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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.
Thank you for a great recipe. It came out really good. Everyone I shared it with just loved it. My previous recipe was a bit tedious to make…. your recipe is simple enough to follow!!! I made 6 rolls instead of 4, but they came pouty perfect.
Wonderful, Suha! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Jamie,
I just tried them. They are fabulous. I only made them into normal pull them apart rolls. Mmmmm. Wonderful taste. Thanx for the recipe.
That sounds delicious, Sabine!
I made these tonight. In fact, they are in the oven as I write this. I appreciated the easy to follow directions and found, them( though a bit time consuming ) actually easy to make.
My only problem is that as the loafs are baking, they are splitting, well 2 of 4 did. Could you give me an idea on why they are splitting open while baking?
The loaf will probably split regardless, but you could try baking at 325 degrees for a little longer to see if that helps a bit. Did you enjoy the taste? Let me know!
I lived near Lorain and that is where i got the recipe years ago.
Wonderful, Cynthia! It’s definitely a favorite recipe of mine.
I have a recipe for Nut Roll from a Czechoslovakian friend that is quite good. This is similar. I am very interested in seeing Elsie’s recipe (and making it) and hope you will post it soon! Thanks for sharing :-)
You’re so welcome, Vicki!
I want to make nut roll and poppy seed rolls for Easter. Do you have a poppy seed recipe? Also, can I use regular instant dry yeast instead of rapid rise.
Hi, Ron! Rapid rise and instant yeast are the same thing. Unfortunately, I don’t have a poppy seed rolls recipe. I hope you enjoy the Honey Walnut Roll!
Hi, love & wish to make it! ย THANKS
2 envelopes Fleischmann’sยฎ RapidRiseโข Yeast”- for non Americans :)) ย i.e. how many grams/envelope pls?
Hi, Ellie! Each packet of yeast contains .25 oz, or 7.08738 grams. So two packets would be roughly a little less than 15 grams. I hope this helps!
This nut roll looks like something we used to make in culinary school – delicious memories!ย
I must try this soon, it looks incredibly delicious and perfect for the weekend with my family!
we just to get a nut roll like this from a little bakery where I grew up. ย I had forgotten all about it! ย I can’t wait to make this at home for my family!
Have a wonderful new year Jamie!