Cider Bugs
Submitted by mother_of_twins
Adorable spiced cider “bugs” made from dried orange halves filled with brown sugar, cinnamon stick legs, clove eyes, and a nutmeg head. Drop into hot cider for a festive holiday drink.
YIELD
2 quartsPREP
2 hrsCOOK
20 minREADY
2 hrsHere’s a holiday craft project that doubles as a spiced cider recipe. Hollow out orange halves, dry them in the oven, then fill them with brown sugar and turn them into little creatures using cinnamon sticks for legs, a whole nutmeg for the head, and cloves for eyes.
Drop your adorable spice bug into a pot of hot cider and let the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves infuse the cider as it heats. The dried orange shell adds a warm citrus note that ties everything together.
Kids go wild making these. Set up an assembly station and let them build their own bugs before dropping them into the cider pot. It’s part kitchen activity, part art project, all holiday magic.
Kitchen Tips
- Dry the orange halves thoroughly in the oven so they hold their shape in the hot cider instead of going soggy.
- Let them cool completely before filling with brown sugar and assembling. Warm shells will melt the sugar too early.
- Push the cinnamon stick legs in firmly at an angle so they stay put when the bug floats in the cider.
- One bug flavors about two quarts of cider. Scale up for a bigger batch at parties.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut oranges in half and remove the pulp as best you can.
Dry the oranges in a 250 degree F oven for abut 2 hours.
Allow to cool thoroughly.
Mound brown sugar into the empty half shell.
Use cinnamon sticks for legs along the sides (6 to 8 depending on the size of the orange).
Just push into the sugar.
A whole nutmeg is pushed into the sugar as the head with 2 whole cloves for eyes.
Drop into two quarts of cider and heat through.
Comments
