Nothing makes me crave fall more than summer. When the mercury spikes, the sun is blazing and everyone is at the pool…you can find this ghoul inside listening to spooky music, Halloween shopping online and dreaming of cool fall days wandering apple orchards.
Not that we have cool fall days...or even apple orchards aplenty in south Texas, but that's beside the point. 😆
We've had some record-setting temps this summer in Houston, so I've been brewing up cool fall treats to enjoy. One of my favorites is my fall harvest iced tea.
Another one is today's feature: an apple cider slush.
Keep reading for how to create one at home!
How to Make an Apple Cider Slush
This isn't an original idea. I know some of you are lucky enough to be treated to these annually at your local apple orchards. And since we don't have any in the immediate area in Houston, I decided to figure out how to make one myself.
It's ridiculously easy, and the hardest part is waiting for the perfect freeze. It's also the perfect drink to sip while reading some books for The Halloween Book Club - more on that in a minute.
Apple Cider Slush
Ingredients
- 4 cups apple cider
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- cinnamon sugar donut
- apple slices
- cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Mix three cups (reserve final cup for later) apple cider, lemon juice and cinnamon in a 9 x 13 pan.
- Place in freezer for at least one hour. Mixture should not be fully frozen.
- Remove mixture from freezer and break up gently with a fork. Place chunks in blender, add final cup of liquid apple cider and blend until slushy. You can add more liquid apple cider, if needed.
- For cinnamon sugar rim, mix 1 Tbsp cinnamon and 1 Tbsp sugar. Drizzle corn syrup onto a cutting board and gently roll rim of glass through the syrup until coated.
- Spread cinnamon sugar mixture on cutting board in a line and gently roll rim of glass through mixture until coated. Allow glass to rest upside down on cutting board to prevent drips until garnish dries (5 mins).
- Pour slush mixture into glass. Add 1-2 apple slices, cinnamon stick and cinnamon sugar donut for garnish.
Notes
You can also freeze your apple cider mixture in ice cube trays or a loaf pan if you don’t have a 9 x 13 pan…or room for it in your freezer. The point here is to give the mixture a lot of surface area for a light freeze to avoid needing to add ice and dilute the taste.
I recommend using honey crisp apple juice or cider for this recipe – it is the perfect blend of sweet and tart.
The key to making a delicious apple cider slush is no ice and a bit of patience. Rather than just throwing ice and apple cider in a blender, hitting a button and calling it a day, I found it works best to boost the flavor of your apple cider with a bit of lemon juice and cinnamon and give it a light freeze before tossing it in the blender.
I recommend honey crisp apple juice/cider for this recipe...and basically anything you're making with apple cider. They're the perfect blend of sweet and tart. They're also my favorite apples for snacking, and though they're a bit more expensive than red delicious or granny smith apples...I'm always glad I picked them.
This was my first recipe using a new trick I've picked up for rim garnishes! It got a little drippy, thank you Houston heat, but rolling the rim of my glass in a bit of corn syrup, then a cinnamon-sugar mixture was the perfect addition to this drink.
To top it all off: a cinnamon sugar donut, fresh honey crisp apple slices and a cinnamon stick!
This was the perfect summer treat to combine with my love of reading. And just in case you don't know...I host a year-round Halloween book club! (Complete details here.) We read one book each quarter (March, June, September, December) based around a theme I choose. Book club members make novel recommendations based on the theme, I pick five faves and then we vote to choose our final year.
The book club's primary home is this Facebook group, but I know not everyone uses Facebook so this summer I launched a sister Instagram account. Join us in both places or wherever you'd prefer to participate. Then keep an eye on my posts for discussion questions, our next read and other tricks and treats readers will love.
What's your favorite spooky summer treat?
If you enjoyed this apple cider slush, stay tuned because I have a few more cool treats coming in the next few weeks. You might also enjoy my Halloween ice scream cake.
