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Boiled Cider (Apple Molasses)

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I am a magician.

You see that wine bottle? I fit two whole gallons of apple cider into it.

Really.

Okay, I boiled the cider down until it fit, and I didn’t have to work hard to do it. Yes, it took nearly six hours, but I didn’t stir it and wasn’t even in the same room (or same floor of the house for that matter) for more time than it took to pop in and confirm that, yeah, it was still boiling, and mmm-hmmm, it was still shrinking in volume.

So what’s the point behind this exercise? I am about to let you in on an almost-forgotten little piece of America’s food history. This thing goes all the way back to the sixteen-hundreds, the introduction of apples as a crop and the European settlers. I’m talking about Boiled Cider.

Oh, I know. The name? Boring. Totally. Sometimes it has been referred to as apple molasses which ,while a little more jazzed up comparatively speaking, still sounds pretty meh. Believe me, though, there is nothing bland, boring, or unexciting about Boiled Cider.

You know when you get a really good glass of fresh, icey cold apple cider straight from the mill; The way your tastebuds perk up and your mouth actually waters from the tart sweet cider? Imagine that times seven*. Add to that a hint of caramelization, and a thick, pancake syrupy consistency and you have Boiled Cider. It is beautiful in its simplicity. It is just cider. No sugar, no flavourings, no preservatives, no fancy canning. It is only cider boiled down into a thick, shelf-stable syrup that makes just about everything better by its mere presence. There is no added sugar, it is the natural sweetness of the apples that makes this so good.

*Seven is not an arbitrary choice for this comparison. When boiling cider down for this project you want to reduce it to one seventh of its original volume.

Boiled Cider started as a way the settlers devised to preserve cider long past when even hard cider would be drinkable and would pass into irretrievably vinegar territory. Kept in a bottle on the pantry shelf, this stuff lasted through the winter and into the next apple season for them and it will do the same for you.

What do you do with Boiled Cider? Let me get you started, but once you have this handy, you’ll be off and running.

  • Drizzle over vanilla ice cream.
  • Use to baste pork roasts or chops, ham, chicken or glaze other meats.
  • Stir a little into hot tea.
  • Pour some into a mug, add a shot of whiskey or brandy, and top off with hot water.
  • Toss a tablespoon or two to the sliced apples for a pie or apple crisp. You will be blown away by how much more appley it tastes. (I know many professional bakers add this to their pies and crisps as their secret ingredient!)
  • Whisk into cream cheese icing for a pumpkin spice cake and be prepared for the compliments.
  • …Our personal favourite: Pour a tablespoon over ice, fill the rest of the glass with seltzer water, and give a quick stir. Voila! Healthy apple cider soda!

Lipsmacking just doesn’t cover it. This is… It’s… Could words be failing me? It’s like everything wonderful about fall condensed into one syrup. It’s pure, distilled essence of apple. It’s completely and utterly wonderful. And you get all this just by boiling a pot of cider.

Don’t wait. Make some of this for yourself as soon as possible. Have it on your shelf. Then, in December, January, February -whenever you need a boost- pull out your bottle of this opaque, deep reddish brown elixir and pour out a little measure of happiness. You’ll be so glad you did.

Boiled Cider {Apple Molasses} from foodiewithfamily.com
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Boiled Cider (Apple Molasses)

Boiled Cider is everything wonderful about fall condensed into one syrup. It's pure, distilled essence of apple. It's completely and utterly wonderful. And you get all this just by boiling a pot of cider.
Course Drinks
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 290 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 gallons apple cider or less, but remember you will be reducing this to 1/7th of it's original volume.

