With the holidays right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about family gatherings, friendly parties, and other times when multiple people will be milling about the house. Party punches are great, but cool days require something to warm the insides. Here’s a great collection of hot punches, ciders, hot cocoas, and such that can be made and kept warm in a crock pot during your festivities this holiday season.
Citrus Cider – Better Homes and Gardens
You can make this with either apple cider or apple juice. The addition of cinnamon sticks, cloves, and fresh ginger slices add a festive feel to the cider. I’ve used a similar recipe for the holidays, but I left out the lemon juice and added a bit of orange zest to it instead. It was delicious!! If you’d like to try this version, just add a cup and a half of orange juice, some orange zest, omit the lemon juice completely, and keep the rest of the ingredients the same.
Holiday Punch – Yummly
This punch is a beautiful red color, but has a bit of a kick to it. The spiciness of the Red Hots candies might not appeal to everyone. If you want something a bit toned down, you might try adding some cinnamon candies instead of the Red Hots. Just a suggestion!
Nutella Hot Cocoa – Repeat After Me
I’ve used Nutella in brownie mixes, so why not in hot chocolate? This is a simple recipe that only requires a few ingredients and 2 hours in a crock pot. How much easier can you get than that!
Apricot Cider – Busy Cooks
I love apricots and think this might be a fun one to try for a winter party this year. I think floating some apricots in the crock pot or even tossing some into a mug full of the warm brew would be a nice touch.
Pumpkin Spice Latte – Cooking with Libby
There are tons of recipes for desserts using canned pumpkin, so I always have a lot of it in the pantry. I was thrilled to find a hot drink recipe that also used canned pumpkin! The combination of spices makes this hot drink sound like it will taste like pumpkin pie in a mug. You can’t go wrong with that!
Peppermint Hot Chocolate – Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
The title of this recipe implies that it’s only an alcoholic beverage. It’s actually a peppermint flavored hot cocoa recipe and adults can add some Peppermint Schnapps to their mug if they wish. I’ve always liked homemade hot chocolate and the addition of peppermint pieces sounds delicious too.
Chai – Allrecipes
In my opinion, chai is tasty any time of day. I’ve made a batch over the stove, but never thought about putting it all in a slow cooker to have it warm and on-hand. I like to add anise flowers to my chai too. I really enjoy the flavor anise adds to the chai.
Mulled Wine – Slow and Simple
What’s a holiday gathering without a bit of mulled wine. I generally use sugar instead of corn syrup, but this recipe is otherwise the same one I use when I make it on the stove. I use a ½ cup sugar per bottle of wine used.
I hope at least one of these recipes is one that appeals to you! You might even be able to tweak it a bit and create something that you’ll love to use year after year. Some of these recipes can even be made up in the crock pot and stored in it the night before a shindig. All you’ll have to do is plug the crock pot in the allotted time needed to warm it thoroughly. You could also use a Christmas light timer to make sure it’s on at the correct time and ready for the party.
What’s your favorite crock pot drink for the holidays?
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One of the best parts of winter/holidays are the smells and tastes in these drinks. I make a peppermint hot choc with ~5c water, a tbsp sugar per cup, 1 heaping tbsp cocoa, pinch of cinnamon, salt, red pepper powder, and a couple drops of peppermint oil. Or tsp vanilla if I am leaving out the peppermint oil. Sometimes I throw in a little butter. It has a little sludge at the bottom like coffee too finely ground, but I love it. Gonna go make some now.
That citrus cider sounds delish!
I’ve NEVER thought about doing something like this! What a great idea! yum.
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