If you’re a Pinterest user, surely you’ve seen all of the “Make your house smell like Christmas!” posts this year. I adore the whole simmering pot idea and have done it many times myself.

But today, let’s talk about killing two birds with one stone. Except we’re a peaceful bunch, so we’re not going to kill birds (yikes!), nor throw stones for that matter. Um, I guess what I’m trying to say is this: Why don’t we make our houses smell fabulous and get a scrumptious sipper out of the deal at the same time?

This Slow Cooker Rosemary-Cranberry Mulled Cider is sort of an amped-up version of my favorite Crock Pot Spiced Cider recipe. I include rosemary for a festive green touch, and the subtle herbal note it adds is fantastic. And then cranberries, because I’ve decided that cranberries in spiced apple cider are the bomb. They add this wonderful tart element that makes the cider much less cloying than most – and therefore infinitely more drinkable.

Drink it straight up, booze-free, or try adding a splash (or pour) of rum. We were out of rum when I was making these, but we found apple vodka to be a fine substitute.

House smells good? Check. Tummy warmed? Check. Well, aren’t we an efficient bunch?!

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The post Slow Cooker Rosemary-Cranberry Mulled Cider appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Tender and buttery, this cranberry orange bread is so easy to make, too – ready in just about an hour, and no yeast or starter in sight.

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Ingredients
• How to Make Cranberry Orange Irish Soda Bread
• More Irish Soda Bread Recipes

• Jump to the full, printable recipe
• Read reader reviews & comments

The Story Behind the Recipe

You know, I feel a little guilty about this (shock – I’m a mom who feels guilty), but quite possibly my favorite part of the day is naptime.

I feel guilty because, you know, my favorite times should be while I’m basking in the glow of a toddler hug, or oohing and mmm-ing over a wedge of plastic pizza, or reading Rainbow Fish and answering important compound questions like “What’s fishy doing?! What’s shark doing?? What’s the water doing?!”

Those moments definitely are wonderful. But naptime … ahhhh. What a glorious, glorious time of day it is.

In lieu of soap operas and bonbons (like any stay-at-home-mom actually does this – when do we ever let ourselves sit still?!), I’ve discovered an even better naptime pleasure. In our new house, I’ve found the perfect spot at the far end of the kitchen island, where I can park myself in view of trashy TV on Hulu Plus.

I can chop onions for dinner’s recipe while watching The Bachelor (oh, that Juan Pablo). Or, say, I can watch the latest Nashville (Deacon’s new girlfriend and Teddy?!! NOO!!!) while sifting and stirring and kneading a loaf of Cranberry Orange Irish Soda Bread.

Mix. Knead. Rewind (“did they REALLY just do that?!”). Form into a loaf. Pat. Slice. Smile.

During a particularly long nap this past week, I did just that. I may have also watched the latest Nashville twice in a row while doing it. What?! When you’re multi-tasking, you miss stuff!

Ingredients

• Flour – I like to use all-purpose flour in this Irish soda bread recipe.
• Sugar – For a bit of added sweetness.
• Baking soda – It wouldn’t be soda bread without it!
• Salt – To help balance the flavors.
• Butter – For a buttery, tender loaf.
• Buttermilk – You can grab buttermilk from the store, or make your own by mixing 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice with a little less than 1 3/4 cup milk.
• Egg
• Orange zest – I like to use an organic orange for the zest. A microplane grater makes quick work of the zest; just grate the first layer of the peel off (don’t go deep enough to get any of the bitter pith)
• Dried cranberries

How to Make Cranberry Orange Irish Soda Bread

The dough comes together by first adding the dry ingredients to a large bowl, then you work the butter in until it resembles coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest. Then, make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture.

Stir the ingredients tighter just until the dough starts to come together, then add the dried cranberries and stir just until incorporated. The dough will be wet and sticky; that’s okay! That’s how it’s supposed to be.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, sprinkle a bit of flour over the top, and gently knead the dough, just working the flour in. Add more flour a little at a time until the dough is easy to handle and no longer sticky.

