Winter Fruit Salad Cinnamon (Printable)

Fresh winter fruits combined with a spiced cinnamon vanilla dressing for a vibrant, refreshing dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fruit

01 - 10 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
02 - 4 large Fuji apples, cored and diced
03 - 2 pomegranates, arils removed

→ Cinnamon Vanilla Dressing

04 - 1 cup granulated sugar
05 - 1 cup water
06 - 2 cinnamon sticks
07 - 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

# Directions:

01 - Combine sugar, water, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla bean with scraped seeds in a small saucepan.
02 - Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves completely.
03 - Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature for approximately 1 hour. Remove cinnamon sticks and vanilla pod.
04 - In a large bowl, combine mandarin orange segments, diced apples, and pomegranate arils.
05 - Drizzle cooled cinnamon vanilla dressing over fruit and gently toss until evenly coated.
06 - Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cinnamon vanilla dressing transforms ordinary fruit into something that tastes like a cozy memory.
  • You can make it ahead and actually improve as it sits, so it's perfect for gatherings when you need one less thing to stress about.
  • It's naturally sweet without feeling heavy, and everyone from kids to guests watching their sugar intake finds themselves coming back for more.
02 -
  • Don't skip letting the dressing cool completely before adding it to the fruit, or your beautiful apples will turn brown and the whole thing falls apart flavor-wise.
  • If you're making this more than an hour ahead, hold off on the dressing until the last possible moment and keep the fruit separate, because the fruit slowly releases its own juice and dilutes the dressing.
03 -
  • Make the dressing the day before so the flavors have time to settle and meld together, making everything taste more intentional.
  • If you absolutely must use vanilla extract instead of a bean, add it after the dressing cools so the heat doesn't cook off all those volatile flavor compounds.
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