7 Holiday Spiced Nuts Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are the most popular nuts at Christmas? ›

We've got our festive favourites when it comes to nuts. Walnuts, with their rich, buttery flavour, are a must-have. Hazelnuts, too, are popular, bringing a sweet, mellow taste that's perfect for festive recipes.

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to three weeks. These nuts will get sticky and clump together if they are left in areas that are too warm or humid. Can you freeze spiced nuts? Spiced nuts freeze well and thaw quickly, so keep some on hand for last minute gatherings.

For special occasions like showers or birthday parties, you can serve nuts in tiny mason jars. Not only does this alleviate contamination concerns, but it also makes for easier snacking. Feel free to customize the jars with the date of the celebration and a ribbon.

Hazelnuts (and nuts in general) were ancient symbols of good luck and fertility which were given new Christian meanings and remain a common part of Christmas traditions even today. Physically characterized by three distinct parts, nuts were interpreted as a sign of the Trinity.

While almost any type of nut can be enjoyed as a delightful treat during the holidays, there are a few varieties that are given the distinction of being the most popular Christmas nuts. Appearing on the list of popular Christmas nuts is walnuts, pecans, Macadamias, filberts, peanuts, Brazil nuts and cashews.

North American crooners sing of “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” and nuts have long been used as edible decorations on Christmas trees.

If after they have cooled down, the pecans are still sticky, this means that the sugar mixture never reached a high enough temperature when on the stove. To fix them, place the nuts back into the skillet and cook a bit longer.

Whole raw nuts can be stored in the freezer for up to one year. Chopped nuts, ground nuts, or nut flours — all of which contain more surface area for oxidation — are quicker to spoil and should only be stored for up to six months.

“If a nut is really oxidized, I guarantee you you're not going to get it past your mouth because it just tastes so awful,” says Schaich. But if you do, for some reason, eating the occasional spoiled nut is “no big deal,” because we have enzymes in our stomachs that can essentially incinerate the oxidation byproducts.

Best of all, because it was easy and we did it together: we cracked almonds, Brazil nuts, filberts, walnuts, and pecans in shells. While reminiscing about our favorite memories from the past year, we would laugh at funny stories and sing along to old holiday tunes playing softly on the radio while we did this work.

How do you make nuts more enjoyable? ›

Trail Mix, Naturally!

Just mix in peanuts (or your favorite nuts) with a variety of dried fruit (such as cranberries, raisins, pineapple, bananas or apricots), dark chocolate bits and whole-grain oat squares. Separate the mix into small plastic bags and you're ready to go!

They're Said to Represent a Gift of Gold from Saint Nicholas

The father eventually found out who the gift giver was and was so moved he told everyone in town about Nicholas. This was not only the origin of Santa Claus but also one reason for oranges—which represent bags of gold—in our stockings.

Traditional Christmas dinner features turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables. Other types of poultry, roast beef, or ham, are also used.

I'm partial to almonds, pecans and pepitas. The almonds get nice and crunchy, the pecans crisp up beautifully, and the pepitas clump together to form crackly green clusters. You can use other nuts, too. Walnuts would be great in place of the pecans, hazelnuts would be fun, and peanuts are always delicious.

Peanuts are the most consumed groundnut while almond is the most consumed tree nut. Tree nuts include almonds, pistachios, brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, and cashews.

Peanuts, almonds, pecans, and walnuts top the list of the most consumed nut varieties in the United States, showing up most often in sweeter items.