〈 swipe for more photos 〉
My sister in law gave a jar full of an amazing Hot Apple Cider Spice Mix for Christmas one year. I loved it so much I hardly dared to use any of it because I was scared I’d run out of it too fast. But of course it eventually happened and I had to recreate it in my kitchen, so it turned into this recipe which is so easy to make with just a few ingredients.
What’s to love
- Simple, thoughtful gift: Homemade Hot Apple Cider Spice Mix recipe with a sweet printable gift label – the perfect easy DIY Christmas gift.
- Perfectly spiced: Just enough spice for warmth without overpowering your drink.
- Versatile: Use it in hot apple juice, apple cider, mulled wine or even to roll your snickerdoodles in!
This makes for the perfect DIY Christmas food gift! I like to gift it with a bottle of nice apple juice (or red wine) that people can stir this into. It’s always very well received.
Printable recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups sugar
- 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon ground nutmeg
- ½ tablespoon ground cloves
Tips
Instructions
- Prep:I used 8-oz jars for the images, but you can use 4-oz jars just as well if it's for a small present, or if you're making a large amount (eg as party favors).Get your ingredients and your preferred jars ready.
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl – I use a whisk to get the spices evenly distributed.4 cups sugar, 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon, ½ tablespoon ground nutmeg, ½ tablespoon ground cloves
- Fill the mix into individual jars, or store in a large airtight container if you're making a big batch for an event.
- Use about 1 tablespoon per quart of liquid. Less sweet liquids (like wine or cranberry juice) can use a little more.
Hot Apple Cider Cinnamon Spice Mix
make your kitchen smell like home?Apple cider spice mix questions, answered
I like to gift this in ~8oz jars, but 4oz jars work as well for a smaller gift.
Any jar with a tight-fitting lid works. Ball jars, Weck jars, an old clean jam jar!
To use in a drink, stir about 1 tablespoon into a quart of warm/hot liquid. You can add more for a sweeter, more spiced drink; or use less for just a hint of sweetness and spice.
You can also use it in any recipe that calls for cinnamon sugar, to add a little extra spice kick!
Store it well closed in a dry cupboard. Make sure you don’t introduce liquid or humidity into the jar. As long as your ingredients don’t expire earlier, it keeps well for about a year before the spices start losing their flavor.
Perfect to serve with
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Dawn Green says
Nora… I am doing this for Real Estate and I want to give away 30-40 jars.
The recipe not sure if it will work. How much does this make for jars?
Nora Rusev says
Dawn, I just went to look through the post because I was sure I said how many jars it makes. But apparently I didn’t! I’m going to rework that later to make sure it’s clear.
So, this recipe comfortably fills four 8-oz jars.
If you want to make these as small favors, I’d say the smaller 4-oz jars are perfectly sized. This recipe makes enough to fill about eight 4-oz jars.
Let me know if you need any other help!
Christa says
Nora, did I miss the part on HOW to use it? I’m thinking if I mix it with store bough apple juice it will be sickeningly sweet, or am I missing something? And how much do I use with say 8 ozs. I get everybody’s tastes are different but can u give me some guidelines please…
Sincerely, dazed and confused
Nora says
Christa, I recently updated this post to make it more helpful – and completely left out details on how to use it! You can use it in apple juice (I would make sure it’s 100% natural, unfiltered, pressed apple juice – other juices will be too sweet) or in warmed red wine (to make kind of a mulled wine). 1 tablespoon per quart of liquid should be enough!
Patty says
What would be the conversion if I use a sweetener? My mom is diabetic and would like to make some of this for her with a low sugar cider or juice.
Nora says
Hi Patty, if you tell me which sweetener you want to use, I’ll gladly help you figure this out!
Nancy Frydrych says
Bad weather today so couldn’t make it to the store who sold the apple cider powder so did a search to find a DIY recipe and cane upon the savory nothings site.
Was making monkey bread and it called for the powder.
I made the powder and am now just waiting for the monkey bread to be done.
Thank you so much.
Nora says
Glad it was helpful, Nancy! And that monkey bread sounds absolutely delicious.
Sherri says
hi there – the struggle is real! lol I am not able to print the laels correctly – I select the 9 wallet and it prints one and some of it is cut off….. I am doing something wrong and I have 72 to put together tonite and tomorrow! have you made a lid label? not sure what I am doing wrong….any advice? these are so flipping adorable!!!!
Nora says
Hi Sherri, oh goodness! I hope I’ll be able to help you out here. I quickly created an image with the label 9x on it. Click here to open it. Would you mind trying to print this file and let me know if it worked, and if the label is appropriately sized to fit on your jars? And no, I haven’t made a lid label. There are so many different lid diameters, it was too overwhelming, haha!
Stacy says
Used this mixture in a percolator with apple juice for our drama production. I was told it “tastes like warm apple pie.” Several people asked for the recipe. I shared it to our Facebook page. It was a hit!
Nora says
Yay Stacy, so so glad everyone enjoyed the warm apple cider!! Thanks for coming back to let me know – made my day!
Bonner Scott says
I love this cider mix it is the perfect gift for friends and family for the holidays i love to give homemade gifts so this is perfect and I know it will be enjoyed very much thank you ??
