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Must-Try Nut Recipes

Must-Try Nut Recipes

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com

June 01, 2012

Pecans, walnuts, hickories and other nuts add crunch and flavor to our recipes for cakes, pies, sweet breads, salads and main dishes.

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Hickory Nut Cake

Hickory nuts add a buttery taste to the inside of this dense cake, from Audrey and Robert Biersach of Columbus, Wisconsin.Hickory Nut Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

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Whole Wheat Apple-Nut Bread

This quick bread from Missouri nut growers Drew and Susie Kimmell bakes in a casserole dish for a round loaf. They recommend using pecans, black walnuts or hickory nuts.Whole Wheat Apple-Nut Bread

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Winter Orange Salad

The croutons made from walnuts or pecans infuse nutty flavor into this tossed salad, made with oranges and dried cranberries. Nut producers Barb and Dwight Ittner of Noel, Missouri, created the recipe.Winter Orange Salad

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Badgersett's Stuffed Pork Chops

Philip and Meg Rutter at the Badgersett Research Farm in Canton, Minnesota, use extra-thick Iowa chops to hold stuffing featuring their chestnuts and hazelnuts.Badgersett's Stuffed Pork Chops

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Pecan pie - three ways

Oatmeal-Pecan Pie (left) gives the traditional pecan pie a chewy-good twist by adding oatmeal to the usual ingredients. Chocolate Pecan Pie is a rich treat that comes from Historic Clifton Mill restaurant in Clifton, Ohio. Pumpkin Pecan Crumble Pie blends the flavors of two favorite pies.Oatmeal-Pecan Pie recipe Chocolate Pecan Pie recipe Pumpkin Pecan Crumble Pie recipe

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Walnut Cake with Caramel Whipped Cream

Fill layers of walnut cake with caramel whipped cream and drizzle it all with caramel sauce for a rich fall dessert. Walnut Cake with Caramel Whipped Cream

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Black Walnut-Crushed Catfish

A maple butter sauce tops this nutty catfish recipe from Hammons of Stockton, Missouri, a major producer of black walnuts. The Hammons family likes the deep, robust flavor of black walnuts in this recipe. We listed the much milder English walnut as an alternative.Black Walnut-Crushed Catfish recipe

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Black walnut sweets

The Strawberry Black Walnut Shortcakes recipe (left) comes from the Hammons family in Missouri, as does the recipe for Black Walnut Oatmeal Cookies. You can make the cookies with either raisins or chocolate chips.Strawberry Black Walnut Shortcakes recipe Black Walnut Oatmeal Cookies recipe

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Hazelnut Truffles

At M restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, the pastry chef likes to keep chocolate-loving customers happy with recipes like this one. These rich, chocolate truffles have a hint of two nut liqueurs- hazelnut and almond- and are rolled in chopped toasted hazelnuts as well.Hazelnut Truffles recipe

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Chili Pecans

A coating of spicy and sweet turns toasted pecans into a great snack. Make these ahead of time if you're having a party. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 1 month.Chili Pecans

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Linguini with Shrimp and Pine Nuts

Dry sherry flavors the broth, and crushed red pepper adds a tiny bite to this pasta dish from Bartolino's, a popular Italian restaurant in the Hill area of St. Louis, Missouri.Linguini with Shrimp and Pine Nuts

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Coffee Nut Torte

Cocoa and rum flavor the soft butter frosting that crowns this airy three-layer cake from Elizabeth Varga of Barberton, Ohio. The recipe came from her Hungarian grandmother.Coffee Nut Torte

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Easy Banana Nut Bread

Make a couple of these easy nut-filled banana bread loaves-like most quick breads, they'll keep up to a month in your freezer. Overwrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezerproof bag. Thaw at room temp.Easy Banana Nut Bread

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Mixed-Nut Brittle

This fresh twist on peanut brittle takes just 15 minutes to make using your microwave. Be sure to use a heavy-duty glass measure that's free from cracks or chips to withstand high temperatures.Mixed-Nut Brittle

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Shortcut German Chocolate Cake

Coconut, pecans and caramel make a sweet sauce for an easy, one-layer twist on German chocolate cake.Shortcut German Chocolate Cake

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Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

This dish from Max Archer of McPherson, Kansas, packs some heat. Adjust it to suit your taste by varying the amounts of chili paste and poblano chiles.Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

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Slow Cooker Sweet-Hot Nuts

Nuts in your slow cooker? Sure! Just toss them with sugar, butter and spices, and cook on low heat for two hours.Slow Cooker Sweet-Hot Nuts

