Shrunken Apple Heads in Citrus Cider

Name: Shrunken Apple Heads in Citrus Cider
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 35 min
Yield: about 1 gallon.
Ingredients: 1 cup lemon juice; 1 tablespoon salt; 4 large Granny Smith apples; 16 whole cloves; 1 gallon apple cider; 1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

Granny Smith apples shaped like shrunken heads will surprise even the scariest goblins at your Halloween bash. And the cool cider is so refreshing.--Annette Engelbert, Bruce Crossing, Michigan

Ingredients

1 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
4 large Granny Smith apples
16 whole cloves
1 gallon apple cider
1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

Directions

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and salt; set aside. Peel apples. Cut each apple from the stem to the blossom end; discard seeds and core. Using a sharp knife, carefully carve a face on the rounded side of each apple half. After carving, dip each apple in lemon juice mixture for 1 minute. Drain on paper towels.
Arrange apple heads on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 250° for 2 hours or until apples begin to dry and shrink and are lightly browned on the edges. Cool on a wire rack. Insert cloves for eyes. Store in the refrigerator.
Just before serving, combine cider and lemonade in a punch bowl. Float shrunken apple heads in cider.