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, theyre 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 thats 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!). Its 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. (Im 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 its 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.
Whats your favorite festive edible gift for giving out at holiday parties?
- 6 oz (1 slightly heaping cup) Planters Deluxe Mixed Nuts
- ½ cup (60 g) dried cranberries
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl, and then spread it out on a baking sheet.
- Bake 15 minutes, and then let the nut mix cool completely on the tray before removing.
- Store refrigerated for up to 1 month.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and provided product samples by Kraft Foods, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Rosa says
December 7, 2015 at 6:35 amA delicious snack! These nuts look irresistible.
Cheers,
Rosa
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
December 7, 2015 at 10:43 amMixed nuts are a must for holiday parties in our family! I need to a batch of these soon!
Melanie | Melanie Makes says
December 7, 2015 at 2:10 pmThis looks absolutely addictive! Love the rosemary and cranberry combination!
Gina Marie says
December 7, 2015 at 4:42 pmWhat is vanilla bean paste? Just pureed vanilla beans? Where could I find this or could I just make my own ?
Faith says
December 7, 2015 at 5:19 pmGina Marie, Vanilla bean paste is a thick, sweetened syrup containing the scrapings from inside vanilla pods (it has the same little black flecks that you’d get if you were to scrape a vanilla pod). I get my vanilla bean paste from my local grocery store (Wegmans), but I’ve also seen available at specialty food or home stores, such as Williams-Sonoma and Sur la Table, and in a pinch I’ve even ordered it on Amazon. Or you can substitute the scrapings of a vanilla pod; generally, 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste = 1 scraped vanilla pod.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
December 7, 2015 at 5:43 pm‘Such a festive treat for holiday gifting, I love the rosemary and cranberries!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
December 7, 2015 at 6:30 pmThese sound fabulous, love the addition of rosemary, such a nice touch!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
December 7, 2015 at 6:56 pmWe do the same on Christmas Eve in my home! I just love all the finger food and fun treats! This is a great recipe and one that I’m pinning so I remember to add it to this year’s plans! Nice!
Marissa says
December 8, 2015 at 12:03 amI love the play of sweet, salt and herbs in these, Faith. They are absolutely mouthwatering and perfect for a holiday celebration or gift!
Jenny | Honey and Birch says
December 8, 2015 at 9:35 amWe are doing an appetizer only dinner for Christmas this year after what happened last year – we all noshed and noshed and no one ended up eating the main course. Gonna have to add this to our recipe list!