In a past life, I think I was a party planner. There’s something so fun about planning parties and all the things that go with them. There are decorations, fun recipes, hilarious games, great friends, and if it’s themed- costumes. Although I love decorating, the one thing that I enjoy most with party planning is coming up with food that goes with the theme of the party. I love gathering around the table with friends and family over food and drinks, and I love seeing their faces light up when a food is fun and tastes amazing. I want to help you get ready for Halloween and your own party planning by teaching you how to make this Spooky Shrunken Head Spiced Cider! It doesn’t take many ingredients and your guests will be in awe with your creativity!
Here’s what you need for your Spooky Shrunken Head Spiced Cider:
- 3 lemons, juiced
- 8 red apples, peeled, cored, and halved lengthwise
- 32 whole cloves
- 1 gallon apple cider
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/8 tsp ground clove
- 1 orange, sliced
Here’s how you make it:
Preheat oven to 250° F. Pour lemon juice into a large bowl. Peel, core, and halve apples lengthwise. Using a small paring knife, carve different faces and expressions on the apples. Once carved, dip each face in the lemon juice and set it on paper towels while you carve the next face. Transfer the face on the paper towels to a parchment or silicone lined baking tray and repeat with remaining apple faces until all of your apple faces are finished. Stick a clove into each “eye socket” of your apple head to make an eyeball. Bake in the oven for 2 hours or until they are partially dried and have a shrunken effect. Once done, combine apple cider, brown sugar, cinnamon sicks, ground clove, and orange slices into a pot and heat until sugar is dissolved and cider is hot. Transfer to a large heat-safe punch bowl and add shrunken heads. Ladle the cider into serving cups when guests arrive, being sure to include a shrunken head in each serving.