Instructions

  1. Pour apple cider into a very large, non-reactive stockpot (stainless steel, copper, or glass, but NOT aluminum unless it's coated.)
  2. Use a clean ruler or wooden stick that you can mark with the starting level of the cider.
  3. Turn heat to high, cover the pot with a splatter screen (to prevent flies or other insects from dropping into the pot) and bring to a boil.
  4. Boil the cider hard until it has reduced to 1/7th of its original volume. Watch more carefully toward the end because it may creep up higher in the pan as it becomes thicker and bubbles stack up on each other. Turn off the heat and let the bubbles die down to check the depth of the liquid with your ruler or dipstick. You should end up with approximately the volume that it takes to fill a clean, empty 750ml wine bottle.
  5. Pour into a clean, sterile jar (for long term storage) or a clean, empty wine bottle (for short term, refrigerated storage). Cover tightly and store in a cool, dark place.

 

This post was originally published on September 8th, 2011.

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  1. This sounds like heaven! I love that first taste of apple cider in the fall. Just to clarify – boil on high the whole time? Any worries about it burning?

    Reply

    • It’s a high boil the whole time! When you get toward the end, you’ll want to watch it more closely because like most syrups, the bubbles tend to stack up on themselves and creep up in the pan as it gets thicker. You can shut the pan off and let the bubbles die down before checking the height on your ruler or dipstick 🙂

      Reply

  2. OH I think I’m going to buy out McPhersons of Cider!! YEA! I’ve always bought this in the past. Can’t wait to make this. Thank you so much for sharing this.

    Reply

  3. I love this, I had never heard of it before now! Do you think it matters if it is fresh cider or the processed stuff from the store? What do you recommend?

    Reply

  4. I had crepes with apple cider caramel when I was in France a couple of years ago. The caramel sauce was AMAZING. I’ve thought about how to get that apple taste into caramel, but never had it quite figured out. I bet this would add that apple flavor to a caramel sirup—I’ll have to try it.

    Reply

    • It certainly would add the apple flavor to caramel. That’s what I made my first batch for. As an ingredient in Apple Cider Caramels!!!!! And the first batch was made out of simple store bought cider. Next time, this coming weekend, I’m going to make more from cider I can get made locally. Can’t wait because the flavor of THIS was AMAZING!!!!! Can’t wait to make it out of the GOOD STUFF!!!!

      Reply

        • I got the recipe for the Apple Cider Caramels at the Table For Two recipe blog,

          http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/2013/09/11/apple-cider-caramels

          The link above should get you there. I’m going to give these caramels out for Christmas, along with my butters: apple, peach, cherry, grape and strawberry/raspberry in fancy little canning jars. I like so much to do some thing like this rather than go buy something. And I’m almost done with my Christmas gifts because you make the butters when the fruits are in season.

          Reply

  7. I’m going to have to make this. Sounds delicious. Do you need to do anything special when sealing the bottle up for long term preservation? Example – wax?

    Reply

  9. Wow! This looks incredible. I am a huge fan of pomegranate molasses and love the idea of being able to create something similar with our multitude of local apples. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  11. This looks fantastic, I can’t wait to try it out.
    I love old old recipes and how useful they can still be, thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  12. What a great idea! I too love these old-timey recipes. As for your suggestion on pie–if you get the King Arthur catalog they are always selling this stuff as a “secret ingredient” to jazz up your homemade pies.

    Reply

  20. Sounds absolutely wonderful! The whole house must smell amazing when you are making this.
    One question….how do you sterilize a wine bottle? I will be trying this, for sure!!

    Reply

    • You are so right. It smells good enough to make you gnaw your own leg off! As for sterilizing a wine bottle, there are a couple methods. You can boil it (using extreme caution, of course!) or use wine/beer makers sterilizing rinses. The latter is the easier option, but can be difficult to source depending on whether you’re near a dealer of brewing supplies.

      Reply

  23. This sounds great! My son is picking apples as I type this. Can this be reconstituted later with water to produce apple cider? Or will the caramelization affect change to flavor too much? I can’t wait to boil some down. Thanks!

    Reply

    • I reconstitute it nearly every day! It is *like* apple cider at that point, but slightly different, which you would expect from all that cooking. Our favourite thing to do is the “apple soda” pictured above.

