Easy Dessert Filling To Keep On Hand For The Holidays

I had to make a dessert for a family party the other day and decided to try and make something from ingredients I already had on hand.  I almost always have nuts in my pantry and always have brown sugar, so I knew I had a filling. I just needed something to fill. I ended up with a ton of leftover filling and I realized it is great for so many things!  First I will give you the original recipe I used it for and then I will tell you my ideas for other uses.

Now, you need to know, I'm not big on measuring unless a recipe really needs things to be precise, so be prepared - there are no measurements here. It's all by look and smell. Sorry.

The filling ingredients are simple.

Ingredients:
Nuts: Walnuts, pecans, almonds (or whatever kind you like/have)
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Melted Butter (optional)
*See not at bottom about other add in items

First I got out my food processor. (I think the bowl holds about 6 cups - but it doesn't really matter)  I filled the bowl with walnuts, pecans and almonds.  Mostly walnuts, they're the biggest and also what I had the most of.  I pulsed just until they were ground up.

Then I put them in a mixing bowl and added brown sugar.  Again, sorry, didn't measure. I just dumped it out of the bag until it looked like enough. I mixed it all in with the nut mixture, breaking up the lumps of sugar as I went.  If you're not confident with just winging it, start with little and just add a bit at a time until it looks and smells right to you. The mixture should be a good balance of the brown of sugar and the white/yellow of the nuts.

Then I added the cinnamon and nutmeg.  I happen to be fond of cinnamon, so I added a lot. It's a matter of taste. I just poured it right in.  If I had to guess, I'd say about 5 tbsp., maybe more. I didn't have much nutmeg, so I just added what I had left and mixed everything together.

Note: I had a few sliced almonds in a bag leftover, so I added them. I also added a small handful of chopped pecans and a handful of chopped walnuts - just so there'd be a little piece of nut now and then - but that's up to you

As luck would have it, I had some frozen puff pastry sheets in the freezer.  Unluckily, the kitchen got so warm throughout the day that when I went to use the dough it was too soft and I couldn't use it! Doesn't that figure!  But.... Luck was on my side. Earlier that day, my hubby had bought me some Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations (crescent roll dough without the perforations). So I used that instead.

I unrolled the dough onto a foil lined cookie sheet. I brushed the dough with melted butter (again, a matter of taste - it's not essential, but I like the flavor of the added butter).  Then I used a spoon to spread the filling across the dough. Don't go right up to the edges as it will spread out as you roll.  You can add as little or as much as you like.  Then carefully roll up the dough and leave the seam side down on the cookie sheet.  Some of the filling will spill out the sides.  Just push it back in or pinch the ends together. Try not to worry too much. You cut the ends off before serving anyway.

I brushed a little more melted butter on the top before baking.  Bake at 375 for about 20 - 23 minutes, until golden brown. 

Once the log has cooled, cut off ends, slice and dust with powdered sugar and you have a delicious strudel.

(this was all that was left when I decided to do a blog post)

 

Now - you will have a ton of nut/sugar mixture left over. I put it in a canister so I have it handy and ready to go. What do you do with it? What can't you do with it is a better question!

Of course, I can use it with my puff pastry.  I can use it more crescent dough and slice it before cooking and arrange it in a cake pan and cook like cinnamon rolls, glazing after they bake.  I can cook it in layers of phyllo dough or puff pastry and top with a honey glaze for a mock baklava.  I can use it with sugar cookie dough.  Use it with any kind of dough - bread dough, pizza dough, biscuit dough.  Even cake batter. Use it as a streusel filling in a Bundt cake.  Add some flour and butter to it and use it as a crumb topping on a cake or fruit dessert.  Mix it with Chex and mini pretzels and bake for a sweet take on Chex Mix.  Put it on top of a sweetened cream cheese and make Danish. The possibilities are endless!

With this on hand in a canister or zip lock bag, you have a quick dessert ready to make.  Get a last minute invite? Have company come over unexpected?  If you have this and a can of rolls, biscuits or cookie dough in your fridge, in 5 minutes you can have something delicious baking in the oven.

ADD INS:

Of course, you've probably already thought of lots of ways you could alter this filling.  I know lots of people love clove for the holidays (I don't happen to be one of those people) but you could certainly add some of that. You could add dried fruits. You could leave it basic and just add to it when you use it for a particular batch of whatever.  Here are some ideas for things you can add in - I'm sure you'll think of even more!

* Cloves
* Allspice
* Ginger
* Orange/Lemon zest
* Cocoa Powder
* Chocolate Chips/White Chocolate Chips
* Peanut Butter Chips
* Butterscotch Chips
* Toffee Chips
* Dried Fruit (raisins, currants, Craisins, dried cherries, etc)
* Candied fruit/fruit peel
* Coconut flakes

Hope this gives you lots of ideas and makes your holiday baking easier.  Enjoy!

NOTE: Someone asked me if this was gluten free. Natural nuts that have not been flavored are gluten free. So is natural cane sugar - so yes, as long as you are careful with your ingredients (which you probably are if you need gluten free) then you are fine. What you use it with is up to you - so again, you can control it being gluten free