TheseHoliday Nut Rolls have a soft and buttery pastry-like crust, and the filling is a combination of warm cinnamon, vanilla, and walnuts. The combination makes you want to just sit and savor them with a cup of coffee.
I had to get permission to post this recipe from my mother-in-law. She learned how to make these Nut Rolls from John’s grandmother and has been showing friends and family how to make them ever since. We only make them before Christmas so they stay a special Holiday treat.
These Nut Rolls aren’t difficult to make but because of the amount that they make they can be time-consuming. That makes them all the more fun to make when you have 2 or 3 sets of hands to visit work together.
These Holiday Nut Rolls make great additions to a cookie tray and we give some of them away as gifts. I must confess though you have to be pretty high on the gift list to score a dozen. John gets very obsessive because I make them only at Christmas time. He hides any extras in the freezer so he can make them last as long as possible. They warm perfectly in the microwave in just a minute.
These Nut Rolls have a soft and buttery pastry-like crust, and the filling is a combination of warm cinnamon, vanilla, and walnuts. The combination makes you want to just sit and savor them with a cup of coffee.
A few things that we’ve discovered over the years include:
- We grind our own nuts. I think we grind them a little finer. The store-bought seem to be coarser and sharper so they tend to cut through the pastry but will work if that’s what you have to work with.
- We roll all of our pastry into balls at one time and just put them on a rimmed baking sheet.
- The filling can be thinned by stirring in hot water or milk if it gets too thick.
- Don’t overfill. They will just ooze or break. (Sad face inserted here).
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- Active sponge
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- Combine pastry like pie dough
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- Pastry pre-rolled
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- Roll thinly into 4″ Circles
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- Spread filling thinly
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- Roll and shape crescent
Don’t have time to make them now? Pin it for later!
Holiday Nut Roll Recipe
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 lb walnuts ground fine
- 3 cups white sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp vanilla
- 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
Sponge
- 1 cup milk lukewarm
- 1 pkg yeast
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
Dough
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 lb butter 4 sticks
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vanilla
- 7 egg yolks well beaten
Instructions
- Combine sponge ingredients and set aside until bubbly (10-15 minutes).
- In a medium-sized saucepan combine filling ingredients. Cook until thick. Remove from the stove. If filling gets too thick while you make your rolls, stir in additional hot water or milk.
- Combine dough ingredients as you would pie dough. Add the sponge to flour mixture and mix with your hands until crumbs form. Roll walnut-sized balls of dough and put them on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Dust working surface with flour. Roll each ball into approximately a 4-inch circle. Spoon a tablespoon of filling onto the dough and spread it out. Don't overfill or your roll will break open or ooze out in the oven.
- Roll into a crescent shape. Brush with egg white
- Bake at 375°F 10-15 minutes or until golden. Cook on a wire cooling rack.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Can also be frozen.
Nutrition
We always have some filling leftover. John loves to spread it on his toast in the morning.
Looking for cookies for your holiday baking? Check these out!
Nutella Filled Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies
Dark Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Spiced Coffee Cookies with Caramel-Vanilla Glaze
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I’m often asked about the supplies that I use in my kitchen. For your convenience, I used my favorite rimmed baking sheet for this recipe.
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Sandra says
So wonderful to have favorite family recipes to share. Boy, I would stash these away to enjoy as long as possible too. Perfect with a warm cup of tea.
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Sandra. We still have my 93-year-old mother-in-law with us to help too.
Debra C. says
Oh my these just look so buttery and delicious, what a delicious treat!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you so much, Debra!
debi at Life Currents says
Oh these look perfect for Christmas breakfast. Yum. BTW, your Spiced Coffee Cookies with Caramel-Vanilla Glaze remind me of footballs, and I may have to make them for a football party!
Julie Menghini says
We do eat these nut rolls for breakfast and I love your idea of making the Spiced Coffee Cookies for tailgating!
Tracey M. says
Hi! I wanted to clarify that these should be baked on a wire cooling rack?? Would parchment work too?? These look so delicious!!!
Julie Menghini says
I baked them on a baking sheet Tracey and cooled them on a wire cooling rack. I’ll update the post to indicate that. Thank you for pointing that out to me and have a wonderful day!
linda says
Need these Nut Rolls now, Julie 🙂 So tempting and delicious! Thanks for sharing it at Fiesta Friday! Have a good weekend! 🙂
Julie Menghini says
Thank you so much, Linda! They are John’s holiday favorite. Thank you so much for co-hosting this week!
Michelle says
Julie-
These nut rolls look so tasty!
And all the other cookies are making me want to bake!
Yummy!
Thanks for sharing your special recipe with us!
Michelle
Julie Menghini says
Thank you, Michelle! It’s snowing today and that just makes me want to get into my holiday baking.
Joy | Yummy Seconds says
These looks sweet and tasty. Thanks for sharing.
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Joy!
lynn says
these look amazing!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you lynn!
Mimi says
These really sound lovely!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Mimi! They are a very special treat to our family.
Loretta says
The pastry itself with that butter sounds delicious. It looks like you’ve had a head start with your holiday baking Julie? Moreish and tempting for sure. Those warm spices with the walnuts had to have your house smelling like Christmas 🙂
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Loretta! These rolls are so delicious and are very special to John. His mother still joins up to make them so that is special too. I haven’t done enough to get ready for the holidays. I don’t know how I did it all those years that I worked full time and ran children! You changed your profile picture! So sweet!
Sandi G says
These look incredible…I love that gooey center you have rolled into this pastry.
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Sandi…for everything!
michele says
I can’t wait to make these this weekend! Im doing all of the gift baking! The fact I can freeze them is a BONUS!
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Michele! Your the best!
[email protected] says
Thanks for asking your MIL for permission to post this recipe Julie. They look delicious 😉
Julie Menghini says
Thank you Jess! They really are good. She wasn’t sure she wanted it out there but still wanted us to know how to make them so that was the deciding factor.