      Reply

    • I would recommend steering clear of one with spices added. They could give the finished product a muddy or scorched flavour when concentrated to that degree. As far as brands go, I don’t have a preference: just a good solid, pure apple cider. I buy it from a roadside stand up the road from me.

      Reply

  26. I’m sorry. I guess I should have worded my question better. What size jar and how long do you water bath this for? Thanks for your help. This looks delicious.

    Reply

    • I used pints and half pints because that is a reasonable amount of the boiled cider to use when opened. If I’d had more half pint jars, I would’ve used more of those. 🙂 I processed them for about 10 minutes.

      Reply

  27. Here’s a thought…what about using this in making homemade apple cider donuts? It would give it a real nice apple flavor instead of using just regular cider.

    Reply

  28. So, after reading this, I too am now in possession of a large amount of boiled cider! My husband and I took beer – making carboys to a local cider mill and filled them up with what is possibly the most delicious raw Michigan cider I have ever tasted.

    Half went into a crock in the basement, so we can try our hand at making vinegar. And half boiled the day away!

    ANYWAY. I haven’t gotten a chance to try this recipe yet (the weekends are always too short) but maybe you can beat me to it..

    http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/apple-skillet-cake-recipe

    Reply

  29. I just tried this for the first time today, and I’m afraid I was a little overzealous with the boiling – it’s VERY thick and caramely, and I’m afraid it’s going to set up hard. Anything I can do?

    Reply

    • I would just add some water to it and let it dissolve. Add about a 1/2 cup at first and go from there until you get it how you want it.

      Reply

  30. @Emily – I would just add some water to it and let it dissolve. Add about a 1/2 cup at first and go from there until you get it how you want it.

    Reply

    • I think it really needs to be cider, Heather. The cider has a much more intense flavour than apple juice, and apple juice is already cooked (and often diluted). 🙂

      Reply

  32. I just made this by accident.

    How, you say?

    Well, I love mulled things. Cider, wine, even apple juice in a pinch. And I love how making it makes my house smell. Nothing smells more like the Fall/Winter holidays to me than hot mulled anything. So sometimes I’ll put a pot on to simmer with the mulling spices and a bit of apple something to scent the air. Which I did today with some apple juice. But then I forgot about it.

    When I came back, I had a thick, syrupy mulled concoction. Which immediately made me think of this recipe.

    The mulling in it is VERY strong, obviously, so I’ve decided to take the rest of my apple juice, cook it down as well, and add it to the original to cut the spices a bit. So I’m currently reading this recipe to do it right this time.

    So thanks! Instead of something I would have otherwise thrown out, I now have a lovely syrup to add to things (or maybe give away for the holidays… I haven’t decided yet.)

    Reply

  33. Hey folks, was just wondering what u mean by apple cider? Over here in N Ireland we have countless variations of cider from mass produced ones with added preservatives colourings flavourings ( but are quite sweet to drink and are very popular in the bars!!) the more dry ciders which give u that tang but also prob have other additives or are u better off making your own?

    Reply

    • Hi Marcus- I’m referring to “sweet cider” which is freshly pressed from apples and not at all fermented. 🙂 No preservatives, colourings, flavourings, funky stuff is added. It’s just plain old pressed apples. If you can’t buy it, you can replicate it by coarsely chopping apples in a food processor then pressing through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. The way it’s done in large quantities here is using a wooden press. Is that available near you?

      Reply

      • You can always cook your own juice and go from there. My hubs mum makes crabapple juice all the time. Use tart apples, cut them into quarters and fill an ice cream pail or a container that can handle boiling water and has a good lid. Add 1 Tablespoon (15 mm/ml) of tartic (cream of tarter) over the apples and add 1 gallon (3.5 L) boiling water. Cover and walk away for 24 hrs. Strain as much or as little as you like.

        Now make the syrup by boiling down your juice/cider.

