This post is sponsored by Cuties Citrus. All opinions are mine alone and partnerships like this help keep the blog ad free for your enjoyment. I hope you love the product and the Winter Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Vanilla Dressing as much as I do.
Enjoy all the best of in-season flavors with this Winter Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Vanilla Dressing. It's great for the holidays, a potluck, or Thanksgiving! This easy-to-make recipe is great for chefs of all ages!
With the winter holidays fast approaching, time spent in the kitchen seems to amplify; and if you have kids, then you quickly discover how helpful (albeit slow) extra hands can be. Today's Winter Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Vanilla Dressing is a great teamwork recipe and is perfect for little hands of all ages.
100 Days of Sunshine
Now that Daylight Savings has ended and the days are shorter, we are all challenged to find sunshine and all things merry and bright in this otherwise drab season. For my family, one of those things is Cuties; and my girls love being Cuties Correspondents by sharing them with everyone around them. They fit perfectly in a lunch box for my oldest to take to school and share with her friends, while the adorably chubby hands of my 2 year old can easily peel them and pass them around to those she loves. She gets so excited about seeing them on the table that she'll run over and hug the bowl (and try to eat them all in one sitting!)
I look forward to Cuties' return to the store every year, and I'm ecstatic that they are finally here! You too can celebrate 100 Days of Sunshine and brighten someone's day by sharing some delicious cuties this season! Show it off using #100DaysOfSunshine!
Skills & Techniques
Just because the chefs preparing this Winter Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Vanilla Dressing are pint sized, doesn't mean that they can't master some basic culinary proficiencies to make this recipe shine.
- How to Make Simple Syrup. This recipe calls for a standard (or basic) simple syrup. Learn how to get the right ratios and my tips for infusing it with the cinnamon vanilla flavors.
- How To Buy & Store Citrus. Involve the kids by teaching them what to look for at the store and how to keep it fresh when you get it home.
- Apples 101. This recipe uses Fuji apples, but if those aren't one of your favorites, use the FAQ's here to help you pick the right apple for you.
Storage and Leftovers
If you have leftovers of this Winter Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Vanilla Dressing, it will hold in your refrigerator in an airtight container for up to five days. During that time, you may find that the apples begin to brown. However, the sugar in the simple syrup will help slow that process.
If you have leftovers of the cinnamon vanilla simple syrup, it will stay fresh in the fridge for up to three months when stored in an airtight container.
Winter Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Vanilla Dressing
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it gets better overnight. As the dressing settles into the fruit, the natural sugars, cinnamon, and vanilla meld together for a divine flavor combo. This is also a fantastic recipe for kids to work on for Thanksgiving; they can make it ahead, or it can keep hands busy on turkey day.
Get your free printable grocery list for this Winter Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Vanilla Dressing HERE.
This grocery list has everything that you’ll need to make this Winter Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Vanilla Dressing recipe. To help in making grocery shopping simple, each ingredient is listed in easy-to-find grocery store amounts. If there is no amount specified, that means that you can buy the smallest (or largest) container available and still have plenty left over.
Want to try some of our other excellent winter recipes? I recommend:
- Fennel & Orange Marinade
- Creamy Macaroni & Cheese with Butternut Squash
- Mustard Rubbed Pork Loin with Brussels Sprouts and Apples
- Festive Holiday Chestnut Roll Wreath
Happy Cooking!!! 🙂
Winter Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Vanilla Dressing
Ingredients
Winter Fruit Salad
- 10 Cuties mandarin oranges,, peeled and segmented
- 4 large fuji apples,, cored and diced
- 2 pomegranates,, arils removed
Cinnamon Vanilla Dressing
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 vanilla bean*,, split down the middle and seeds scraped
Instructions
- In a small sauce pot, combine all of the ingredients for the Cinnamon Vanilla dressing. Stirring regularly, bring the mixture to a simmer then turn off the heat and let the dressing cool to room temperature. About 1 hour.
- In a bowl, combine the Cuties, diced apple, and pomegranate arils. Stir the cooled cinnamon vanilla dressing a little, then pour desired amount on top of the fruit salad. Toss until the fruit salad is evenly coated. Serve.
Cinna says
This salad looks so fresh and colorful. I like it, as the fruits have been kept mostly true to their original edible form. I have never tried this type of dressing before, with spices and sugar. The flavors seem to blend well together.
Mackenzie Ryan says
Thank you so much! Fruit salads with dressings like this are always my favorite - and I love how easy it is to adapt it your tastes for sweetness.
Dave Sabatelli says
Mackenzie, your Winter Fruit Salad has all the fruits my wife and I like. I plan on making this for our New Years Eve dinner. I noticed an article on Fennel Orange Marinade that I need to read. Your pictures are outstanding do you mind shearing how you produce them?
Mackenzie Ryan says
Thank you for the kind compliment, Dave. I hope you love the fruit salad (and the marinade when you get around to it!)! Send me a picture when you make them!
As for the photos, I use a Nikon d50 camera with a 50mm lens. Beyond that, it's just practice with settings. Here is a link to one of my favorite "Behind the scenes photography" posts from one of my favorite food bloggers - Amanda at Striped Spatula. I do most of the same tricks as her. 🙂 https://stripedspatula.com/food-photography-behind-the-scenes/
Sara says
This looks like a lovely salad for holiday entertaining!
Mackenzie Ryan says
It definitely is! It's so easy to scale and make larger for big get-togethers!
Amanda says
Now I know what I'm taking to a pot luck Christmas party!
Mackenzie Ryan says
Yes!! It's always a big hit at a party!
Monica says
This looks lovely - I just love the idea of combining these little oranges with pomegranate! And, I happen to have some leftover pomegranate seeds in the fridge right now. This might be happening with dinner one night this week!
Mackenzie Ryan says
I hope you love it! It makes such a delicious winter treat!
Elena says
I love fruit salads but I usually make them in summer. Your recipe looks great, so delicious, seasonal and healthy! I have to give it a try
Mackenzie Ryan says
When I think of fruit salads, I always think about summer as well! I hope you get to try it and love it!