Autumn Recipe: Spiced Apple Cider Sorbet

Faith Durand
Faith DurandSVP of Content
Faith is the SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media and former Editor-in-Chief of The Kitchn. She is the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters.
Follow
updated Jan 29, 2020
Be the first to leave a review!
Spiced Apple Cider Sorbet

Makes1 1/2 quarts

Jump to Recipe
Jump to Recipe
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Too warm where you’re at for hot spiced apple cider? Try this sorbet instead. This was on the menu for a wedding dessert reception we catered last fall, and it was also the first time we’d ever tried this recipe! Luckily it turned out great – one of our favorite things from the whole menu.

There’s the sweet wild taste of apple cider, with a smooth and silky texture, and the spices come through at the end for warm autumn finish.

Don’t worry too much about the alcohol you use here; it’s for texture, not taste. We actually ended up using a mix of brandy and vermouth! The alcohol keeps the sorbet from freezing rock hard. This proportion worked very well for us.

Comments

Spiced Apple Cider Sorbet

Makes 1 1/2 quarts

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups

    fresh apple cider

  • 2/3 cup

    sugar

  • 1 teaspoon

    whole cloves

  • 5

    whole cinnamon sticks

  • 1 1/2 cups

    unsweetened applesauce

  • 3/4 cup

    cranberry juice cocktail (make sure it's 100% juice)

  • Juice of 1 lemon

  • 2 tablespoons

    dark rum or other alcohol

Instructions

  1. Stir together apple cider, sugar, cloves and cinnamon sticks in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat , stirring occasionally. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove cloves and cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon; discard.

  2. Whisk in applesauce, cranberry and lemon juices and rum. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Freeze as directed in the instructions for your particular ice cream maker. (We find that we get the best texture when we freeze for a relatively short amount of time - about 15-20 minutes, or just until frozen. This seems to keep the texture silkier. As always, leave to harden in the freezer for at least four hours before serving.)

Related: Ice Cream, Sorbet, & Frozen Yogurt: The Full Roundup!

(Image: Faith Hopler)

Filed in:
Beverages
Dessert