I made my Mom’s Cranberry Nut Bread the other day because I missed her and I wanted my house to smell like it did when I was a kid during Christmas time. My house is the one I grew up in, so the holidays are a real trip to experience as an adult with my own family. What I remember about my childhood in this house is that my mom would get on these all-night benders of making holiday treats or gifts for family. The house would be in disarray. Counters start piling up with incoming and outgoing things. The dining room table was set up to wrap presents and address holiday cards.
So yeah, not much has changed over the years 😉
8Three things were heavy in her tradition rotation- Rocky Road Fudge (I remember the red tin lined with wax paper she’d use) Cranberry Nut Bread (always wrapped in aluminum foil and a bow) and of course, her Sour Cream Coffee Cake (that my Dad would pick at before she served it spurring her “It looks like there’s a mouse in the house!” rant). When she got into a really good rhythm with the cranberry bread bake-fest, she would wrap up loaves and stash them in the freezer so she could have something to bring to whatever party she was invited to. I always thought that was weird until I started baking on my own and learned the beauty of pulling out something at a moment’s notice. With all of the treats though, I held out for all of the coffee cake.
I wish I could thank her for her traditions and consistency. These treats became pillars around our holiday season. They helped mark the time of year. With everything recipe I make of hers, I keep her spirit going. Her recipes help bring the magic of the season alive on our house.
I’m lucky I have them.
This is a nice sweet/tart bread. The cranberries are chopped instead of left whole. It means there are bits of cranberries throughout and you won’t have that “oh my goodness I just bit into a big tangy cranberry make it stop!” feeling that can repel a small child. My child won’t eat bread with nuts so I couldn’t even test the chopped cranberry trick on him. If he had his choice I’d make nothing but maple olive oil banana bread (with chocolate chips). Maybe he’ll make it one day on his own and think of me? One can only hope.
Let’s gather our ingredients.
If you are doing the shortening thing, it’s 2 tablespoons. But for me, I used butter.
Mix dry + wet.
Orange zest makes it citrusy! Well, that and the orange juice.
In goes the cranberries and walnuts.
Chopping cranberries and walnuts go in.
Batter goes in a prepared pan.
Baked!
Cut open and enjoy!
Cranberry Nut Bread
makes 1 9×5 loaf
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1 well-beaten egg
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 cup cranberries coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 9×5 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add orange juice, egg, melted butter, and orange zest to dry ingredients. Mix until well combined. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Bake in oven for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center, comes out clean.
