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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Published: Nov 9, 2016 · Modified: Nov 23, 2022 by Lauren Kenson

    Cranberry Maple Trail Mix

    Jump to Recipe

    Cranberry Maple Trail Mix – Easy recipe for cinnamon-spiced Cranberry Maple Trail Mix! Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, & almonds are lightly glazed in maple syrup & brown sugar. With lots of tart dried cranberries & white chocolate chips folded in. We love this as a sweet snack on-the-go or homemade holiday gift! ♥ | freeyourfork.com

    Cranberry Maple Trail Mix. Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, & sliced almonds are lightly glazed in maple syrup & brown sugar until crispy, toasted clusters start to form. And finally folded together with lots of tart, chewy dried cranberries & rich white chocolate chips. A little bit of sweetness and holiday cheer in every bite.

    Because right about now I think we could all use a little sumthin’ sumthin’ to help dispel the stress and anxiety we’re feeling after this year’s election results were finally revealed. No matter what side of the ballot you found yourself voting on, last night was in a word. INTENSE. The past year has been a whirlwind. A veritable rollercoaster ride of emotions - surging, ebbing and flowing their way in and out of our TV screens and minds. It seemed to stretch on forever, months upon months, until in a flash it was all over.

    Politics and the elections that govern them are so very, deeply, profoundly personal. They involve our core values and beliefs, and challenge us to stand up and speak out for the issues we are most passionate about. They force us to reevaluate our traditions and long-held institutions, to embrace change and keep pushing exhaustively towards progress. They ask that we make a definitive choice on who we think is fit to lead.

    But in doing so these elections bring out things in each of us, slowly turning up the heat under us until our truest selves bubble up to the surface and make their true intentions known. They bring about divisions, draw out deep-seated pain and reveal feelings of discontent. At the end of each election, there can only be one winner. And in such a contentious race as the one we saw unfold this year, that means that there is a huge part of the country that is disheartened and disappointed today. A huge part that is not rejoicing but rather carrying around a dull, heavy ache. Doing the best they can to recover from their hopes that fell short of the mark and make sense of how to best move forward.

    Cranberry Maple Trail Mix – Easy recipe for cinnamon-spiced Cranberry Maple Trail Mix! Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, & almonds are lightly glazed in maple syrup & brown sugar. With lots of tart dried cranberries & white chocolate chips folded in. We love this as a sweet snack on-the-go or homemade holiday gift! ♥ | freeyourfork.com

    To not at least acknowledge this reality seemed preposterous, insensitive even. To hop on here and dive head-first into a recipe without pausing to say that yes, something major did just happen. I speak about it on a blog predominantly based on one unrelated thing (food) not to break away from that or invite an actual political discussion, but to tip my hat to the gravity of this day and not diminish it's meaning. To be respectful and avoid seeming dismissive or nonchalant about our democratic process.

    So today, I give you a handful of something that I hope will brighten your day enough to make room for hope and optimism to begin creeping their way back in. For forward thinking about what lies ahead and what we can do to rekindle a spirit of togetherness.

    For instance, in the very immediate future. The holidays. As in plural. As in all of them. They are coming.  

    I know this because it happened. I heard it. The annual telltale sign. That unmistakable twinkly sound of Christmas music ringing throughout the store. They have plucked the pumpkins, ghosts, and ghouls from the shelves. Wiping out every trace of Halloween. Which I’m still not entirely sure how that came and went as quickly and soundlessly as it did this year. But the time of glitter, light strings, snowflake décor, and dancing reindeer robot toys has arrived. It’s officially upon us.

    Cranberry Maple Trail Mix – Easy recipe for cinnamon-spiced Cranberry Maple Trail Mix! Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, & almonds are lightly glazed in maple syrup & brown sugar. With lots of tart dried cranberries & white chocolate chips folded in. We love this as a sweet snack on-the-go or homemade holiday gift! ♥ | freeyourfork.com

    It’s almost enough to give me those wintry can-I-just-bake-all-the-things kind of vibes. But the actual motivation to bake hasn’t hit me. Not just yet. Might have something to do with the fact that my wedding dress measurements have to be taken in 6 days (count em, SIX. What. Is. HAPPENING). Or with that whole thing where I cannot be left alone with an entire loaf, frosted cake, or muffin pan until I have lots of friends and family surrounding me ready to help me devour it.

    But I am absolutely READY to usher in all things holiday themed. I have been craving these holiday flavors all year. Maple syrup. The caramel notes in light brown sugar. Cinnamon. Cranberries. Nutmeg. Cloves. Toasted nuts & seeds releasing their fragrant oils into a hot pan. And WHITE CHOCOLATE.

    RELATED: Maple Glazed Walnuts

    I want them here and now and always.

    And they all get to come together in this ONE trail mix, which fits the bill nicely for bringing that little bit of sweet together with a little bit of spice. With some tangy, tart dried cranberries and creamy white chocolate chips to break up the salty, sweet, crunchy mixture and layer in some chewy, soft, bright, and mellow flavor notes all at the same time.

