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Honey Nut Rolls are filled with ground walnuts and sweet honey. They’re sure to become a new holiday tradition.
This is a sponsored post on behalf of Fleischmann’s® Yeast as a Bake a Little Extra Blog Ambassador. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that make My Baking Addiction possible.
Growing up, nut rolls were always a part of our holiday celebrations. While I don’t have memories of my Nana making them in her kitchen, I definitely remember her purchasing them from church to share with family and friends.
We’d slice them up, warm the slices in the microwave, and slather them with butter. Much like our pumpkin rolls, they were a holiday tradition that I looked forward to every single year.
Last week, my mom and I were doing some blog prop organization in my basement and we happened upon a copy of a handwritten recipe that I had tucked away in a binder years ago.
The recipe was written by my great grandmother’s neighbor, Elsie. When I was little, I’d visit Else’s house and she’d always greet me with food. Whether it was perfectly popped popcorn drizzled with melted butter, a bowl of finely diced apples, or a slice of warm nut roll, Elsie’s house was my favorite spot for an afternoon snack.
And according to my mom, Elsie’s nut rolls were second to none – especially her frosting. It always included her secret ingredient – a splash of whisky.
Although I’m pretty confident in the kitchen, Elsie’s recipe definitely seems to have a couple of gaps. So instead of tackling her beloved version of nut rolls, I decided to gain experience with them first with a little help from Fleischmann’s® Yeast and their recipe for Maple Walnut Nut Roll. Only we swapped out the maple flavoring and added in honey, to make it more like Elsie’s nut filling.
Yeast can be an intimidating element in baking. Even my mom was a little apprehensive after reading Elsie’s recipe, but I assured her that with quality yeast and an instant read thermometer, we’d be nut roll pros in no time. Plus, by using Fleischmann’s® RapidRise™ Yeast, we actually save a bit of time, which is always a good thing during the holiday season!
The Fleischmann’s® recipe was a breeze to follow and was quite delicious. The dough was soft and tender, and held up incredibly well to being rolled ultra thin. The honey we added paired perfectly with the ground walnuts to add a bit of depth and sweetness to the filling.
Overall, I had great success with my first attempt at nut roll. My dad and brother actually ate over half a roll in one sitting and they didn’t even warm it or add butter! And Elle was all about picking little pieces of frosting off the top of each piece.
We can’t wait to tackle Elsie’s recipe this weekend, so stay tuned for the results later this month. We’re even thinking about tackling poppyseed roll after that.
While classic holiday recipes are always a must-have, I hope this post inspires you to step out of your comfort zone a bit and bake a little extra while creating new memories and traditions that will last for years to come.
For more delicious recipes using Fleischmann’s® Yeast, be sure to check out my Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls and Potato Rolls – both are sure to be a big hit this holiday season!
Honey Walnut Nut Roll
Ingredients
- 6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 envelopes Fleischmann's® RapidRise™ Yeast
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup butter
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- ¾ cup butter
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup honey
- 5 cups ground walnuts
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and undissolved yeast in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine sour cream, water and butter; heat to between 120° to 130°F. (Note: butter may not melt completely).
- Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer.
- Add eggs and 1 cup flour.
- Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.
- Turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead 8 to 10 minutes to form a ball.
- Cover and let dough rest 10 minutes.
- For filling, melt butter over low heat. Stir in sugar and honey. Add walnuts; blend well. Set aside.
- Divide dough into 4 equal pieces.
- Roll out each piece into a 14 x 12-inch rectangle.
- Spread each with an equal amount of nut filling.
- Roll each up from the long side; seal edges.
- Place on greased baking sheets; sealed edges down. Cover. Let rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- Bake rolls at 350°F for 35 minutes, or until done. Remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks.
- For frosting, combine sugar, milk and vanilla until mixture reaches desired consistency. Drizzle over each roll.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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First – I wish Elsie was my neighbor and second – I want this nut roll! My SIL MIL makes a nut roll similar to this but always leaves off the glaze. I think this glaze is the way to go!
Yeast can be intimidating but there’s no better satisfaction than a perfectly baked (yeasted) good in the end, just like these nut rolls. I’d love one with my coffee right now :)
My mom always made these at Christmas time and each of us would get a loaf to have for our families Christmas breakfast. In the last couple of years she has sufferred with dementia and my dad would buy the nut rolls from a Polish deli. Finally this year I decided to try to make them. This recipe seemed the closest to how my mom made them (although without the icing.) I used a bread hook on my kitchen aid for the kneeding. The loaves came out looking beautiful . I also brushed them with an eggwash (egg and water) just before baking as my mom did. They were a HUGE success . Next year I will add some orange rind to the dough mixture as that is the only thing my family could say was different from mom’s recipe. Thank you for helping to restore our family tradition. They also freeze well and can be made ahead of time to be defrosted later for the holiday.
Maryhope: I’m so sorry to hear about your mother. This story really made my day, and I’m really glad you enjoyed the recipe. All the best to you and your family.
Hi Jamie,
Your mom told me about your website a few years ago when she asked for my mom’s recipe for nut rolls. I’m always looking for new recipes and I enjoy going on this website. Good job and thanks! Natalie
I was just reading your recipe about your honey walnut roll. Did your great grandma live in Lorain on West 18th Street? If she did, that was my mom Elsie (Else) who lived next door to your great grandma. Give your mom (Cindy) my love.
Natalie-
Hello! Yes, my grandmother, Lottie lived next door to your parents, Elsie and John. I have such fond memories of your parents! Can I ask how you stumbled upon this post?
-Jamie
This is a tradition I could get behind! :)
Mmmmm I can almost taste it now! I would love to wake up to this for breakfast in the morning. Maybe if I wish hard enough, it will just magically appear! ;)
Until I watched an episode of a British baking show (last night actually) I had never seen nut rolls with icing on them. My 100% Yugoslavian grandmother taught my dad and he then taught me how to make what is called potica – which is a nut roll and looks exactly like this but without the glaze (we my recipe calls for scalded milk instead of sour cream). We too always had it around the holidays which is exactly why I made some last night while watching that show haha! I ADORE potica and often toast it like a piece of bread and spread butter on it for breakfast. Heck I’ve even made French toast with it! I also love how nut rolls have so many different varieties, mostly in the type of filling (I’ve seen cocoa, poppyseed, and one of my favs cream cheese). But I digress, yours looks like perfection!
Just gorgeous! I want to make this ASAP!
Could you knead with a dough hook instead of by hand?
Susan-
You sure could! :)
-Jamie