Homemade Boiled Cider

You guys, this boiled cider is pure liquid gold.

Maybe you've never heard of it, I hadn't until a year or two ago. It's sometimes called apple molasses so maybe that term is more familiar to you? Either way, it is one of the best, and easiest(!), things to ever emerge from my kitchen. Imagine you took the flavor of the most delicious, sweet-tart apple and bottled it - that's essentially what you get with this boiled cider. It has a thick, syrupy consistency similar to maple syrup and its pure apple flavor is really the essence of fall.

Making this boiled cider is the perfect lazy weekend project. While it requires almost no effort at all, it does need some time to do its thing. You start with store-bought apple cider (or even the good, local stuff if you have access to an orchard) - add it to a large pot and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer away. Give it a quick stir every so often, and over the course of the next 4 or 5 hours it'll cook down dramatically until you're left with the most luscious apple-flavored syrup.



Wondering what you're going to do with the boiled cider once you make it? Well, the good news is the options are limitless. Use it where you might otherwise use maple syrup as a sweetener - on pancakes for example, or even in mashed sweet potatoes or squash. It's fantastic drizzled over vanilla ice cream or even your morning oatmeal. Combine it with confectioners' sugar to use as a glaze on your baked goods this fall. If you're making apple pie or crisp you can add a little to really amp up the apple flavor. If you enjoy the combination of pork and apple as much as me, this would be great in savory applications too. See, endless possibilities! :)

Still not convinced? I'm going to be sharing a few recipes with you over the next couple of days that also make great use of this boiled cider. Hopefully when I'm done, you'll be as excited about boiled cider as I am!

Homemade Boiled Cider
from The Washington Post

{Note: you can double this recipe if you want - the time it takes to cook down will be roughly the same.}

Add 1/2 gallon of apple cider to a large (non-reactive) Dutch oven. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring the cider to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 hours, or until the cider has reduced to about 1 cup and has a thick, syrupy consistency.

Transfer to a small jar and store in the refrigerator.

Makes about 1 to 1 1/4 cups