Fall in Northern California is a wonderful season, specifically when it’s time to harvest all our favorite nuts! Soon there will be an abundance of pecans, walnuts, and almonds for you to purchase from local farms or the grocery store.
Baking with fresh ingredients always adds something extra (especially if you purchase from local growers). The only question is, what yummy and delicious recipes will you choose to bake? We are here to help! We have found fifteen recipes, five for each nut, that should have you busy and up to your elbows in baking for the rest of October.
Enjoy!
Pecan Recipes
Homemade Turtles
Amy walks you through how to make her easy homemade turtles, which you can make for yourself or for your friends and family. Bonus- they are really pretty looking and since it’s the season for pecans you’ll have no issue finding fresh pecans (local farms are awesome). With just four ingredients you’ll have these yummy pecan turtles ready in a flash.
Butter Pecan Cookies
Doesn’t the name of these cookies just give you the feeling that they are melt in your mouth deliciousness?? Sally gives you all the steps to make this buttery, soft, yet with a crunch recipe that will make everyone wish there was more. Her secret? You have to toast the pecans to bring out their best flavor!
Coconut Pecan Granola
Who doesn’t love a good granola with their yogurt in the morning? Laura gives you a twist on traditional granola all while keeping it gluten free! She understands that most store-bought granolas have a lot of sugar therefore she found a way to create a recipe with no refined sugar, keeping it all natural! She also gives the option for dairy-free if you need it.
Candied Pecans
Don’t care about your pecans being healthy? Then candied pecans are the way to go, sweet with a crunch! Ali talks about how the next best thing to eating the sweet, cinnamon-y, nutty amazingness is getting to smell them. She believes that if you don’t want to buy fall candles all you need to do is continue to bake candied nuts this season!
Pumpkin Spiced Muffins with Pecan Crumble
Nothing says fall like the flavor of pumpkin! Pumpkin spice is all the rage, why not add in the delectableness of freshly harvested pecans? Becca’s muffin is the perfect addition to your morning coffee (or tea) routine on the weekend. If you have a chair on your porch, we highly recommend wrapping yourself in a blanket and enjoying your muffin with your drink of choice in the crisp morning air.
Walnut Recipes
Maple Spiced Walnuts
More options for mouthwatering candied nuts! The roasted walnuts paired with the maple syrup give it the perfect combination of savory and sweet. Fida tells you to enjoy these walnuts as a snack, at a party, or on a salad. She just may be right in stating that you can’t just have one.
Banana Bread with Walnuts
Julia has found the best recipe for banana bread that gives you just the right amount of moistness allowing you to enjoy it as a breakfast food or as desert after a wonderful meal. Adding freshly harvested walnuts gives it that extra crunch that banana bread always needs. Best part? This recipe doesn’t require a mixer, just a bowl and big wooden spoon!
Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies are an old classic that everyone loves to sink their teeth into. Why not spice it up with a walnut crunch? Dina crafted her recipe after tasting what she calls the best cookie ever but not wanting to purchase it every time she had a craving. She’ll walk you through all the steps you need to follow to craft your own “best cookie ever.”
Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies (V, GF, WG)
Having dietary problems can always hinder you from making some recipes, but lucky for you we found one that everyone can eat. This scrumptious walnut chocolate chip cookie recipe is not only gluten free and vegan, but also whole grain! Don’t let your dietary restrictions keep you from enjoy these wonderful fall cookies.
Old Fashioned Carrot Cake
Finding vintage recipes that have been passed down through your family for generations is always an exciting adventure. Arlene found this recipe in the Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook from 1972 (the cookbook was the Silver Jubilee version that contained some of their best recipes published since 1947). If that doesn’t say vintage recipe from your pretend great-grandma... I don’t know what will. Sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top and you’ve got yourself one old “family” recipe.
Almond Recipes
Almond Roca
Elise brings out the classic holiday recipe of English toffee filled with almonds and topped with dark delicious chocolate. She guides you through the process while adding her own notes, making it easier for you to follow along!
Roasted Cinnamon Almonds
No list of candied nuts is complete without almonds. These roasted cinnamon almonds will have your entire home smelling like a fall/Christmas explosion. Rachel’s recipe doesn’t require you to do a whole lot, but you will have to have a free hour to stir them every fifteen minutes while baking.
Almond Scones
If you haven't visited The Spruce’s website you are missing out. They have everything from apartment blogs, pet blogs, craft blogs, and of course food blogs. This recipe comes from their Spruce Eats blog, it even comes with an estimated nutritional guideline!
Almond Crescent Cookies
Nothing better than a melt in your mouth shortbread cookie. It gets even better when you make it into a crescent moon shape and add almonds. Yum, yum, yum! Rosemary does a great job with the Italian recipe (helps that she lives there!).
Almond Flour/Meal
When it comes to baking gluten free, you have options for what kind of flour you want to use. Almond flour is one of the more popular choices for many gluten free people. Since it's the season of almond harvest, we thought it’d be a good idea to show you the recipe so you can make your own! No more needing to run to the store for more flour once you see how simple it is to make!
Don’t let these recipes fool you, just because these bakers make some of them around Christmas time doesn’t mean you can’t start now. You can also think of it as practice run. If they turn out amazing then you’ll know which ones to bake come Christmas!
Which one are you going to bake first? Let us know below! Looking for ways to enjoy the fall season? Make sure you check out our Fall Bucket List and see which items you want to add to your fall traditions! For more fun activities in the North State, check out our North State Living Page!