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Nuts for brunch

Our coffee cake (left) is an indulgent mixture of chocolate, butter, sour cream, pecans and coconut. A brunch could also feature Stuffed French Toast, flavored with cream cheese, apricot preserves and pecans, or Maple Oatmeal Muffins, which blend pecans with oats, maple syrup, cinnamon and butter.Chocolate-Pecan Coffee Cake recipe Stuffed French Toast recipe Maple Oatmeal Muffins recipe

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Rigatoni with Spinach, Walnuts, Sweet Potatoes and Goat Cheese

This main dish, from the Chopping Block cooking school in Chicago, adds walnuts to the flavors and textures of sweet potato, red onion, baby spinach leaves, goat cheese, basil and pasta.Rigatoni with Spinach, Walnuts, Sweet Potatoes and Goat Cheese recipe

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Marjorie's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chopped walnuts are one of the ingredients that make these chocolate chip cookies extra-special. Marjorie Johnson of Robbinsdale, Minnesota, won one of her 2,500 state fair ribbons with this recipe. The cookies taste like the beloved Toll House cookie; butter and walnut flavors prevail.Marjorie's Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Nutty Carrot Bread

A sweet-tart lemon glaze tops this quick bread, which won a blue ribbon at the Elkhart, Indiana, County Fair. Stir ingredients gently just until combined -- overbeating leads to airholes and tunnels in any quick bread.Nutty Carrot Bread

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Pumpkin-Praline Layer Cake

This nutty layer cake is a favorite dessert with Midwest Living® readers. Whipped cream tops a moist filling of pumpkin, brown sugar, pecans, butter and more whipping cream.Pumpkin-Praline Layer Cake

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Chocolate Nut Revels

A luscious chocolate and pecan mixture swirls throughout these festive cookies.Chocolate Nut Revels

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War Eagle Bean Palace Pecan Cobbler

Using the beloved pecan pie as a guide, cooks for the restaurant at the top of War Eagle Mill near Rogers, Arkansas, fashioned this cobbler adding oat flour for a different flavor in the crust. This buttery crust actually layers in the middle of the syrupy filling, an escape from the usual cobbler crowned with topping. A generous measure of pecans adds crunch.War Eagle Bean Palace Pecan Cobbler

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Side-dish salads with crunch

In Honey-Mustard Pecan Salad (left), a tangy-sweet dressing and toasted pecans top crisp greens. Triple Crunch Salad uses walnuts or hickory nuts, as well as the crunch of apples and red cabbage. Walnut and Currant Mesclun Salad has a simple balsamic vinaigrette over mesclun, tiny currants and toasted walnuts.Honey-Mustard Pecan Salad Triple Crunch Salad recipe Walnut and Currant Mesclun Salad recipe

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Praline cheesecake and other nutty treats

The creamy Praline-Crusted Cheesecake (left) delights guests at the Old Rittenhouse Inn in Bayfield, Wisconsin. Peach-Pecan Cobbler tempts fruit lovers with swirls of pecan-studded biscuits on top of sliced peaches. Gooey Pecan Pie Bars are rich, buttery, thick cookies that are a hit at Liberty Gathering Place restaurant in West Liberty, Ohio. Turtle Cake is a favorite with diners at Cafe Latté in Saint Paul.Praline-Crusted Cheesecake recipe Peach-Pecan Cobbler recipe Gooey Pecan Pie Bars recipe Cafe Latte's Turtle Cake recipe

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Black Walnut Ice Cream

Staff at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, churn dozens of ice cream flavors at Hannah's Ice Cream Factory. For a sweeter ice cream, use more sugar. Look for black walnut flavoring, which pairs with nuts to give this cool treat its flavor, in large supermarkets.Black Walnut Ice Cream

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By The editors of MidwestLiving.com

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Must-Try Nut Recipes

1 of 27

Hickory Nut Cake

1 of 27

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Whole Wheat Apple-Nut Bread

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Winter Orange Salad

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Badgersett's Stuffed Pork Chops

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Pecan pie - three ways

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Walnut Cake with Caramel Whipped Cream

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Black Walnut-Crushed Catfish

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Black walnut sweets

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Hazelnut Truffles

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Chili Pecans

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Linguini with Shrimp and Pine Nuts

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Coffee Nut Torte

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Easy Banana Nut Bread

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Mixed-Nut Brittle

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Shortcut German Chocolate Cake

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Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

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Slow Cooker Sweet-Hot Nuts

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Nuts for brunch

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Rigatoni with Spinach, Walnuts, Sweet Potatoes and Goat Cheese

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Marjorie's Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Nutty Carrot Bread

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Pumpkin-Praline Layer Cake

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Chocolate Nut Revels

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War Eagle Bean Palace Pecan Cobbler

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Side-dish salads with crunch

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Praline cheesecake and other nutty treats