Nothing taste like fall without caramel and apple cider. Why not make a caramel flavored coating in the shape of a round ball filled with natural home made apple cider spice mix? Because beverage bombs are the fun to make they are even more fun when they melt in hot apple juice. When the bombs hit the hot juice or cider, they melt beautifully into your mug. Check out how to make peanut butter mocha hot chocolate bombs here.

So what’s in the Apple Cider Bomb?

Inside this caramel shell or bomb contains a home- made natural apple cider mix. The mix has brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon zest, ground cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and cardamon. Believe me, it tastes just like apple cider in apple juice.

To make this mix, start with combining spices in a medium bowl. Stir to blend, then fill in an air tight decorative jar with the mix. I used a small mason jar. then printed a label. This is also great for gift giving. This recipe for natural apple cider mix makes 1-1/4 cups but can be doubled or tripled.

Because this mix is so easy to make, I used this to make the apple cider bombs. I didn’t want artificial apple cider mixes so I found this recipe and adapted to make my own.

How to Make the Beverage Bombs

I really don’t like using the term bombs for this beverage but really, when it reacts to hot apple juice or cider it literally pops open and melts in the liquid. So it is sooo much fun to watch. I will be honest though, they are a bit tricky to make. But with patience you can make some too.

Begin with the right tools, you will need a half round sphere silicone mold.

I have used this mold for many other desserts and beverage bombs so purchasing this will give you additional ways to use the mold. You will also need salted caramel candy melts, which I ordered from Amazon. When the melts arrived, they were somewhat melted. Being that the melts were somewhat melted by the heat of the ride in the delivery truck or who knows where it sat in a warehouse… the melts did not perform as well as I would have like. Not being able to find this salted caramel melt at Michaels or Hobby Lobby when I made these I found them online.

The melts melted ok, but hardened faster than normal and cracked easily. So moral of the story… don’t use candy melts if they are melted in the bag. Ha Ha.

Ok, back to the bombs…

You will also need a small leaf cookie cutter if you want to make the bomb look like a caramel apple and a 1/2″ cinnamon stick.

To make the shells, melt candy melts in microwave at 15 second intervals until melts are softened then stir to melt. Be careful not to burn your candy melts at high temperatures.

Pour a tablespoon or so of the melts into the round sphere and push candy up the sides and over the mold using a small brush or back of spoon. Place mold on a baking sheet and chill in refrigerator 10-12 minutes or until shell is hardened. The thinner the coat the faster it will set up, but too thin of coat will break when releasing from mold. If first coat is too thin add another layer of melted candy and chill again.

Remove candy from mold carefully by turning the mold upside down and gently pressing to release. Heat a skillet over med heat allowing the skillet to get warm. Wearing gloves if you have them, melt off rough edges of molded rounds in the skillet.

Once edges are slightly smoothed, place on the back of mold to fill. Fill half of the rounds with 1 tablespoon of spice mix, leaving the remaining halves empty. Return the empty shell back on warm skillet to melt slightly and quickly attach to the sphere with apple cider mix forming a round ball. This is the tricky part but take your time you can do it.

Allow the balls to set, then with melted candy drizzle over the top of the round ball bombs.

To Make the Leaf Cut Out and Attaching Cinnamon Stick for Stem

With leftover melts, melt in microwave and smooth out candy on parchment paper. Allow to harden slightly then using a small leaf cookie cutter, cut out desired shapes.

Dip one end of the cinnamon stick in melted candy and attach to the top of the bomb, creating a stem look. Be careful not to push the stick into the shell. it will stick to the top if you hold it steady for a few seconds while melt hardens.

After stick is hardened to the round bomb, dip stem end of leaf in melted candy and attach to the front of the stem. Allow the leaf to rest agains the cinnamon stick for added support. Hold in place a few seconds.

To make the apple bomb to stand, use a piece of hardened candy melt as a foot. Attach with melted candy to bottom of bomb round.