Slow Cooker Spiced Wine with Oranges and Cranberries

Name: Slow Cooker Spiced Wine with Oranges and Cranberries
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Orange slices; Cinnamon sticks; Star Anise pods; Cranberries; 1 (750 ml) bottle red wine (choose an in expensive fruity wine that is not too sweet. I used a Merlot for my recipe ); 1/4 cup Tate and Lyle Honey Granules; 2 oranges, zested and juiced; 2 cups sparkling apple cider; 1 (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced; 6 whole cloves; 4 green cardamom pods; 2 cinnamon sticks; 1 whole star anise; 1/4 cup brandy; 1 cup of whole cranberries, washed and picked through

This recipe for slow cooker spiced wine with oranges and cranberries is the perfect way to ring in the New Year at our house. It is a great addition to my collection of party time crock pot recipes.

It’s time to bring out the big guns for your New Year’s party. And by big guns, I mean big on flavor, big on appeal and big on festive cheer.

My daughter visits for the holidays each year, and one of our favorite things to do is have movie nights and share our favorite wine and cocktail recipes.

I thought it would be fun to spice things up a bit this year using honey granules, instead of real honey, in a slow cooker version of one of her favorites – mulled wine.

Spiced wine in goblets with lemon slices and cinnamon sticks near some festive items and a red napkin with words reading Slow Cooker Spiced Wine.

This type of wine is also known as mulled wine and is a common way to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day.

Treat your New Year’s guests to this slow cooker spiced wine recipe for some celebratory cheer!

Just look at all these goodies that will go into the recipe.

Wine, cranberries, honey granules, lemons, spices and cork screw.

Dontcha just love a slow cooker during the holidays? Everything goes in, the house smells wonderful while it cooks and you can tend to other pressing things, knowing that the end result will be BRILLIANT!!

Mulled wine in goblets with festive pine cones, red napkins and cinnamon sticks.

So gather up those ingredients. With all this great stuff that will go into my crock pot, how can it not be good? Instead of using honey, which is sticky and kind of messy, I am using honey granules instead.

I used these honey granules to make my glazed apple cake earlier this year and it was a huge hit! The honey granules are a free-flowing blend of pure cane sugar and honey. They are deliciously sweet and a neater way to add honey flavor to all your holiday recipes.

One thing I LOVE about this recipe is that there is no need for an expensive bottle of wine. The spices and honey granules are what make the taste so great, so go ahead and NOT splurge on the wine or cider. And the recipe only needs 1/4 cup of brandy, so it is very inexpensive to make overall!

Some of the key players in this recipe are a wonderful blend of not often used spices. For this recipe, it was fresh ginger, whole cloves, whole star anise and cardamom pods.

These spices combine with the wine, honey granules and fresh fruit and cranberries to give you a drink that is TO-DIE-FOR!! (in a good way….) And I am in ‘luv with the way the honey granules avoid a sticky mess for me!

Note: If you can’t find the honey granules at your store, this recipe can be made using normal honey, too. Use 1/4 cup of real honey in place of the granules.

Honey granules and some great spices on a marble counter.

Everything goes into the crock pot for a few hours and then it gets a good stir. I ask you…What could be easier?

The perfect recipe for those busy December days leading up to New Year’s Eve.

Mulled wine with cranberries and honey granules in a cup.

The spiced wine cooks on low for a few hours and it makes the house smell amazing. You will know it is done when the cranberries start to become tender. What a perfect recipe to make before your holiday party.

Holiday spiced wine in a crock pot.

The guests will be blown away when they enter the house! Not having a party? Just take the whole crock pot out to a gathering that one of your friends is having and share it with their holiday guests. What a fun housewarming present it would make!
spiced wine in the slow cooker with a glass of mulled wine and Christmas decorations.

The spiced wine is served piping hot, with a wonderful aroma of the cloves, star anise, ginger and fruit.

It has a wonderful sweet/tart thing going on with the oranges, honey granules and cranberries and is just perfect for those nights when the Jack Frost is nipping at your nose. It will warm your guests to the core Mulled wine in goblets with red napkins and Christmas decorations.

Serve the slow cooker spiced wine in decorative holiday glasses, mugs or even Mason jar mugs like these.

They set the mood for the party in a big way. And don’t forget to garnish the individual servings with whole star anise, sliced oranges and some cinnamon sticks.

Nothing quite says Christmas like the look of whole cinnamon sticks in my book.

Muffed Wine in goblets with red napkin, pine cone and Christmas ribbon.

This is the first year that I have made slow cooker spiced wine and after the reception that it got, I just know that it will become my favorite drink to serve at all the holiday parties to come.

Muffled wine in a goblet with wine cone, cinnamon sticks, red napkin and Christmas ribbon.

Steamy hot spiced wine has been warming cold hands and hearts and celebrating the holiday spirit for centuries. Isn’t it time that some this scrumptious party drink makes it way into your home?

Yield: 6