I never was a coffee drinker. If my friends wanted to go to a cafe, I would always order the non-caffeinated drinks. I learned the hard way that my body is sensitive to caffeine, staying up all night with the jitters after one latte. Now that I'm officially old, I do sometimes crave a hot cup of jo, but my all-time favorite go-to drink at Starbucks is their caramel apple cider. There's just something so comforting about a warm cup of apple cider drizzled with caramel with a dollop of whipped cream. Since I don't go to Starbucks nearly as often as I used to, I decided to make my own spiced apple cider with a little twist. Caramel spiced apple cider topped with maple whipped cream is now my favorite dessert beverage. It's so good, even better than the Starbucks version!

Recipe

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Caramel Spiced Apple Cider

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: holidays

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Maple whipped cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup maple syrup

Spiced apple cider

• 8 cups apple cider
• 2 cloves
• 2 allspice
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Remaining ingredients

• caramel sauce

Instructions

• Combine heavy cream and maple syrup in kitchen aid bowl. Whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
• Combine apple cider with cloves, allspice and cinnamon sticks in a medium saucepot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and discard seasonings.
• Pour spiced apple cider into 4 cups. Top with maple whipped cream and drizzle caramel sauce on top. Serve immediately.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

This caramel spiced apple cider with maple whipped cream is so good, you're going to want to make a big batch. All you have to do is purchase apple cider from the market and infuse it with a couple of spices.

What is the difference between apple cider and apple juice anyway? It's all about how the apples are processed. To make apple juice, apples are filtrated and then pasteurized. To make apple cider, apples are ground and then pressed into fresh juice. I personally prefer apple cider over apple juice, especially when it's the holiday season.

Simmer your apple cider with allspice, cloves, and cinnamon to give it that special spiced flavor. Whip your maple whipped cream and your drink is ready to be served! I went ahead and bought the caramel sauce today, just to make my life a little easier. You can always serve it with chocolate sauce as well.

This holiday drink is amazing. And I mean, amazing! The maple whipped cream alone is utterly delicious. Pair that with warm spiced apple cider and that heavenly sauce...I can drink this every day. I can eat that whipped cream every day. Lesson learned: always make this drink at home.

For more apple cider inspiration check out these cinnamon sugar donut holes with apple cider caramel!