6tablespoonsfrozen orange juice concentrate or 2 cups orange juice
8cupsapple juice or apple cider
8cupscranberry juice
½cupgranulated sugar
½cuplight brown sugar
2cinnamon sticks
1-2star anise
1whole orangecut into slices
1cupfresh or frozen cranberries
Orange sliceswhole cranberries, star anise, cinnamon sticks (for garnish)
Instructions
Add orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon sticks and star anise to the bottom of a slow cooker.
Add the apple juice and cranberry juice to the crock. Add orange slices and cranberries and cover with the lid.
Cook on high for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to ensure the sugars dissolve and disperse throughout the punch.
Serve hot.
Notes
Storage: Remove cinnamon sticks, fruit, and star anise from the crockpot after the 2 hours cook time is up. Add fresh fruits and spices as garnish while serving. Store juice (strained from any fruits/spices) in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.Notes: You can certainly halve the recipe. I would still use 1 full orange, 1 cup of cranberries, two cinnamon sticks, and one star anise even if the juice and sugar amounts are reduced. If the fruit and spices sit in the punch for a long time while it is being served (like throughout a dinner party or potluck, etc.) the punch will become overly spiced and the orange rind may add bitterness to the punch. I would recommend removing the fruit and spices used for steeping after the 2 hour cook time. Add fresh fruit and spices for serving. Cranberry punch is also tasty served cold, over ice.Use glass mugs for the prettiest presentation.Wash oranges prior to adding to the punch and use organic fruit to ensure unwanted pesticides aren’t soaking in your punch.