    Cranberry Maple Trail Mix – Easy recipe for cinnamon-spiced Cranberry Maple Trail Mix! Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, & almonds are lightly glazed in maple syrup & brown sugar. With lots of tart dried cranberries & white chocolate chips folded in. We love this as a sweet snack on-the-go or homemade holiday gift! ♥ | freeyourfork.com

    The different sizes and shapes of the nuts and seeds helps them collect together into the most delightfully, crispy, sweet clusters. I love how festive the green of the toasted pumpkin seeds are mixed with some bright white chocolate chips, rich brown walnuts, and vibrant crimson cranberries. All kinds of contrasting yet complimentary things are at play here and it makes my mouth SO happy. Palmful after palmful, always heading back to the bowl for more.

    And so easy to assemble (and clean up for that matter). As in, the night before you have to go to your friend’s potluck in the city and need to make a lot of snacks to help fill up the party table kind of EASY. You can measure the ingredients and dump them straight into the pan, saving you from dirtying too many dishes. If you’re careful to line the baking sheet that they need to spread out and cool on, you can also save yourself from having to scrub the baking sheet too. Making this bad boy, technically a one-pan deal.

    You’ll spend a few minutes of actual hands-on work and the rest is just allowing it plenty of time to cool and crisp on a pan. That’s it my friends. And that is my gift to you today. A no fuss recipe that I sincerely hope brings a little teensy glimmer of joy back into your week.

    RELATED: Peanut Butter Trail Mix Bars

    Cranberry Maple Trail Mix Spoon

    Cranberry Maple Trail Mix

    Simple recipe for Cranberry Maple Trail Mix! Packed with 3 different nuts & seeds, sweetened with maple syrup, and mixed in with white chocolate chips & chewy cranberries.
    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 2 minutes
    Cook Time: 7 minutes
    Servings: 8 cups
    Calories:
    Author: Lauren Kenson | Free Your Fork

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ c raw walnuts
    • 1 c toasted pumpkin seeds
    • ¾ c raw sliced almonds
    • ½ c maple syrup
    • 3 tbs light brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • pinch of nutmeg
    • pinch of cloves
    • salt
    • 1 c dried sweetened cranberries
    • 1 c white chocolate chips

    Instructions

    • CANDY NUT & SEED MIX: Prepare a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, set aside. Preheat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and almonds and stir together until well mixed. Pour over the maple syrup, add the spices and stir until evenly coated. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring often, until the maple syrup has mostly adhered to the nut mixture. Then sprinkle over the brown sugar, stir and cook for another 3 minutes. Take off heat and spread out mixture evenly on the parchment paper lined baking sheet and sprinkle salt to taste over the top. Then allow the caramelized mixture to cool fully for 30 minutes. Break up into small clusters by hand.
    • FOLD IN CRANBERRIES & CHOCOLATE CHIPS: Once the mixture has set up completely, sprinkle over chocolate chips and cranberries, mix together and store in an airtight container at room temperature for a week or more. Use little pieces of parchment paper to line the bottom of your containers to prevent sticking.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/4 cup

     

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    1. Rowan says

      July 22, 2022 at 1:52 am

      Sounds amazing, just right for our hike tomorrow. Would it work subbing honey instead of maple syrup??

      Reply
      • Lauren Kenson says

        October 24, 2022 at 5:38 pm

        Hi Rowan, you can absolutely substitute honey in place of the maple syrup - I'd just make sure it's fully pourable so it's easy to mix. If yours happens to be crystallized, maybe warm it in a microwave safe dish for a few seconds until it's all smooth again. In any case, happy hiking!! - Lauren

        Reply
    2. Brenda says

      January 22, 2022 at 4:25 pm

      What are the full nutritional facts, please?

      Reply
      • Lauren Kenson says

        January 23, 2022 at 4:20 pm

        Hi Brenda, my website doesn't have the functionality right now to provide nutrition info for all my recipes. I'm hoping to add that in later this year, so do check back soon!

        Reply
    3. Jessica Coblentz says

      October 28, 2021 at 11:35 am

      Have you tried this with whole almonds instead of sliced?

      Reply
      • Lauren Kenson says

        January 23, 2022 at 4:33 pm

        Hi Jessica, I haven't tried it with whole almonds but that should still work great in this recipe! If you try it, please let us know how it goes!!

        Reply
        • Jessica Coblentz says

          January 23, 2022 at 4:36 pm

          I did try whole almonds and it works awesome! Love love love this recipe!

          Reply
          • Lauren Kenson says

            January 23, 2022 at 4:55 pm

            Oh I'm so glad, I bet it made for extra delicious texture! Thanks so much for taking time to pop back here and let us all know how it turned out!

            Reply
    4. Alana says

      November 17, 2017 at 5:56 am

      Can the brown sugar be eliminated or substitute something else for it?

      Reply
      • Lauren Kenson says

        November 19, 2017 at 7:17 pm

        Hi Alana, thanks for your question!

        You don't have to include the brown sugar if you don't want to, I just like the additional crunch that it adds to the nut mixture. A little crispier than the Maple Glazed Walnuts recipe I have that uses only maple syrup for sweetness. You could also substitute coconut sugar for the brown sugar, since they are both granulated sweeteners + have similar caramel flavor tones.

        Let me know what swaps you end up trying + how you like the recipe with the modifications!

        -Lauren-

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Lauren! I'm the recipe creator & food blogger behind Free Your Fork. Around here we're all about healthy living without obsessing. I hope these made-for-real-life, easy recipes bring a little joy to your kitchen today - happy cooking!

    More about me →

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