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Fall is here and, in the words of Jon Snow, winter is coming! It’s time to get cozy and celebrate the scents and flavors of the season. Nothing says fall like a mug of hot apple cider, infused with spices like ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon. It warms your body, mind, and spirit while filling your home with otherworldly scents.
To honor the season, our culinary wizards dreamed up a delicious ginger-spiced apple cider adorned with a canna-infused cardamom salted caramel cinnamon stick. That sounds like a mouthful because it is — a mouth full of flavors! You’ll want to find a cozy spot to curl up with your honey and enjoy steaming mugs of this magical elixir. The stresses of the world will melt away as the infused caramel melts in your mouth.
“Homemade caramel is pretty great. Lots of versatility. Besides being a great addition to our seasonal ginger-spiced cider, perfect for any cool fall evening, it goes great as an ice cream topping or to make caramel apples. The bright and deep flavor of the cider is good on its own, but it’s even better with some infused caramel.” — Kevin
Equipment:
- 3-quart pot
- Small spatula
- Wooden spoon
- Pastry brush
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Liquid measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Parchment paper
- Strainer
Ingredients:
Cardamom Salted Caramel
- 1/2 CUP water
- 1 3/4 CUP granulated sugar
- 1 CUP heavy cream
- 3 TBSP canna-butter
- 1 TSP vanilla
- 1/4 TSP salt
- 1/4 TSP cardamom (ground)
Cider
- 32 oz (4 CUPS) apple cider/apple juice
- 1 cinnamon stick (to flavor the cider)
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 INCH piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
- 2 TBSP Braggs raw apple cider vinegar
- 4 cinnamon sticks for caramel dipping (1T caramel/cinnamon stick)
Makes: Makes 4 cups of cider, the salted caramel cinnamon stick infuses each 8 OZ serving with 4.22mg THC.
Note: The recipe makes about 2 CUPS (32 1 TBSP servings, 4.22mg THC/TBSP) of infused caramel and only uses 4 TBSP so you’ll have lots of infused caramel leftover to enjoy 
Directions:
Make the Infused Salted Caramel
- Combine sugar and water in a large 3-quart pot
- Stir to combine and heat over a low flame until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Once all the sugar is dissolved, turn heat up to medium and allow the mixture to begin to bubble.
- Be sure to watch the sides of the pot, suppressing any crystalization of the sugar by putting a lid on the pot, creating condensation to dissolve the crystals, or using a wet pastry brush to brush the crystals back down into the liquid.
- Allow mixture to bubble and begin to change color.
- Watch the sugar mixture closely at this point, as it can burn if left unattended.
- Once the mixture is a nice amber color, remove from heat and stir in 1/2 CUP of the cream, stirring to combine evenly.
- Once the bubbling has subsided, add the remainder of cream (1/2 CUP) and add the cannabutter. Stir to incorporate and let the mixture cool for 15-20 minutes.
- Once cooled, add vanilla, salt, and cardamom
- Transfer mixture to a heatproof dish or bowl to continue cooling on the counter.
- Once cooled to room temperature, continue cooling in your refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to thicken the caramel prior to dipping your cinnamon sticks.
Caramel Coat the Cinnamon Sticks
- Chill cut cinnamon sticks in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before dipping. This will help to “set” the caramel coating.
- Dip the chilled cinnamon sticks, submerging half the stick into the caramel, and spin in caramel to coat. Repeat the coating process as needed to achieve the 1 TBSP/stick (4.22mg THC) recommended serving size or your preferred dosage.
We recommend dipping your frozen cinnamon sticks in your cooled caramel immediately prior to enjoying this delicious cider to minimize mess. If you want to make them in advance, you’ll want to set the dipped cinnamon sticks aside to cool and firm, wrap in waxed paper, parchment, or plastic wrap, and store in the fridge or freezer for future enjoyment.
Make the Ginger-Spiced Cider
- Peel ginger and thinly slice
- Pour apple cider into the pot with thinly sliced ginger, cinnamon stick, cloves, and apple cider vinegar.
- Heat on low until simmering. This will allow time for the ginger to steep and infuse the cider with its spicy, warming goodness.
- Strain mixture, pour into mugs and add a salted caramel cinnamon stick to each mug.
- Get cozy and enjoy!