With the winter amongst us, I find myself continually wanting to grab a hot cup of anything delicious. Java, matcha, hot water with lemon, apple cider, black tea, green tea, blueberry tea, mulled wine – there are a ton of options for all times of the day and some more simple than others.

This weekend was probably the first where we really felt Winter in the air (lately we have been SO LUCKY with above average temps).  After strolling around the city all day in these cooler temps and almost immediately as I come in from the cold, I find myself looking for something warming and special. A cup of deliciousness to cozy up on the couch with and catch whichever Christmas flick that may be on.

With a ton of apples lying around, I decide to juice them and make homemade apple cider. While healthy and delicious, how can I fancy this up, make it special, make these apples worth juicing. 🙂

I come up with a vanilla bean, cinnamon stick and rosehip hibiscus; in my mind – perfection! This combination could not go wrong.

A cup of HEAVEN was just how right these flavours were when brewed together. Sweet, warm, rich, extraordinary, a treat for those days when you need that special pick me up.

1. Juice apples (I used a mix of gala and fuji), remove foam from juice. 6 apples yield about 3 servings
2. Slice open the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a large pot; add the scraped pod as well + cinnamon stick
3. Pour in the apple juice and heat over low-medium heat until liquid starts to simmer
4. Remove from heat, add the rosehip hibiscus and let steep for 10-12 minutes
5. Strain cider and serve

Keep warm. xx