Wassail

Recipe from Jenn Dowds

Adapted by Rosie Schaap

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Rating: 4(83)
Notes: Read community notes

Here is the the beauty of wassail: more than just another nice-tasting drink, it’s part of a long (if largely forgotten) tradition of celebrating the life that winter can seem determined to snuff out. It’s a fragrant, warming concoction mixed in bulk (this recipe makes 12 servings) and set out for sharing, all but demanding that you call in a crowd. There’s really no such thing as wassail for one. A punch bowl is good for this, although you can also ladle it into individual cups. (The New York Times) —Rosie Schaap

Featured in: Holiday Nostalgia, Served Warm

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Ingredients

Yield:About 12 servings

5 to 6small to medium honey crisp (or Fuji or McIntosh) apples, cored
½cup light brown sugar
½cup dark brown sugar
2cups Madeira
2bottles (22 4/10 ounces) London Pride Ale
4bottles (48 ounces) Strongbow English Cider
1cup apple cider
12whole cloves
12whole allspice berries
2cinnamon sticks, 2 inches long
2strips orange peel, 2 inches long
1teaspoon ground ginger
1teaspoon ground nutmeg

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place apples in a 9-by-9-inch glass baking dish. Spoon light and dark brown sugar into center of each apple, dividing sugar evenly among them. Pour 1 cup water into bottom of dish and bake until tender, about 1 hour.
Step 2
Meanwhile, pour Madeira, ale and English and apple ciders into a large slow cooker or heavy pot. Place cloves, allspice, cinnamon and orange peel into cheesecloth, tie shut with kitchen twine and add to slow cooker or pot along with ginger and nutmeg. Set slow cooker to medium, or place pot over low heat. Gently simmer for about 1 hour, while apples bake, or longer if desired.
Step 3
Add liquid from the baking dish and stir to combine. Using tongs, transfer apples into slow cooker or pot to garnish. Reduce heat. Ladle hot wassail into heatproof cups to serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5

83 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Hannah B6 years ago

This is an amazing holiday recipe. However, it is quite boozy. I usually increase the amount of apple cider as well as the spices a bit. Play with the amounts until you get it how you like it.

Dana3 years ago

Wassail? Wassat? It's delicious! After reading a comment about it being too sweet, I didn't use any sugar when baking the apples, but it turned out needing some added sweetener. I had a ton of orange simple syrup left over from making candied orange peels so we each added that to taste. Next year I'll try using half the brown sugar when I bake the apples...because I WILL be making this next year. P.S. Fuji apples held their shape beautifully.

Dana3 years ago

Pete4 years ago

Doubled the spices, used fresh ginger and a whole nutmeg, doubled the nonalholoic cider. It was wonderful

eleni6 years ago

we made this over the holidays and saw it again in my recipe box. before deleting it, i wanted to write that we didn't care for it.
It was too sweet -and the apples looked like an unappealing mess (although in fairness, we can't get the kind of apples mentioned in the recipe here in belgium - perhaps i chose the wrong kind of apple to substitute).

Hannah B6 years ago

This is an amazing holiday recipe. However, it is quite boozy. I usually increase the amount of apple cider as well as the spices a bit. Play with the amounts until you get it how you like it.

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