Consumers are moving away from three-square meals toward snacking throughout the day, and bakers are getting selective with ingredients to appeal to discerning consumers who are more conscious about what they eat. Adding minimally processed fruit and nut ingredients is often part of the plan. 

“Convenient, on-the-go snacking options used to satisfy consumers. Now that snacks have become ingrained in their everyday routines, consumers are more mindful and more selective,” said Angela Johnson, dietary and nutrition insights manager, HealthFocus International. “They now approach snacks with the same scrutiny as their meal choices, and expect healthier options, even in indulgent categories.”

The healthful halo of real fruits and nuts provides permission to indulge in everything from cookies to pastries. Fruits and nuts contribute fiber and phytonutrients, while nuts also add protein and healthful fats.

Improving nutritional profiles

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans calls on consumers to make every bite count. Adding fruits and nuts to baked goods helps improve their nutritional profile. 

Classic fruits and nuts, alone or often in tried-and-true combinations such as raisin walnut oatmeal cookies, remain popular. However, formulators are getting creative, often with limited-edition concepts that play into the “newstalgia” trend, which is all about giving a 21st Century twist to flavors from yesteryear.

“There’s growing demand for bold, exotic combinations, think mango with coconut or passion fruit paired with almonds,” said Nicolas Nayener, research and development lab manager, Eurogerm KB. “We’re also noticing more savory directions, such as smoked almonds with dried cherries in crackers or bars. This is driven by consumers’ appetite for real, clean ingredients with a twist.”

He suggested adding infused apple pieces to cinnamon buns for a burst of fruit flavor without overwhelming the structure. To add some crunch to soft, chewy brownies or cookies, include roasted hazelnut pieces.

“Savory sweet innovations like almonds with tart cherries and functional pairings like dates and almonds are trending,” said Cynthia Machado, senior technical business development manager, Blue Diamond Global Ingredients. “Consumers are looking for new ways to indulge but also choose products with functional ingredients, interesting flavor profiles and a perceived health halo around them.”

Nuts can be glazed, seasoned or both before being incorporated into products. This allows for sweet and savory profiles coming from one ingredient.

Jennifer Olmstead, senior director of US marketing and communications, California Walnut Board and Commission, shared some creative ideas.

“A walnut and fig artisan loaf appeals to both the mouth and the eyes. This bread features a chewy, golden crust and a soft, airy crumb with toasted walnuts and dried figs scattered throughout for bursts of flavor and texture,” she said.

Tropical and exotic fruits are gaining traction. They are a great way to provide that twist to a classic.

“Ube and coconut create a perfectly balanced pie filling, blending the rich, earthy sweetness of ube with the creamy, tropical notes of coconut,” said Melanie Oeck, product development manager, Ever Fresh Fruit Co.

Fruit combinations are becoming more common. Often opposite tastes are matched up, such as tart cranberry with sweet citrusy orange. 

Heidi Clark, national sales and marketing manager, MicroDried, suggested adding blueberry powder to shortbread dough for color and flavor, and include crunchy lemon fragments for a citrusy burst.

“Think pineapple ginger biscotti,” she said. “Crunchy pineapple pieces add tropical sweetness, pairing perfectly with warming spices.”

Toolbox of ingredients

When fruits and nuts are marketed as the flavor of a baked good, consumers often expect to see the ingredient, even if it’s only the discernable fibers from mashed banana. When other formats are used, it’s often for functional reasons, such as adding sweetness, color or protein content.

“Almond butter, for example, has a creamy texture and binding and coating properties. It blends seamlessly with other ingredients to create better-for-you vegan products,” Machado said. “Almond butter adds both flavor and a rich texture in protein pastries while almond flour adds density and structure to high-protein baking applications.”

Doug Webster, director of research and development, Tree Top Inc., explained that fruit purees provide natural flavor and color and do not contribute to “added sugar” on the nutrition label.

“Fruit purees can be used to enhance both the taste and visual appeal of bars by including a fruit layer or to include a fruit swirl inside of a cake or bread dough,” Webster said. 

It is important to identify finished product goals regarding texture, color and flavor up front in the product development process. After all, people tend to eat with their eyes first.

“Dried fruit ingredients provide a natural way to introduce sweetness, color and functional benefits without excess moisture that can compromise shelf life and product integrity,” Clark said. “For soft baked goods like muffins, cookies and cakes, fruit fragments provide excellent visual appeal and texture.”

For crispier applications, such as crackers, granola and biscotti, using fruit powders allows for even flavor distribution without altering texture.

“For high-impact flavor and bold visual appeal, whole fruit pieces work best,” Clark added. “Moisture migration and color bleeding can be controlled by incorporating dried fruit in the dry ingredient phase, lightly coating pieces in starch or selecting fruit ingredients with naturally low water activity to prevent sogginess in long shelf life products.”

Diced prunes or prune bits can be used as inclusions, said Kim Kennedy, director of ingredient and foodservice sales, North America, Sunsweet Growers, who added they pair well with walnuts in baked goods.

“Prunes are also easy to turn into purees, which are useful in creating formulas that are either lower in sugar or free from butter or eggs,” she said. “An example is plant-based chocolate chip cookies, which use prune puree for moisture and texture. In this application, the prune is a background flavor complementing the brown sugar and chocolate.”

Prunes are hygroscopic. The puree format can help keep the baked good chewy and moist.

“When using dried fruit in baked goods, it’s best to allow time for partial rehydration to 20% moisture before baking,” Webster said. “This will minimize burning of the fruit inclusions on the surface and color bleed into dough or batter.”

Apples are a “smart” fruit ingredient for baked goods as they are grown in the United States in abundance and are durable and versatile. They come fresh, frozen and dried, in all shapes and sizes.

“Evaporated and low-moisture apples can be formulated with colors and flavors,” Webster said. “There is infusion potential as well.”

Low-moisture diced apples, for example, can be infused with natural blueberry color and flavor to replace whole blueberries in muffins. This format is often less expensive and more process tolerant than whole blueberries.

Fruit d’Or developed no-bleed, extra juicy wild blueberries as an innovative solution for bakers.

“The ingredient excels in applications such as donuts where individually quick-frozen berries lose their piece identity and dried blueberries would burn,” said Jonathan Khouzam, senior research and development specialist, Fruit d’Or. “Our wild blueberries are smaller than cultivated blueberries and lead to an increased piece count.” 

While not a fruit, Ocean Spray Ingredients’ new line of cranberry seeds come from fruit. They are upcycled from the processing of cranberries into juice and other products.

“They provide a slight crunch and pop of red color, almost like sprinkles,” said Charles Morrill, senior research chef, Ocean Spray Ingredients. “They are perfect for cracker applications, seeded breads and even in everything bagel seasoning.”

The Ocean Spray culinary team created a baked cheese snack with the seeds, providing color and sweet flavor.

“It’s a simple idea with a delicious twist. With pretzel pieces, shredded cheese, diced sweetened dried cranberries and upcycled cranberry seeds, we slowly bake this mixture until it is toasty and crunchy,” Morrill said.

This article is an excerpt from the May 2025 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Fruits & Nuts, click here.