{"id":1140,"date":"2025-12-06T10:14:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T10:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/?p=1140"},"modified":"2025-12-06T10:14:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T10:14:02","slug":"this-homemade-sweet-nutty-holiday-treat-is-my-favorite-thing-to-gift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/?p=1140","title":{"rendered":"This Homemade Sweet-Nutty Holiday Treat Is My Favorite Thing To Gift"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-page_1-0\" data-sc-sticky-offset=\"90\" data-sc-ad-label-height=\"24\" data-sc-ad-track-spacing=\"100\" data-sc-min-track-height=\"250\" data-sc-max-track-height=\"600\" data-sc-breakpoint=\"50em\" data-sc-load-immediate=\"4\" data-sc-content-positions=\"[1, 1250, 1550, 1950, 2350, 2750, 3150, 3550, 3950]\" data-bind-scroll-on-start=\"true\">\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_1-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> When I\u2019m looking for ways to give loved ones something special\u2014something that says I really care and I took the time to make this for you\u2014I give food. A small, home-cooked token of holiday warmth and thoughtfulness goes a long way.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_3-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> For a gift that is less time-consuming than a tin of home-baked holiday cookies or beloved Midwestern buckeyes, I turn to spiced candied pecans and dried cherries. The earthy, rich nutty flavor of pecans mingles perfectly with sweet and tart fruit\u2014 and when presented in a festive ribboned jar, it\u2019s an edible gift that makes its recipient\u2019s eyes light up every time.\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heading-toc\" id=\"toc-what-makes-my-fruit-and-nut-mix-special\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"mntl-sc-block_5-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block allrecipes-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading\"> <span class=\"mntl-sc-block-heading__text text-title-300\"> What Makes My Fruit and Nut Mix Special <\/span> <\/h2>\n<figure id=\"mntl-sc-block_6-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block allrecipes-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image--no-theme no-theme figure-landscape figure-high-res\"><figcaption id=\"mntl-figure-caption_1-0\" class=\"comp mntl-figure-caption text-utility-100 figure-article-caption\"> <span class=\"figure-article-caption-owner\"><\/p>\n<p>Photographer: Brie Goldman \/ Food Styling: Annie Probst \/ Prop Styling: Kristin Schooley<\/p>\n<p><\/span><br \/>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_7-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> You can\u2019t buy time, intention, and love. Homemade edible gifts contain all three of these elements. There\u2019s a chance that the person who receives this nostalgic Mason jar of nuts and cherries wouldn\u2019t have had the time this holiday season to whip up this special snack. You may be helping them treat their kids to a new seasonal favorite. Or add to their holiday charcuterie board (spiced candied pecans are a hit).\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_9-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> This thoughtful and personal gift is a budget-friendly way to thank your team, neighbors, teachers, or family friends. The recipe is simple and only requires a handful of ingredients: pecans, cherries, brown sugar, butter, cayenne, cinnamon, and salt are the staples. I recommend making yourself a stash to keep on hand for salad toppers and on-the-go snacking.\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heading-toc\" id=\"toc-spiced-candied-pecans-and-dried-cherries\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"mntl-sc-block_15-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block allrecipes-sc-block-heading mntl-sc-block-heading\"> <span class=\"mntl-sc-block-heading__text text-title-300\"> Spiced Candied Pecans and Dried Cherries <\/span> <\/h2>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_16-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"> <strong>Prep Time:<\/strong> 10 minutes<strong><br \/>Cook Time:<\/strong> 35 minutes<strong><br \/>Total Time:<\/strong> 45 minutes<strong><br \/>Servings: <\/strong>8\n<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_18-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"><strong>Ingredients<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<ul id=\"mntl-sc-block_20-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\n<li>4 cups raw unsalted pecan halves<\/li>\n<li>1 cup dried cherries<\/li>\n<li>4 tablespoons unsalted butter<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd cup brown sugar<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd teaspoon kosher salt<\/li>\n<li>\u00bc teaspoon cayenne pepper<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd teaspoon cinnamon<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract<\/li>\n<li>Mason jars, ribbon, gift tags (if gifting)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_22-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"><strong>Directions<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<ol id=\"mntl-sc-block_24-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\n<li>Preheat oven to 275 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.<\/li>\n<li>In a large glass bowl, melt butter in the microwave.<\/li>\n<li>Whisk brown sugar, salt, cayenne, cinnamon, and vanilla into butter.<\/li>\n<li>Toss pecans and cherries in the butter mixture until evenly coated.<\/li>\n<li>Spread pecans and cherries onto baking sheet in an even layer.<\/li>\n<li>Bake for 35 minutes, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning.<\/li>\n<li>Allow nuts and cherries to cool before placing in glass Mason jars. Tie ribbon or rustic twine around the lid with a gift tag and a kind message.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I\u2019m looking for ways to give loved ones something special\u2014something that says I really care and I took the time to make this for you\u2014I give food. A small, home-cooked token of holiday warmth and thoughtfulness goes a long way.\u00a0 For a gift that is less time-consuming than a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kitchen-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}