The Holiday season is beginning and I have a recipe everyone is sure to love because it’s so darn easy and delicious! Slow Cooker Hot Buttered Rum. Made in a slow cooker, it can be put on to simmer and left for self-serving during longer gatherings or after you’ve been out for a chilly outing. It popped to mind in anticipation of Halloween which is usually is freezing cold in Colorado, often with snow. Though I’m generally on candy duty at home, my crew dips in and out of the house between blocks of Trick-or-Treating and they are usually freezing.
To answer the question in your minds, no I do not give my kids Hot Buttered Rum but that is the beauty of this version; you add the rum in individual serving mugs, not in the slow cooker, so teetotalers and tots can also partake (and for those wanting a stronger drink, they can control that as well). The sweet buttery spiced mixture is fantastic on its own, or with whipping cream and some nutmeg. Adults can add the rum ‘to taste’ or even rum extract for rum flavor and no liquor.
A slow cooker simmering will fill your kitchen and house with irresistible heavenly smells of cold weather holidays. It always puts me in a festive mood. Unlike some Hot Buttered Rum this is not overly sweet, but rather ‘just right’. It’s great to have on hand for Thanksgiving sipping, to greet you after an evening of holiday caroling (do people do that anymore?), after a chilly football game, watching holiday light parades, an afternoon of sledding or skiing; you get the drift. Or ‘just because’!
When the spiced mixture is done at 5 ½ hours, it has a glistening look on the top of the liquid from the liquefied butter. Sometimes when butter melts it releases solids which look almost like small wet bread crumbs that will float on top as well. I prefer to strain the mixture through a fine sieve and return it to the slow cooker in order to remove any leftover butter solids and the loose spices once the mixture has cooked. It can be kept warm in the slow cooker for serving.
My suggestion is to set up a self-serve area for easy access by adults though where smaller children won’t risk ladling the hot drink out of the slow cooker themselves. I set out a bottle of dark rum, some whipped cream canisters (I dress mine up and will share how to do so this week!), some whole nutmeg and a microplane or nutmeg grater. As with many spices, freshly grated nutmeg was a wonderful flavor that is brighter than ground nutmeg. However if ground nutmeg works better for your needs it can be substituted.
Slow Cooker Hot Buttered Rum (with mocktail option)
Ingredients
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter
- 3 Cinnamon Sticks
- 6 Whole Cloves
- 6 Allspice Berries
- 1 Vanilla Bean , slit open vertically
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 8 cups Water
- 1 bottle Dark Rum (or minimum 2 cups)
- Whipping Cream
- Nutmeg (preferably whole nutmeg with a grater to grate freshly)
- Optional (for youngsters or teetotalers): Rum Extract
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the slow cooker EXCEPT the rum, whipping cream and nutmeg (those will be added individually to serving mugs). Cook on LOW for 5 ½ hours (may be kept warm in the slow cooker after completing the initial cooking). Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove loose spices and any butter solids; return to the slow cooker to keep warm.
- To serve: Pour rum (or rum extract) to suit individual mugs. Top with whipping cream and freshly grated nutmeg. Note: the sweet spiced buttery mixture from the slow cooker is wonderful on it's own too; for those who prefer it without the rum flavor and alcohol, it can be consumed as is.
Like these cute Whipped Cream Canisters covers? Hop over and in less than 5 minutes you can make them yourself too.
Andrea says
December 22, 2018 at 9:58 amI have a double batch simmering on the stove for a family decorating tree party. It smell amasing!!