice (Preferably Unsweetened)
• One Liter of Cranberry Juice
• Fresh cranberries
• Fresh apple and orange slices
• Two Cups Orange Juice (no pulp)
• Half a cup of sugar
• One teaspoon of honey
• Three whole cinnamon sticks
• Half a teaspoon of dried cloves
• Star anise – one of the flavoring in Chinese Five Spice

Directions

• Toss everything in a 4 quart (or larger) slow cooker, stir everything together
• Cook on low for three to four hours, and after turn the setting to warm and enjoy!