        You can get 2 batches of juice from the apples by adding 2x the tartar and waiting 48 hrs.

        Reply

  34. Great Scott, woman. My mother shows me your buttermilk recipe the moment I walked through the door (she never does that, so I knew it must be something good) and I’ve been reading your recipes for the last four hours. I want to be your neighbor. I want to trade plates of food and tips and tricks and if-you-give-me-a-cup-of-sugar-I’ll-bring-you-some-of-(dessert)-in-an-hour. You are amazing.

    I grew up in apple country, also Amish Country–Gays Mills, WI. I cannot wait to try this. Thank you so very, very much.

    Reply

  35. Thank you so much for sharing this. I buy it from a roadside stand up the road from me. Thanks for sharing! As far as brands go, I don’t have a preference: just a good solid, pure apple cider.

    Reply

  36. I made this last night and woke up to find it has set as hard as a brick (in its bottles). Should I follow Joe Blow’s advice about adding water? Thanks!

    Reply

    • By all means! If you need help getting it out of the bottles, gently warm the bottles themselves in hot water. Then pour the syrup into a pot, and add a bit of boiling water to thin it out! Whisk carefully, and adjust as necessary…

      Reply

  37. My dad saw this recipe on your blog and now makes it all the time. We live in Florida, so no fresh apple cider here, so he brings us a jar every time he visits from Pennsylvania. I am addicted to it on hearty homemade whole wheat seed bread with peanut butter. Drizzle this on top YUMMY! There is something about the combination of apple molasses (or as my dad calls it – apple honey) and peanut butter.

    Reply

  38. I just found a bottle of boiled cider in my cuboard. It must be at least l0 years old. I was going to throw it away, but the bottle is sealed. Must I throw it away?

    Reply

  41. This sounds like heaven! Do you need to do anything special when sealing the bottle up for long term preservation? But then I forgot about it.

    Reply

  43. Making this again this year to get cider out of the freezer before we press again :). Our very favorite way to consume it last year was a dash on the rocks with bourbon. Beautiful.

    Reply

  44. So, does the finished product of this recipe look like the molasses thick and dark or more like a liquid as in the picture of the spoon on the plate? I’m not sure whether I over cooked or not even though I have the 1/7 ratio from one gallon. It doesn’t appear to be consistency to drizzle ??)
    Thanks!

    Reply

  45. Hi sounds so yummy ive recently had to give up coffee , espresso , black teas , it all gives me acid reflux so ive discovered eating apples helps relieve this so i just tried hot apple cider recently and its so nice ! 2 questions can i make this in a crockpot? And can a store bought cider be boiled down ? Like a generic one ? Or does it have to be a special kind ? Thanks in advance ! David w

    Reply

    • Good questions, both! In answer to the first question, I would say you can’t make it in a crockpot. This is mainly because you need to BOIL boil it without a cover for quite some time to get it reduced. I don’t think there’s a slow cooker out there that can manage that. Now, I have better news about the cider. Store bought generic cider is FINE… I would avoid a spiced one, however, because the flavours will concentrate and might taste a little funky in a not so great way. I hope you enjoy the fruits of your labor (heh. Sorry.) and I’m glad you found something to replace all that other stuff!

      Reply

  47. Thanks much for sharing this. I had hoped making boiled cider was as simple as your recipes says it is. I’m going to give it a try, rather than buying online and paying for shipping. I look forward to using it in some recipes.

    Reply

  48. This stuff is amazing. I use it in my spiced pumpkin homebrew to give it that extra kick (in flavor and abv!) If you have a large stockpot, i.e. 10 Gal+, definitely use it for this! I make extra to give away

    Reply

  49. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I have a quick question. Making this for the third year in a row thanks to you and have used a different brand every time due to moving. My question is in regards to foam. I’m assuming that if any shows up it should be skimmed off, yes? I hope you all are well!

