5 Delicious Holiday Recipes Featuring Black Walnuts from the Ozarks

The Ozarks are known as the Black Walnut Capital of the World, with more black walnuts harvested here than anywhere else, according to Hammons Black Walnuts—a fourth-generation family business based in Stockton. Hammons is the world’s leading provider of black walnuts and one of the nation’s largest wild foods suppliers.

“Black Walnuts are a treasured regional ingredient and a unique product of the Ozarks,” says Jacob Basecke, executive vice president of Hammons Black Walnuts. “The gathering process supports local economies, as tens of thousands of people collect this wild crop and bring them to a local hulling station. It’s a very community-driven process that’s both sustainable and local.”

For Basecke, black walnuts bring something special and nostalgic to the table each holiday season. “Black Walnuts have a unique ability to create lasting memories, whether that’s out foraging the nuts with friends and family during the harvest season or reliving a childhood memory with a family favorite recipe,” he says. “Every time I think of my Gram, I immediately go back to the memories of walking into her house on Thanksgiving morning and smelling the Black Walnut Pie that just came out of the oven. That smell reminds me of the joy of being with family, the cherished traditions and moments with loved ones.”

Since 1946, Hammons Black Walnuts has shelled approximately 25 million pounds of nuts annually, producing black walnut nutmeats for food ingredients and ground nutshells for industrial uses.

Black walnuts are a local, wild variety with a deep, earthy flavor—not to be confused with the more common English walnut, a global commodity grown in large orchards in California—and bring a unique taste to desserts and side dishes.  “Their bold, distinctive taste adds depth to traditional recipes, creating memorable moments and flavors that truly capture the warmth and essence of the fall season,” Basecke says.

Try these five recipes from Hammons Black Walnuts to impress your guests this holiday season. You can find many other tried-and-true recipes at black-walnuts.com, and you can purchase Hammons Black Walnuts at your local grocery store or online at hammonspantry.com.

Harvest Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients
• 4 small sweet potatoes (about 10 ounces each)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup onion, minced
• 1⅓ cups Bartlett pears, diced and packed
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 4 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup dried cranberries, minced
• 2 tablespoons Hammons Black Walnuts, minced

Instructions
Heat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and bake until soft, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside for about 10 minutes until cool enough to handle, and reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.

While the potatoes cool, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it just begins to soften, about two minutes. Add the pear and poultry seasoning and cook until the pears just begin to soften.

Slice down the center of each potato and gently peel back just enough skin to scoop out the insides into a medium bowl—be careful not to break the skin. Leave a little bit of potato around the edges to help the potato hold its shape, then mash the sweet potatoes until smooth.

Reserve six tablespoons of the pear mixture for later use and add the rest to the sweet potatoes, along with the maple syrup, salt and cinnamon. Stir until well mixed. Gently scoop the filling back into each potato to fill it and spread the reserved pear mixture along the center of each potato, about 1½ tablespoons per potato.

In a small bowl, mix the cranberries and black walnuts, then spread this mixture along the center of each potato, lightly pressing into the pear mixture. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are hot and the black walnuts are lightly toasted. Let cool for five to 10 minutes.

Black Walnut Wild Rice

Ingredients
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice
• 4 tablespoons or ½ stick butter
• ¾ to 1 cup Hammons Black Walnuts
• ½ cup chopped green onion
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• ½ cup chopped green pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Cook the wild rice according to basic directions. Melt the butter in a skillet and sauté the black walnuts, green onions, mushrooms and green peppers for about three minutes or until the vegetables soften slightly. Add the wild rice and garlic salt, then continue cooking, stirring several times until the wild rice is heated through. This recipe makes four to six servings.

Black Walnut Apple Cake

Ingredients
• 2½ cups diced apples
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup Hammons Black Walnuts, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg
• ⅔ cup chunky sugar-free apple sauce
• 1 ½ tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 10- to 12-cup Bundt cake pan with olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle the diced apples with sugar and set aside. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, black walnuts, salt and cinnamon. In a larger bowl, beat the egg and mix in the applesauce, vanilla and maple syrup. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture until well combined, then add the apples and stir well. Pour the batter into the Bundt cake pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Optional glaze recipe

Ingredients
• ½ cup coconut butter
• ½ cup non-dairy milk
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions
Place all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Cook for about five minutes until the icing starts to bubble and thicken, adding a splash of more non-dairy milk if the icing gets too thick. Remove the pan from heat and transfer the icing to a heat-proof bowl. Allow to cool completely before using for cookies, cakes and other desserts.

Black Walnut Pie

Ingredients
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 cups Hammons Black Walnuts
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 9-inch pie crust

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Check the pie crust to ensure the edges are at least two to four inches above the rim of the pan to prevent the pie filling from bubbling over the edge. Gently combine all ingredients in the order listed, stirring just enough to begin dissolving the sugar but not so much that air is incorporated into the filling. Do not beat, or the pie will have air bubbles on the top instead of the black walnuts, spoiling the glossy look of the glazed nuts. Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie crust and bake on a cookie sheet for one hour or until the center of the pie is no longer loose and the black walnuts are browned. Serve either hot or cold, but for the best appearance, allow the pie to reach room temperature before cutting. This recipe is great paired with whipped cream or ice cream.

Sausage, Wild Rice and Black Walnut Stuffing

Ingredients
• 1 cup wild rice, cooked according to package directions
• 1 pound pork sausage, lightly browned
• 8 cups toasted bread cubes
• 1 cup Hammons Black Walnuts, chopped
• ½ cup butter
• 1½ cups celery, chopped
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 2 cups chicken or turkey broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves

Instructions
In a large bowl, combine wild rice, pork sausage, bread cubes and black walnuts. Over medium-high heat, melt butter in a skillet and add celery and onion, sautéing until soft. Add this to the stuffing mixture. Next, stir in eggs, parsley and raisins, then slowly incorporate chicken broth until the stuffing is moist and holds together. Season with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and thyme leaves. Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish and bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes. This recipe makes enough stuffing to accommodate an 18- to 20-pound turkey—approximately 20 servings.