Fall is quite glorious for many reasons, and October is no exception. It is the intersection between cool temperatures and sunny days; the perfect weather to spend the entire day outside.
My kids have certainly answered October’s invitation to fritter away these magnificent days in the garden. I sometimes don’t hear from my little ones for hours, observing them from the windows every so often only to see them at all corners of the garden, engaged in some magical activity.
It was on one particular day; when I finally implored the children to come for dinner, did I realize how cold they had grown from romping around on the cold earth. Our apple trees had recently been harvested and we had more apples than uses for them.
I decided that a warming apple cider chai was just what these cold little folks needed to warm them up and restore their moods.
The Secret To The Best Apple Cider Chai Is…
…freshly squeezed apples and Ceylon cinnamon.
If you want your apple cider chai to be the best, nothing beats freshly squeezed apple juice and Ceylon cinnamon!
We used Gravenstein Apples which are tart yet sweet; plus their pretty juicy. Our local coop carries dozens and dozens of different apple varieties; all of which are fun to experiment with. Different apple varieties will carry the spices differently, making this dish easy to alter
Secondly, if you can get your hands on Ceylon cinnamon, please do! The cinnamon you find at most grocery stores is probably Cassia cinnamon (which, after you’ve tasted Ceylon cinnamon will be tasteless or worse yet, akin to tree bark).
Ceylon cinnamon has a kick to it, but even so, my three year adores it and eats it with gusto. Ceylon cinnamon can easily be bought at most health food stores, coops, and online. It’s an investment worth making since it anchors this warm and nutritious kid-friendly chai.
Homemade Apple Cider Chai
Ingredients:
- 8-10 large apples
- 1 TBS of ground Ceylon cinnamon
- ½ TSP of ground cloves
- 1/2 TSP of ground allspice
- 1 TSP of ground cardamom
Directions:
- Juice apples.
- In a large pot, combine the apple juice and spices.
- Let simmer on medium-low for 30 minutes.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
WOW! This looks amazing! I still have so many apples that I need to do something with….this is the PERFECT idea for them. Thank you for sharing.
What a healthy, awesome recipe! Love it!
This sounds amazing! But where is the chai in this recipe? Chai is literally tea, did I miss that in the ingredients?
Yes, chai means tea, but it’s often associated with the various spices in the blend, most of which, you’ll find in this blend.