I don't always have the ingredients on hand to make apple cider, but it was so cold and gloomy this weekend that I was craving it! Many of the apple cider recipes I found online were for huge crockpots and created tons of servings, and that doesn't work for my household. Instead, I decided to use our Mulled Cider herbal tea as the spice blend for my own version of apple cider.

Mulled Cider contains two of the main spices used in flavouring apple cider - cinnamon and cloves. It also contains apple, rosehip, and almond pieces, giving this apple cider a really great flavour.

If you are preparing your cider for more than two people, double or triple the recipe as required. I have not tried a larger batch, but I imagine it would work just as well.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of apple juice
• 3 tbsp Mulled Cider loose leaf tea
• 2 disposable tea bags (or cheese cloth, or a strainer if you don't have either of those available)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp honey

Method:

1. Pour 4 cups of apple juice into a small pot.
2. Scoop a 1.5 tablespoons of tea into each disposable tea bag. Fold the top of each tea bag down so the tea is secure. Alternatively, wrap the tea in cheese cloth or, if you don't mind straining your cider before drinking it, just throw the tea ingredients right into the pot.
3. Add vanilla and honey.
4. Cook over a low heat on your stovetop for about 30 minutes. The longer the apple juice cooks, the sweeter it will be. You will also lose some liquid to evaporation so don't leave it much longer than 30 minutes!
5. Remove the tea bags or strain the apple cider before serving.

Enjoy!