Shape it into a round and set it on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and cut a + sign in the top.

Now it’s time to bake it! You’ll want to bake your cranberry orange Irish soda bread until you can tap on the top and it sounds a bit hollow.

Cool that gorgeous loaf for 10 minutes or so, then it’s safe to cut in! A generous smear of butter highly recommended.

This Irish soda bread is pretty far from a traditional recipe, but that doesn’t make it any less delicious. This recipe results in a dense, buttery-golden-crisp loaf flavored subtly with orange and studded with dried cranberries. And there is no, I mean NO, better toast to be had.

Especially when enjoyed at naptime.

More Irish Soda Bread Recipes

• Vegan Irish Soda Bread
• Irish Soda Bread Muffins
• Ina Garten Inspired Irish Soda Bread

Print

Cranberry Orange Irish Soda Bread

Crusty, buttery, and full of flavor. This Irish Soda Bread might not be the most traditional version ever created, but it is quite possibly the most delicious!

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 10 slices

Calories 387kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour DIVIDED
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cut into squares, 1 stick
• 1 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest from 1 medium orange
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or a piece of parchment paper, or coat with non-stick spray.
• In a large bowl, mix together the four cups flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
• Add the butter and with a pastry blender or your fingers, squeeze and mix the butter in with the flour mixture until the butter is about the size of peas.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest.
• Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon just until the dough starts to come together. Add the dried cranberries and stir just until incorporated. The dough will be wet and sticky.
• Spread some of the remaining flour onto a flat surface and turn the dough out onto it. Sprinkle a bit more flour over the bread and fold the dough around the flour, gently kneading the dough just to work the flour in. Add more flour as you go, until the dough is no longer sticky.
• Form dough into a round loaf and place on the baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut an “X” into the top.
• Bake for 45 – 55 minutes, or until golden brown and the bread sounds a little hollow when you knock on it. You can also try using a cake tester just to be sure – when it comes out clean, it’s done.
• Let cool for at least 10 minutes, then slice, butter, and serve. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap; keeps at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 583mg | Potassium: 136mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 379IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Cranberry Orange Irish Soda Bread appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Simple. Subtle.

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ORANGE SPICE ICED COFFEE!!!!

Kind of like that.

I know that fruit in your iced coffee sounds weird. Oh, how I get that. The first time I saw a promo sign at Starbucks, I thought, huh. Weird. I mean, one, fruit in your iced coffee, really? And then I checked the calendar. Why, yes, it is July, yet Starbucks is promoting a decidedly December flavor, orange spice. Well, then again, it is iced. Which I guess is why they’re launching it now. Okay, fine, I thought. I’ll try it.

There you go, folks. A scintillating peek into the typical thoughts that float ’round my brain.

So here’s the thing. This particular fruit and spice combination totally works in iced coffee. It sounds cliche, but seriously: one sip and I was pretty much hooked. I think it works because, to me, a really great iced coffee brew has a pretty significant chocolate note. Orange and chocolate together are magic, so this sort of makes sense. And then the warming, wonderful cinnamon and nutmeg – well, those just belong in coffee.

I’m not really sure how Starbucks makes theirs, but naturally, I set out to make my own version at home. And I’m totally, completely, utterly in love with this iced coffee.

With two hits of orange (once in the syrup and then a few pinches of zest in the drink itself), it’s decidedly orange flavored, yes – but not cloyingly so. It’s just right. The spices – cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg – lend warm fuzzy notes that help bring this all together in a swirl of creamy, caffeine-packed, entirely-too drinkable pure goodness.

And now I have an orange obsession. Fruity iced coffee is a thumbs up, my friends. The possibilities might just be endless.

