We had a friend coming over recently, and she was so impressed by the fact that we had made cider for her.  She walked in the house and said it smelled “mulled.”  I asked what that was, and she told me she meant the way some people warm it with spices and everything.  So, I was all, “Yeah, that’s the kind we’re having.”  Seriously, I looked like a total Suzie Homemaker, and the whole process from start to finish took about ten minutes.

What You’ll Need to Make Homemade Mulled Apple Cider

• Apples – We used about a dozen (If you want to cheat and do really easy version, just use pre-made apple juice.  Your kid will totally not care.)
• Juicer
• Apple slicer or knife
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Cloves

I've looked into the difference between "apple juice" and "apple cider," and even though the juicer filters it to some degree, I'd say what comes out still qualifies as cider.

Wash your apples. If you happen to have a ladybug around, it makes this part more fun. ;-)

Slice your apples.

Run the apples through the juicer right into a sauce pan. Add about a teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon each of ground nutmeg and ground cloves.

I didn’t get a picture of it, but the spices left kind of a scum on top after the apple cider was warmed, so I just skimmed it off.

It tastes delicious and totally made my house smell like the holidays!

Related Pages: Applesauce Recipes, Healthy Halloween Treats, Halloween Rice Krispie Treats

Caramel Apples

Now, if you are looking for homemade caramel, Subtle Nuances has a tasty looking recipe. But the caramels you can buy in the store have a relatively natural ingredient list. So in the interest of making these fast, I just used those.

So… this is technically not a recipe, but more “instructions”. Because if you have time to make your own homemade candies, you must be a much better time manager than I.

Caramel Apples Ingredients

Store bought caramel candies (like Kraft)

Apples (we used Gala and Honeycrisp – which were perfect!)

Popsicle sticks

Sprinkles and toppings of your choice: mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, candy sprinkles, crushed ginger snaps, mini M&Ms, gummy worms, etc.

Making Caramel Apples

Make some space in your fridge for a tray of apples – they will need to go in there asap, or the caramel will droop all over the place.

Melt the caramels in a small pan – this way the candy will be deeper and easier to dip the apples into.

Wash and completely dry your apples. Stick popsicle sticks into the tops, and place them on a tray covered with waxed paper. The finished apples still stick  to this a lot, so you may want to butter the paper or spray with cooking spray.

Washed and Dried Apples Ready for Caramel

Once the caramel is melted, start dipping the apples!

Tilt the pan a bit to get the tops of the apples covered.

Dipping Caramel Apples

The lift it up and let the excess candy drip off back into the pan.

Dripping off Excess Caramel

Scrape off the excess on the bottom and place it onto your waxed paper tray. Be sure to leave plenty of room between the apples – they are a little like velcro and love to stick to each other.

Scraping Off Excess Caramel

Get a few done and get them into the fridge to cool the caramel more quickly. They need to be in there for at least 10 minutes so they are not sticky to the touch.

To dip the caramel apples in sprinkles, it’s easiest to set up a few bowls with different tasty tidbits in them.

Dipping Caramel Apples in Sprinkles

Then simply dip away!

I have to say that the ugliest and hardest to eat apples were the ones dipped in crushed ginger snaps – but OMG they were soooo good!

Keep an eye on your finished apples – they tend to disappear when you aren’t looking.

Yummy Caramel Apples with Chocolate Chips

More Fun Kids Recipes Great for Fall Cooking

Homemade Taffy

Root Beer Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies

Adorable Owl S’mores

Wealthy Apples at the Farmer's Market

I have another post on the way about all the different types of apples that are available in the midwest at the farmer’s market – which is 3 or 4 times more varieties than I have ever found at the grocery store. For applesauce, though, you want a sweet apple that will turn to mush very easily. And for applesauce, the farmers I talked to swear by the Wealthy Apple, and early ‘relative’ of the yummy Honeygold.

Applesauce Cooking Tips

Peeling Apples for Applesauce

Some applesauce recipes suggest that you cook the apples with the skin on, which makes no sense to me. Because then you have to use a food mill or sieve to mush it all up. By using the peeled Wealthy Apple, the only ‘mushing’ I had to do was to stir it while cooking. I’m all about simple (and not buying cooking equipment you will only use rarely and then have to store forever!).

