Spicy Cinnamon Mulling Sticks for Homemade Apple Cider

When the weather cools down, the most delicious way to warm up is with a nice hot mug of spicy homemade apple cider!

Make individual servings of homemade apple cider whenever the mood strikes with these Spicy Cinnamon Mulling Sticks! This also makes  a  thoughtful, unique gift.

Supplies needed to make your own supply of mulling sticks for homemade apple cider:

• 3″ Cinnamon Sticks
• Clear Candy and Treat Bags
• Candy Mold or Ice Cube Tray
• Candy Thermometer (optional)
• Ribbon (to tie bags with)
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray
• Ground Cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
• Concentrated Cinnamon Oil Flavoring (1 teaspoon)
• One Batch of Hard Candy (<–link from the LorAnn Flavoring Site)

The first thing you will want to do is prepare your candy molds. You can use any shape of mold you desire. I used my ice cube trays.

Coat your chosen candy mold liberally with a non-stick cooking spray.

Then, make a batch of basic hard candy. I followed the recipe on the LorAnn Oils (concentrated flavoring) site. The recipe is HERE.

Cook recipe as directed.

When the mixture reaches a hard crack stage (300-310 degrees Fahrenheit), remove from heat.

Then add 1 teaspoon of concentrated cinnamon oil flavoring, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to mixture.

Take care when mixing this up! Those cinnamon fumes are particularly potent!

Then carefully pour your mixture into your prepared molds.

I filled my ice cube tray compartments about halfway full.

I was able to get 13 “cubes” from one batch of hard candy.

Next, cover your mold with clingy plastic wrap.

Then, gently poke the cinnamon sticks through the plastic wrap to the bottom of the mold. The plastic will keep the sticks upright as the candy hardens.

Allow your candy to harden completely.

Then remove the plastic wrap.

And pop your mulling sticks out of your mold.

To keep the mulling sticks from sticking together during storage (and to make them cute for homemade apple cider gift-giving!), I wrapped mine in clear treat bags and tied them with a ribbon.

That is it! You’re now ready to make a nice cup of homemade apple cider.

To use, just heat up a mug of unsweetened apple juice or cider and add a mulling stick. The longer it steeps, the sweeter and spicier your homemade apple cider treat will be.

Happy Fall!

Shaunte

Shaunte is a 30-something, chocolate-loving, SAHM from Utah. She has been scrapbooking since 1997, the dreaded era of photos cropped with deco scissors. Since then, her work has evolved into a clean, linear, photo-focused style. Her favorite subjects to scrap are her husband and five kids (never a lack for subject material there).