Nora says
So glad to read this! Hopefully it’s going to make for some very much appreciated gifts 🙂
Lauren says
Hi Nora! Can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving! I’d like to add some “adult beverage” with it, but I’m not a big fan of red wine. Do you think that a moscato would be good with this?
Nora says
Hi Lauren! I think that would taste amazing! Just make sure you don’t heat it up too much, otherwise you’ll lose all the adult effects 😀 Happy Thanksgiving!
Bobbie says
Brown sugar or granulated? So 1 tsp. per 6-8 oz if you just want a quick cup?
Nora says
Hi Bobbie! I used granulated, but I bet it tastes delicious with brown sugar, too. And 1 teaspoon sounds like a god amount for a cup! Hope that helps 🙂
Kristina says
I am on a MAC computer and I can’t seem to figure out how to print several times on a page…
Nora says
Kristina, are you trying to print directly from Safari? I don’t think it works like that. Download the image at full size, then open it in Preview. There you can select the “print” option and then pick how many times to print per page. Pick 9 and it should work fine. Let me know if you can print the labels alright like that!
Cassaundra says
Hi!
What did you use to stick these onto the jars?
Nora says
Hi Cassaundra. It must have been double-sided tape – hope that helps!
Jennifer says
Hi!!!
I probably just dont know what I’m doing but how do you get the printable to print 9 times on a sheet of paper?!?! When I click on the link it to print, its huge! and I copied the image into word and tried messing with it and cant seem to get the right measurement…
Love this idea 🙂
Nora says
Hi Jennifer! No worries, technology can be so mean 🙂 are you on a Windows PC? Try downloading the image on your computer. Open the image and then pick the print menu. You should be able to choose how many times you want it printed on a single page. Let me know if that works for you or if you need more help. Happy to assist you in any way 🙂
Eva Marie Gomez says
This looks amazing and I want to make it. I get it depends on the size of jars but how many jars can one recipe fill? Please let me know so I cna but the appropriate amount of supplies.
Thank you
Nora says
Hi Eva Marie! I used 5 8-ounce jars. If you check the post, you’ll find the affiliate link to the exact ones I bought. Hope that helps 🙂
Shannon says
What wine do you recommend?
Nora says
The most expensive bottle you can find 😉 No seriously, anything you’re comfortable with! We enjoy it with red wine that’s not too dry, something you would use for mulled wine maybe. Zinfandel or Merlot work fantastically. Just go for what your budget allows and make sure to only warm it up, not cook it. I hope that’s helpful, Shannon!
Jenny says
Do you have any idea how much cinnamon is in an ounce? I buy it in bulk, so just curious.
Nora says
Hi Jenny! Thanks for asking. According to several sources it’s about 10 teaspoons, so just over 3 tablespoons. Hope that helps, please don’t hesitate to ask more questions! Have a wonderful day.
Shan says
Sounds perfect for a Snow Day auction basket. What measurement do you recommend for a 6-8 ounce cup of hot water?
Nora says
Hi Shan, I just realized that my directions in the recipe seem to be way off, no idea what happened there! First of all I wouldn’t recommend this in hot water, as I only tested it with juice and wine. It’s delicious in warm apple juice! Try 1 teaspoon per 6-8 ounce cup, and adjust from there! Thanks for asking!
Traci | Vanilla And Bean says
I love gifts from the kitchen and this is no different, especially with that sweet printable you made! What a nice touch and thank you for offering it to your readers! Very sweet.
Nora says
Thanks so much Traci!
MrsmB says
How much mix do you add to the Apple Juice? 1 tbsp per cup, one jar per bottle???????
Nora says
Whoops, sorry, it says on the printable but I forgot to add it to the recipe! Changed that ASAP! Start with 1 tablespoon per gallon and adjust from there! It always depends on the sweetness of your juice if you need more!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
This is such a cute little gift!! You are so creative!! One of these days I’ll have time to be crafty 🙂
Nora says
Aww thank you Jess! It’s so hard to find the time to do some crafts but I love it!
Mary Frances says
What a lovely gift idea! I love your labels, they’re perfect!
Nora says
Thank you SO much!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
My family has this month been doing 25 days of festive gift giving, and the rules are that half of the gifts given must at least be home-made… so this spice mix is definitely perfect for me Nora. Thanks for the great label too!
Nora says
Aw what a cute idea of your family! Thanks for stopping by Thalia!
Laura says
Hot apple cider cinnamon would be a welcome gift in any family, I’m sure. And it’s from the heart. Your presentation is adorable. Great photo’s! What a great teacher gift =) Thanks for sharing. Love your simple Christmas traditions, sounds great.
Nora says
Thank you so much for stopping by Laura!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
Getting presents for kids is so much more fun than getting presents for adults. I love this apple cider spice mix! And such a cute printable : )
Nora says
So true Natalie! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Shinee says
Mmmmm, yeah, I’m putting this in my warm wine! Yumm!
Nora says
Yes! 🙂
Jessica | A Happy Food Dance says
What an awesome idea! I used to love the apple spice mix you could buy at the store, in the little foil packets – I’m sure this is a MILLION times better! Love the printables too!
Nora says
Thank you so much Jessica!