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Orange Spice Iced Coffee

With two hits of orange (once in the syrup and then a few pinches of zest in the drink itself), it's decidedly orange flavored, yes - but not cloyingly so. It's just right. The spices - cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg - lend warm fuzzy notes that help bring this all together in a swirl of creamy, caffeine-packed, entirely-too drinkable pure goodness.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Author Kare

Ingredients

For the orange spice syrup:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 large strips fresh orange peel
• 1 4- inch cinnamon stick
• 3 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

For the orange spice iced coffee:

• 1 cup cold-brewed iced coffee concentrate
• 2 tablespoons Orange Spice Syrup
• Half and half coconut milk, or your other favorite coffee creamer, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• Dash of cinnamon

Instructions

Make the syrup:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar and water. Using a paring knife, peel two large (about 2 - 3 inches long) strips of peel from a fresh orange. Be careful to avoid the bitter pith (the white part) as much as possible. Add the orange peel, cinnamon stick, cloves, and nutmeg, to the sugar-water mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Pour syrup over a sieve into a small bowl or jar and discard solids.
• Keeps refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Make the iced coffee:

• Fill a 12 ounce or larger glass with ice. Pour coffee concentrate and syrup over ice, stir in cream, if using. Top with orange zest and a dash of cinnamon. Serve with a straw.

The post Orange Spice Iced Coffee appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I think my hate started with that chocolate martini I ordered at a bar, probably a good 10 years ago. I went for it with gusto (it’s chocolate! It’s got to be delicious!) and practically came away sputtering. It tasted like gasoline.

The turning point for me and frou frou martinis came a couple of years ago when I tried the sea salt caramel chocolate martini at the Dilletante Martini Bar in Capitol Hill here in Seattle. Pretty sure that I took a sip and the heavens parted and an angel sang, “Frou frou martinis! Laaaaaa!”

Since then I’ve dreamed up a few martinis that, without a doubt, fall on the sweeter side of the spectrum. Here’s another: the pomegranate-orange martini.

I love, love, love this martini, especially for Christmas and New Year’s. It is incredibly tasty, for one – just the right balance of fruity and cheeky. It’s another one that’s a little dangerously delicious, actually. And that gorgeous red color and the sparkly rim? Perfect, perfect, perfect for this time of year.

Not only am I kind of in love with the pomegranate-orange martini, it apparently makes me want to say words in threes, threes, threes. It also enthusiastically solidifies my new-found love for the frou-frou side.

Make-Ahead Tip

Making pomegranate-orange martinis for a party? Triple, quadruple, or, you know, twenty-tuple the liquid ingredients and keep them in a pitcher. All you (or your guests) will have to do is shake with ice and pour. Couldn’t be easier.

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Pomegranate-Orange Martinis

This fruity, sassy vodka martini pairs tart pomegranate and juicy orange for a rosy cocktail that's perfect for holiday parties.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2 drinks

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 6 ounces pomegranate juice
• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce Cointreau
• 1 ounce orange juice
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar for decorating the rims of the glasses if desired

Instructions

• If decorating the rims of the glasses with sugar, pour the sugar into a thin layer on a small saucer. Moisten the rims of two martini glasses (I rub an orange or lemon wedge around the rims) and carefully dip the martini glasses rims down the sugar until the rims are coated with sugar. Set martini glasses right-side up and allow sugar to set (should take just a couple of minutes).
• Add pomegranate juice, vodka, Cointreau, and orange juice to an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds. Strain mixture into martini glasses and serve immediately.

The post Pomegranate-Orange Martinis appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I first caught wind of the idea of hot cranberry cider, or mulled cranberry juice, on a Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Special, over a decade ago. Time fliiiieeees man. But I digress.

Mulled Cranberry Apple Cider is good stuff, especially for the holidays, and – in my opinion for those over 21 – especially with rum. It’s perfect for if you prefer your Christmas drinks with alcohol, but also makes a super festive non-alcoholic Christmas drink. And because you add the booze directly to your mug, it’s great having a Crock Pot simmering on the counter for holiday entertaining, and everyone can partake – drinkers and non-drinkers alike.

