Festive Vanilla Bean Mixed Nuts with Rosemary and Cranberries

Festive Vanilla Bean Mixed Nuts with Rosemary and Cranberries makes a beautiful treat for holiday parties or homemade gifts!

Holiday parties are always the best parties; with everyone in a festive mood, they’re full of laughter and fun, not to mention fabulous food.

Note that multiple servings are shown in the photo above.

In my family, our Christmas Eve party meal is always comprised of appetizers and other finger foods, along with a cookie tray or two. You might wonder if that’s really enough to be as filling as a meal, and I speak from experience when I say yes! Putting out a variety of smaller dishes is perfect for those of us who prefer to sample several different things while walking around mingling, instead of sitting down to a more formal meal.

Parties like this always seem to be more full of holiday cheer.

Just four ingredients go into this delicious, festive nut mix!

Another fun and festive thing to do at holiday parties is give out edible gifts. Plates of homemade cookies are a great option, and so is homemade candy (my Chocolate-Covered Sponge Candy is always a hit!). It’s nice to have a few easy recipe ideas up your sleeve too, like this Festive Vanilla Bean Mixed Nuts with Rosemary and Cranberries.

I took inspiration for this nut mix from my recipe for Christmas Morning Scones {aka Vanilla Bean, Nutmeg, and Rosemary-Scented Scones}, which are pretty incredible as far as scones go. (I’m telling you, if you make them, they will be the new standard by which you judge all future scones because they are that good. And they smell and taste just like Christmas morning.)

Be sure to let the nut mix cool completely on the tray before removing! 

This nut mix is equally delicious and festive. For a party, you can put it out in little individual containers (I like to use demitasse cups, the cups that espresso is served in), or you can package this nut mix in pretty glass jars and give them away as edible gifts to your guests. Either way, people are sure to ask for the recipe!

Note that multiple servings are shown in the photo above.

Here I used Planters Deluxe Mixed Nuts to keep this recipe simple for holiday entertaining. It comes together in just 20 minutes from start-to-finish, and it’s an easy recipe to double if you want to make enough to feed a crowd or for gifting to a few different people. Nuts are a great choice to serve at a party because with their unique combination of good fats, dietary fiber, and vitamins and minerals, they make a deliciously powerful addition to any holiday festivity.

What’s your favorite festive edible gift for giving out at holiday parties?