Cider Beetles

Get ready for the holidays!! I know a company that sells these for $7 each but I like to include them in holiday baskets. I like to make these for the kids to have cider during the fall and winter holidays as a tradition in our very new household. They are very cute and great as a gift. Tie with a festive ribbon and attached to a bottle of apple juice along with the directions. Also these can be made inexpensively if you purchase your spices from a store selling them in bulk by weight.

• Ready In: 32 mins
• Yields: 12 beetles

Ingredients

• 6  oranges
• 2 1⁄4 cups  firmly packed brown sugar
• 12 (1 1/2inch)  cinnamon sticks
• 12  small  whole whole nutmegs
• 24  large whole allspice
• 96  whole cloves

Directions

1. Adult Portion:
2. Slices oranges in half and scoop out pulp without breaking the orange rind. Reserve pulp for another use or discard.
3. Place orange halves cut side up (like a bowl) on a wire rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 250F for 2 hours until dry and hard. Let Cool.
4. Kid Portion:
5. Pack brown sugar firmly into each orange half, mounding slightly.
6. Arrange spices in the brown sugar to resemble beetles: use a cinnamon stick as the body, a nutmeg as the head, 2 allspice for the eyes (on each side of the head), and 6-8 cloves for the legs/feet.
7. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator (I keep mine sealed in plastic and in the cupboard).
8. Directions for use:
9. Unwrap the beetle and drop into 1 1/2 quarts apple juice or cider. Simmer 30 minutes. Strain whole spices and orange rind from cider to serve. May add 1/2 cup of Brandy, and heat well. Store leftover cider in the refrigerator.