Dried fruit and nuts may not be the first dessert toppings to come to mind, but they’re not to be forgotten! Crunchy nuts, chewy dried fruits, and the flavor of each make for a perfect accompaniment to sweet treats and desserts. Think baked goods, frozen yogurt or ice cream, puddings, milkshakes, and much more! Using dried fruit and nuts in desserts is easy and adds a bit more nutrition to what’s usually just a treat. Even a simple combination of nuts and chocolate can be a satisfying treat for dessert— Check out our blog all about the tasty pair here.

Dried Fruit and Nuts: A Tasty Treat

There are several ways to combine dried fruit and nuts for a simple snack or dessert. Just throw in one more addition to make things a little extra sweet! Chocolate, dried fruit, and nuts are one example of a nice healthy dessert. It’s easy to make tasty treats with these pantry staples. Get creative with your favorite sweet snack or baked goods! Scones, muffins, cakes, and other pastries are great with dried fruit and nuts too. If you want to make a streusel for your cakes or other baked goods, you can easily add finely chopped nuts to the sweet mixture. They will toast nicely on top in the oven!

A Few Dessert Ideas

If you’re looking for more dessert ideas, think to mix it up with your favorite dried fruit and/or nuts. While fresh fruit is always nice for treats, the fruit you use is based on season. Dried fruit, however, can be enjoyed any time of year. It stays sweet and flavorful! Fruit cake is one way to go, and a classic way to enjoy dried fruit and nuts as a sweet treat. But if the traditional winter treat is not for you, there are several other ways to use a mixture of dried fruit and nuts in desserts.

• No Bake Peanut Butter Fruit & Nut Cookies by Beaming Baker: A nutritious dessert that’s packed with texture and sweetness. Swap out the peanut butter for a nut or seed butter of your preference if you’d like.
• Chocolate Nut Tart with Dried Fruit by Bon Appetit: That combination of chocolate, dried fruit, and nuts comes together perfectly in this recipe for a chocolate-based tart.

The options are endless— The fun thing about making desserts at home is that you can get creative and do whatever you want!

Healthy Dessert Recipes

If you need more healthy dessert recipes, considering using dried fruit as a sweet aspect and nuts for extra crunch. Not all desserts have to be loaded with sugar! There are several ways to make tasty sweet treats with healthy swap-ins or natural sweeteners, like maple syrup. Using dried fruit and nuts at the base of healthy dessert recipes will set you up for a light dessert that’s still a sweet treat.

Dark Chocolate Covered Nuts or Dried Fruit: It’s as simple as it sounds! Enjoy some of Superior Nut Company’sDark Chocolate Covered NutsorDark Chocolate Covered Dried Fruitsfor a small treat with just the right amount of sweet.

Yogurt Banana Split: Use your favorite vanilla yogurt rather than ice cream. Then add Dried Cherries,Coconut, and chopped up Honey Roasted Cashewsfor a crunchy, sugar-crusted bite!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie: This recipe by Like Mother Like Daughter is a creamy blend of frozen bananas, cocoa powder, and peanut butter and tastes quite like a chocolate milkshake. Try it with any nut butter though! And top it off with dried coconut for garnish, texture, and extra flavor.

Greek Yogurt Bark:This is an easy make-ahead snack and treat using fresh, wholesome ingredients like dried berries and nuts. Customize it with whatever toppings you like and keep it on hand for a quick treat.

Ingredients

• 16 ounces greek yogurt of choice (your favorite flavor, like vanilla)
• ½ cup nuts of choice, chopped
• 1 cup dried berries of choice, chopped if large pieces
• ½ cup dark chocolate, chopped

Directions

1. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the greek yogurt evenly into the baking sheet.
2. Top yogurt with chopped nuts, dried berries, and dark chocolate.
3. Place in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Remove from the freezer and break the bark into several small pieces. Store in an airtight container in the freezer and enjoy as a snack or dessert.

Snack Sweetly With Superior Nut Company

Whatever tasty, healthy recipe sounds good to you, Superior Nut Company makes it simple to get the premium ingredients you need for your healthy desserts. Whether you aren’t one for sweet treats, or you have a big sweet tooth, it’s easy to create and enjoy simple healthy desserts whenever the mood strikes!