Mulled Cranberry Apple Cider Ingredients

So what do we have in this festive Christmas drink? Here goes:

• Cranberry juice – for a rosy red hue and holiday flair.
• Apple cider – of course!
• A clove-studded orange – Cloves are my favorite mulling spice. When you stick them in a whole orange, they release the oils in the peel for even more mulled goodness.
• Cinnamon sticks – A mulled Christmas drink must!
• Lemon peel – No pith, please. We like citrus without the bitter taste!
• Honey – Completely optional (and for a vegan version, you can use Grade A maple syrup or sugar). Add only if you like your hot cranberry cider on the sweeter side.
• Rum – Optional of course. Because what’s better than Mulled Cranberry Apple Cider? SPIKED Mulled Cranberry Apple Cider!

How to Make This Make Mulled Cranberry Apple Cider Recipe

The full printable recipe is below, but in a nutshell, you want to very gently simmer all of the ingredients together (except the optional honey and/or optional booze) either in a Crock Pot or on your stovetop. Then add honey (or other sweetener) at the end if you decide you want it sweeter, and spike each individual mug with booze if you so desire.

Then plop in an orange slice, some cranberries (sugared cranberries or fresh), and sugared rosemary, if you like, for a festive garnish.

Whichever method you choose, do not boil! That cooks the solids in the cider and makes for a cloudy drink.

I hope you love this Mulled Cranberry Apple Cider. I truly think it’s the ultimate warm Christmas drink.

Cozy, warm, happy holidays to you!

More Mulled Drinks Perfect for the Holidays

• Hot Apple Cider (Crock Pot or Stovetop)
• Slow Cooker Cranberry Rosemary Mulled Cider
• Gluhwein: Hot Spiced Red Wine
• Slow Cooker Cranberry-Orange Mulled Wine

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The Ultimate Warm Christmas Drink: Mulled Cranberry Apple Cider

One of our favorite Christmas drinks! With cranberry juice, apple cider, a clove-studded orange, cinnamon, lemon peel, and rum if you like, this wassail warms you from your fuzzy Santa socks to your rosy nose.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 133kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 whole orange
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 4 cups cranberry juice 1 quart or approx. 1 liter
• 4 cups apple cider 1 quart or approx. 1 liter
• 3 lemon peels from 1 medium lemon; just the peel and not the pith [which can cause bitterness]
• 3 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey optional to taste; can substitute Grade A pure maple syrup or granulated sugar
• spirits if desired; sometimes I add 1/2 cup red wine for just a bit of extra oomph or a good splash of rum to the mug to spike it up a bit

Optional garnishes

• Orange slices
• Fresh cranberries
• Cinnamon sticks
• Sugared rosemary

Instructions

Stud the orange with cloves

• Use a toothpick to poke holes in the orange and then stuck the sharp end of the cloves into the orange. Set aside.

To make in a Crock Pot

• Add cranberry juice, apple cider, lemon peel, cinnamon sticks, and the clove-studded orange to a 3-quart or larger Crock Pot. Cook on low for about three hours, until warmed through but never boiling. Switch the Crock Pot to the warm setting, and it's ready to serve when you're ready to drink!

To make on your stovetop

• Set a heavy 3-quart or larger pot over the stove. Add cranberry juice, cider, lemon peel, cinnamon sticks, and the clove-studded orange. Turn the heat to medium and heat until just below a simmer. Don't let it boil or the cider will separate – it'll still taste good but will look cloudy. Turn the heat to low and cover. Lightly simmer for about 30 minutes.

Garnish and serve

• Ladle the cider into mugs. Garnish if desired.

Notes

2021 recipe update: I’ve tweaked this recipe to include a clove-studded orange (now a staple in all of my mulled cider drinks!) and, instead of slices of citrus, we’ve got just the lemon peel. I have learned over time that citrus slices = a bitter wassail because of the pith in sliced citrus. I also find that the honey is a matter of taste; without the bitter note from the citrus slices, I find that it’s not needed. But if you like a sweeter cider, by all means stir some in!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 261mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 101IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg

The post The Ultimate Warm Christmas Drink: Mulled Cranberry Apple Cider appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.