Just so you know, if you can’t find Wealthy Apples, or if you don’t have all the ingredients listed below, don’t worry about it. Applesauce is really, really hard to mess up. You simply can’t go wrong with cooked apples. Cook it too little, and you’ll feel like you’re eating apple pie filling (not a bad thing!)). Cook it too much, and you’ll pretty much have apple butter (definitely not a bad thing!).

The only place you might go wrong is with sweetening it, because you can make it too sugary. So go easy on whatever sweetener you choose to use, and add more if necessary. But for those of you who like extra sweet applesauce, just ignore me on that last point.

Making Applesauce with Kids

I peeled and sliced up 11 apples in a variety of sizes, then made two batches of applesauce.

The first batch was plain cinnamon applesauce:

Making Applesauce

The second batch was blueberry applesauce:

Making Blueberry Applesauce

Cinnamon Applesauce Recipe

7  peeled, cored and sliced apples (I cut mine into 8ths)

1 tsp cinnamon (or more, if you like)

3 Tbsp brown sugar (or sweetener of your choice, including none at all for purists like I used to be!)

1/2 cup water or apple cider

Put the apples and water into a deep pan and turn the heat on medium. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. Watch the heat and turn down as necessary – I had to turn mine down to low after a while to keep it from burning and boiling over. As you stir, if you find any big chunks of apples, just smash them against the side of the pan with your stirring spoon. When apples are the consistency of applesauce, remove from heat and add the cinnamon and sugar.

Let cool and serve warm for the best ooohs ad ahhs from your family!

Blueberry Applesauce Recipe

4  peeled, cored and sliced apples (I cut mine into 8ths)

1 quart container of blueberries (about 2 cups)

1/2 tsp cardamom (optional, or substitute cinnamon)

3 Tbsp brown sugar (or sweetener of your choice)

1/3 cup water or apple cider

Put the apples, blueberries and water into a deep pan and turn the heat on medium-low. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. I had to watch the heat more on this batch than I did the regular batch of applesauce, turning it to low heat sooner than I did on the regular batch. As you stir, if you find any big chunks of apples, just smash them against the side of the pan with your stirring spoon. When the fruit is the consistency of applesauce, remove from heat. You may want to run this batch through a sieve to remove the blueberry skins, but I left them in (and it was delish!). Add the sugar and cardamom, and let cool before serving.

The Applesauce Party

When I was done, I had tons of applesauce, three hungry kids, and a perfect September afternoon on my hands. So I did what any fantatical crafty blogger would do – I threw an impromptu Applesauce Party for the family.

Applesauce Party

I got out my nice dishes and silverware, my vintage linens, and set the table for 5 applesauce eaters.

My Little Applesauce Helper

My youngest decided that she would serve her brother and sister, because somehow she loves to help only when it isn’t really needed. Of course, when I ask for her help with something, you would think that the world was coming to an end. :|

Blueberry Raspberry Applesauce

My oldest dove into the blueberry applesauce and topped her bowl with more fresh raspberries. I swear her skin should be blue for the amount of blueberries this one can put away!

Licking the Bowl Clean

My son didn’t say much. That’s OK, I think I got the point!

For more fall yummy-ness, check out these Peanut Butter and Jelly Recipes, these Halloween Party Food Recipes or these Halloween Rice Krispie Treats! You might also like these fall coloring pages, too.

When cooking with peanut butter, I recommend using an all-natural variety so that you can limit the added sugars and fats. I used to have the hardest time finding natural peanut butter, but these days most grocery stores carry several brands. Santa Cruz Organics sent me some samples over the summer that would be perfect (if only they were still around in my house – my hubby is a peanut butter freak!).

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars	Warm PB & J Dip	Peanut Butter and Jelly Shortbread Wedges	Peanut Butter and Jelly Parfait
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sushi Lunchbox Rolls	Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies	Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins	Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake Recipe

Peanut Butter and Honey Recipes

Honey Cinnamon Peanut Dip	Honey Peanut Balls	Honey Peanut Butter Cookies	Peanut Butter and Honey Fudge

Peanut Butter and Banana Recipes

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie	Peanut Banana Bread Pudding	Peanut Banana Lunchbox Rolls	Peanut Butter and Banana Crepes

For more back to school fun, check out 10 awesome kids lunch boxes, back to school review worksheets or all of the content on the newest Woo! Jr. Network site at Classroom Jr.!