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.
Carol Borchardt says
This looks lovely and so perfect this time of year! I love that you included your kids in the process. I've always heard that they're more likely to eat something if they had a hand in preparing it!
Mackenzie Ryan says
That absolutely makes sense! That's definitely case with both of my daughters!
Helene says
The Cinnamon vanilla dressing sounds like a real treat on the fruit salad. I see how this could make a very exciting winter salad. That gets me into the festive mood, even here in the tropical heat.
Mackenzie Ryan says
The dressing is absolutely what makes this recipe complete (and it definitely gets me into a festive mood, too!)! It balances out the tang of the citrus and definitely!
Julie says
This is so gorgeous! I usually don't think about making a fruit salad in the winter since the produce selection is lacking, but I love the monotone nature of in-season fruits. My toddler loves pomegranates, so I know he'd be all over this!
Mackenzie Ryan says
I'm with you on the winter fruit salad thing! I wish there was a bit more to add variety to it, but what it does have is fantastic!
Kate says
Yum! What a fantastic idea! I love cuties, too. They taste like sunshine!
Mackenzie Ryan says
They really do! They always put a smile on my face!
Daisy says
Wow that dressing isn't something I would have thought about putting together with citrus but it sounds tempting! Will try it out soon. 😊 (And how are you, Mack? I hope you're well!)
Mackenzie Ryan says
It's soooo good, Daisy! It tastes all the best of Christmas combined!
Dominique says
I love the idea of this salad! Vanilla and cinnamon mixed with winter fruit... such a good idea and so beautiful! I am definitely going to be making this. Yum!
Mackenzie Ryan says
It's all the best of those warm and comforting winter flavors! It's divine!