Must-Try Nut Recipes (2024)

Pecans, walnuts, hickories and other nuts add crunch and flavor to our recipes for cakes, pies, sweet breads, salads and main dishes.

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Hickory Nut Cake

Hickory nuts add a buttery taste to the inside of this dense cake, from Audrey and Robert Biersach of Columbus, Wisconsin.

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Chili Pecans

A coating of spicy and sweet turns toasted pecans into a great snack. Make these ahead of time if you're having a party. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 1 month.

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Spicy Rosemary-Peanut Caramel Corn

This is caramel corn all grown up-studded with salted peanuts, flecked with rosemary and kissed with cayenne. Make a double batch to pack as gifts, or set a bowl on the coffee table as a way-fun alternative to Chex Mix.

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Coffee Nut Torte

Cocoa and rum flavor the soft butter frosting that crowns this airy three-layer cake from Elizabeth Varga of Barberton, Ohio. The recipe came from her Hungarian grandmother.

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Whole Wheat Apple-Nut Bread

This quick bread from Missouri nut growers Drew and Susie Kimmell bakes in a casserole dish for a round loaf. They recommend using pecans, black walnuts or hickory nuts.

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Walnut Cake with Caramel Whipped Cream

Fill layers of walnut cake with caramel whipped cream and drizzle it all with caramel sauce for a rich fall dessert.

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Winter Orange Salad

The croutons made from walnuts or pecans infuse nutty flavor into this tossed salad, made with oranges and dried cranberries. Nut producers Barb and Dwight Ittner of Noel, Missouri, created the recipe.

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Pumpkin-Praline Layer Cake

This nutty layer cake is a favorite dessert with Midwest Living® readers. Whipped cream tops a moist filling of pumpkin, brown sugar, pecans, butter and more whipping cream.

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Mixed-Nut Brittle

This fresh twist on peanut brittle takes just 15 minutes to make using your microwave. Be sure to use a heavy-duty glass measure that's free from cracks or chips to withstand high temperatures.

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Nuts for brunch

Our coffee cake (recipe at link above) is an indulgent mixture of chocolate, butter, sour cream, pecans and coconut. A brunch could also feature Stuffed French Toast, flavored with cream cheese, apricot preserves and pecans, or Maple Oatmeal Muffins, which blend pecans with oats, maple syrup, cinnamon and butter.

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Slow Cooker Sweet-Hot Nuts

Nuts in your slow cooker? Sure! Just toss them with sugar, butter and spices, and cook on low heat for two hours.

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War Eagle Bean Palace Pecan Cobbler

Using the beloved pecan pie as a guide, cooks for the restaurant at the top of War Eagle Mill near Rogers, Arkansas, fashioned this cobbler adding oat flour for a different flavor in the crust. This buttery crust actually layers in the middle of the syrupy filling, an escape from the usual cobbler crowned with topping. A generous measure of pecans adds crunch.

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Pecan pie—three ways

Oatmeal-Pecan Pie (recipe above) gives the traditional pecan pie a chewy-good twist by adding oatmeal to the usual ingredients. Chocolate Pecan Pie is a rich treat that comes from Historic Clifton Mill restaurant in Clifton, Ohio. Black Bottom Pecan Pie comes from Miss Aimee B's Tea Room in St. Charles, Missouri.

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Black Walnut-Crushed Catfish

A maple butter sauce tops this nutty catfish recipe from Hammons of Stockton, Missouri, a major producer of black walnuts. The Hammons family likes the deep, robust flavor of black walnuts in this recipe. We listed the much milder English walnut as an alternative.

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Strawberry-Walnut Shortcakes

Nuts and orange zest give a crunchy and flavorful twist to this summer classic. This recipe comes from Hammons black walnut company in Stockton, Missouri.

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Easy Banana Nut Bread

Make a couple of these easy nut-filled banana bread loaves-like most quick breads, they'll keep up to a month in your freezer. Overwrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezerproof bag. Thaw at room temp.

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Shortcut German Chocolate Cake

Coconut, pecans and caramel make a sweet sauce for an easy, one-layer twist on German chocolate cake.

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Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

This dish from Max Archer of McPherson, Kansas, packs some heat. Adjust it to suit your taste by varying the amounts of chili paste and poblano chiles.

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Rigatoni with Spinach, Walnuts, Sweet Potatoes and Goat Cheese

This main dish adds walnuts to the flavors and textures of sweet potato, red onion, baby spinach leaves, goat cheese, basil and pasta.

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Chocolate Nut Revels

A luscious chocolate and pecan mixture swirls throughout these festive cookies.

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Wasabi Almonds and Popcorn

If you'd like to cut additional fat from this zesty snack mix, use five sprays of butter-flavor nonstick spray instead of butter. Be sure to add the spray right before eating to prevent the popcorn from getting soggy.

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Badgersett's Stuffed Pork Chops

Philip and Meg Rutter at the Badgersett Research Farm in Canton, Minnesota, use extra-thick Iowa chops to hold stuffing featuring their chestnuts and hazelnuts.

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Cafe Latte Turtle Cake and other nutty treats

Cafe Latte Turtle Cake (recipe at link above) is a favorite with diners at Cafe Latté in Saint Paul. A creamy Praline-Crusted Cheesecake delights guests at the Old Rittenhouse Inn in Bayfield, Wisconsin. Peach-Pecan Cobbler tempts fruit lovers with swirls of pecan-studded biscuits on top of sliced peaches.

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Black Walnut Ice Cream

Staff at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, churn dozens of ice cream flavors at Hannah's Ice Cream Factory. For a sweeter ice cream, use more sugar. Look for black walnut flavoring, which pairs with nuts to give this cool treat its flavor, in large supermarkets.

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Gooey Pecan Pie Bars

These sweet, nutty and oh-so-buttery bars are a guaranteed showstopper on any cookie tray.

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