    Reply

    • I don’t think that would work, Terri. For a crockpot to reach full temp it needs the lid in place, and for the boiled cider to evaporate, the lid would have to be off.

      Reply

  53. I put this over my Roast Pork Tenderloin Roulettes with apple/cheddar/currant dressing (made with garlic croutons). Oh my!

    Reply

  54. This sounds like the apple equivalent of pomegranate molasses, which I love. And the first use that came to mind was for pancake syrup. It would be a nice change from the usual maple. I’ll have to try making it.

    Reply

      • Finally got around to making this today, using just 1 gallon of cider. Amazingly easy, And v-e-r-y tasty! Tonight I put some in hot water (I think it was one of your readers who said it helps with reflux acid), and am enjoying it. I think mine got to be a little less than 1/7 when I was cooking it, and after putting it in a wine bottle in the refrigerator, I wished I hadn’t – it doesn’t want to pour. So I’m looking for a jar with a wider mouth to store it in… I will definitely make this again.

        Reply

  57. Making this now. Help. Did your stick a little. I noticed a little bit of dark sticky material in the bottom of my stock pot. I turned the fire down, but it is not boiling as hard.

    Reply

  58. I realize this is a very old post/comment thread… but I’m wary of storing this outside of the refrigerator without doing the canning/processing. Is it really shelf stable? I’d love to make this now (when I have access to fresh cider) for Christmas gifts …

    Reply

  59. I don’t think I boiled mine enough. I have way too much. Can I return it to the pot the next day and keep boiling or is it a one-time shot at reducing? Thanks, Kathryn

    Reply

  60. So was super excited about making this to top my mock pumpkin French toast and it went really low but it wasn’t thick enough so I decided to turn it off after watching the telly a little more by the time I got back down it was bubbling high and smelling like smoked apple. Nice and thick ..by the next morning it was so hard my spatula end came off when I tried to pull it out..how do I thin it down? It looks like apple candy witch sounds divine but I want to pour it on like… everything

    Reply

  61. ONE more question! Wow, you have a lot of posts here. I have a bottle of Wood’s Cinnamon Cider Syrup that has been in my fridge for about a year. Do you think it would still be good?

    Reply

    • I think if it is made the same way as this it should be alright! That said, I have never had or used Wood’s Cinnamon Cider Syrup, so I’m not certain!

      Reply

  62. Just made this yesterday and it’s wonderful! I needed boiled cider for an apple pie recipe but didn’t want to pay $15 for a small bottle online. I followed this recipe and I’m so happy I tried it! The one question I have is this: mine is reduced to 1/7 but it is thick- keeping it in the fridge, we have to warm it in order for it to be pourable. Is that normal?

    Reply

  63. Really old thread but new concept to me! I want to know, of course, if I can do this in my instant pot on Saute high mode without the lid or anything? Anyone know?

    Reply

  64. Do I use raw or pasteurized cider? or either?
    As a note of interest, I used raw my first time and the 1/7th reduction equaled 218f-220f on my candy thermometer, which is the temp recommended for syrup. taste great, thanks for the idea

    Reply

  65. Not to be a nudnik, I’ve got a gallon boiling down right now. But now after all this time, I’m starting to wonder why this is better than lightly boiling some apple cider concentrate?

    Reply

    • Hi Gary- Where I live, you can’t buy apple cider concentrate. You can buy apple juice concentrate, but it isn’t the same thing. We DO, however, have an easily available, plentiful supply of apple cider and it is wonderful. I love to concentrate that fall fresh cider flavour, and that’s why I start with the good, fresh stuff.

      Reply

  66. I thought this will be just the thing –I’m make a cake with apple filling and Cider-rum Swiss meringue buttercream. I’m going to add 1/4 this syrup + 1-2 Tbsp apple butter and some rum. I boiled down one quart to about 1/2 cup–only took about 1 hour. It looks syrupy and smells great. Thanks for the detailed instructions!

    Reply

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