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Quick Slow Cooker Wassail: Easy Spiced Apple Cranberry Punch

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This quick slow cooker wassail is a spiced apple cranberry punch that comes together in just 10 minutes of prep and 2 hours in the slow cooker. It’s the perfect warm drink for holiday gatherings, with a balanced sweetness from brown sugar and tartness from cranberry juice, infused with cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 cups apple juice (unsweetened or regular)
  • 3 cups cranberry juice (100% juice, not cocktail)
  • 1 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed or store-bought)
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar (packed, light or dark)
  • 2 cinnamon sticks (whole)
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • 1 teaspoon whole allspice berries
  • 1 orange (sliced into rounds)
  • 1 apple (sliced into thin rounds, such as Honeycrisp or Fuji)
  • Optional: 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup (for extra sweetness)

Instructions

  1. Prep your spices: Place cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and allspice berries in a muslin bag or cheesecloth tied with kitchen twine. If you don’t have either, toss them directly into the slow cooker.
  2. Pour in the liquids: Add apple juice, cranberry juice, and orange juice to the slow cooker. Do not stir yet.
  3. Add the brown sugar: Sprinkle packed brown sugar over the top of the juices. Do not stir yet.
  4. Drop in the spice bag and fruit slices: Place the spice bag or loose spices into the liquid. Add orange and apple slices on top.
  5. Set it and forget it: Put the lid on the slow cooker. Set to HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours.
  6. Stir and taste: After 2 hours on HIGH, remove the lid and stir well. Taste and add honey or maple syrup if desired, 1 tablespoon at a time.
  7. Remove the spices: If using a spice bag, lift it out. If spices are loose, use a slotted spoon to remove as many as possible.
  8. Serve and enjoy: Ladle into heatproof mugs or glasses. Garnish with fresh orange slices or cinnamon sticks if desired.

Notes

For a spiked version, stir in 1 cup of dark rum or bourbon after simmering. To make it less sweet, skip the brown sugar and use unsweetened juices. Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat on LOW in the slow cooker or in the microwave.

Nutrition

Keywords: wassail, slow cooker punch, spiced apple cranberry punch, holiday drink, warm punch, easy wassail

Find it online: https://jollyfork.com/quick-slow-cooker-wassail-easy-spiced-apple-cranberry-punch/