Addictive Nutty Topping

HEAVEN!

Ellie Krieger gives fair warning in her latest cookbook that this topping is addictive. Don’t even think about second guessing her because she’s totally right! I can guarantee that my jar will be empty tomorrow because I want to eat it by the heaping spoonful and top it on EVERTHING. Yogurt, pancakes, rice pudding, fruit, ice cream, my toothbrush!! Here I come!

It reminds me of the Honey Nut Squares I made, but with a lot less fuss! It takes less than 10 minutes to make this sticky crunchy gooey treat. The toasted sesames are quite fun too!  There’s a subtle halvah taste to it. I think you’ll like it!

Start by gathering the nuts!

In a pan, toast your pepitas & sliced almonds first. It takes a minute!

start with pepitas and almonds

Toss in the sunflower seeds and toast for a minute.

bring on the sunflowers seeds!

Add a tablespoon of sesame seeds in the pan to get them toasty! Put the lid on and shake for 30 seconds.

say hi to sesames

Toss the toasted nuts in a bowl with the wheat germ!

wheat germ up in the mix

Add maple syrup and stir.

maple syrup drizzles

You have this sticky mess of a treat!

mixa mixa

Let the mixture cool before you put it in a tightly sealed jar. You can eat some while you wait!

nutty topping!

I immediately tossed some of the topping in a bowl of plain yogurt. The maple syrup in the nuts added just the right amount of sweetness to my yogurt! No need for honey!

Nutty Topping

(recipe from So Easy, by Ellie Krieger)

  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/4 cup hulled (green) pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (preferably unhulled)
  • 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
  • 1/4 cup real maple syrup, plus more for serving
  • Pinch salt

In a large skillet, toast the almonds and pumpkin seeds over medium-high heat, stirring, for about 1 minute. Add the sunflower seeds and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Add the sesame seeds to the pan. Cover and cook, shaking the pan, until the seeds are toasted, about 30 seconds more. Transfer the toasted nuts and seeds to a medium sized bowl. Add the wheat germ. Stir in the syrup and a pinch of salt and set aside.

  • Monica

    Oh man, this could be SO good on my bircher muesli. Must try.

  • Katrina

    This looks amazing! I’ll put it on my oatmeal tomorrow 🙂

  • Rocio

    Looks so good! I wanted to make the Honey Nut Squares but laziness beat craving. : /
    Which makes these perfect! 😀

  • The Duo Dishes

    You should jar this up! Great breakfast with yogurt.

  • kickpleat

    Ooooh, this looks way too perfect. I want this on my yogurt with some fresh strawberries. This weekend fo sho.

  • Mariko

    Wow. Yes. I like it. I don’t have any sliced almonds in the house! Think it will work without it?

    • Tracy

      totally! you dont really taste the almonds in the mixture- they are just there for the crunch factor. Add more of one of the other nuts you favor! 🙂

  • Julie

    Ok Tracy…just…OMG. I say this post a made a mental note to buy sunflower seeds and sliced almonds next time I was at Trader Joe’s because I knew I needed to make this immediately! Immediately turned into yesterday, which isn’t so immediate, but anyway, holy cow this is amazingly good! First off, it’s ridiculous fast and easy to make, which my husband informed me is a good thing, after only one bite, because he expects me to make it pretty much everyday for the rest of our lives. Yeah, it’s that good.

    My husband was just complaining that he didn’t have anything good to eat for breakfast, so this morning I sat him down with a bowl of greek yogurt topped with this nut topping, and he was a happy camper! The only problem is how dangerous it is! I mixed it in a bowl, tried a bite, and then another, and then another. Pretty soon a quarter of it was gone. And I had doubled the recipe. Yum!

    Anyway, just wanted to say this one is a real winner, and thanks so much for sharing it with me!

    • Tracy

      that’s FANTASTIC Julie! My husband thought it tasted too healthy 😉 Your husband knows what he’s talking about!

  • Sophie Pronovost

    This recipe is crazy good. Thanx Tracy!

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  • Maddy

    Does this stuff need to be refrigerated? I was thinking of making it as a christmas gift in little jars but wasn’t sure how quickly it spoils (although based on everyone else’s posts it doesn’t seem like it will be sitting around for long…)
    Thanks!

    • Tracy

      I think it wouldn’t hurt! It’s really the combination of the maple syrup and the wheat germ that makes me leery of keeping it not refrigerated.

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