Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread is delightful to make when cranberries are in season. This enjoyable dessert bread has a wonderful array of flavors: delicious, tart cranberries, the double whammy of orange zest and orange juice, and crunchy, nutty pecans.

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It also has superb taste — certainly one that you and your family will enjoy for years to come. I like to freeze cranberries when they are in season around November and December each year to reserve for recipes like this. In fact, my cranberries were frozen when I made this marvelous cranberry bread.

This is a favorite family recipe that has gone through a lot of revisions over the years. The main thing I had to do was increase the flour because the original recipe overflowed the pans every time I made it. Increasing the flour made a world of difference.

I also decided to leave the cranberries whole rather than grate them in a food processor. I like the texture better this way and it is also a lot easier and less messy. I’ve added additional orange peel too, to get more orange essence into the bread. Yum, yum!

If you’re looking for a tasty and impressive sweet bread recipe, consider giving this one a try with my adaptations. Our family loves cranberries and oranges and pecans. And this bread is breathtaking. It’s really worth a few minutes in the kitchen to provide this great treat for your family and friends.  Because this bread is so festive, it’s a great recipe for holiday baking and gift giving too.

When I originally posted this recipe in January 2013, I was still using a cheap iPhone 3 for a camera. The pictures were not taken with good lighting so the results were less than pleasing. I’ve been going back through all my old first year recipes in order to take better pictures. I specifically wanted fresher, more festive pictures of this delicious sweet bread.

As a result, I updated the recipe (December 2015) a little as well. I used fresh cranberries rather than frozen, and switched out unsalted butter for the shortening. This version also decreases the sugar just a little so that the bread will puff up more when baking and not have a flat, caved in top. All in all, the recipe turned out beautifully. It was well received and wolfed down immediately!

Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread has lots of juicy, tart cranberries, the lovely flavors of orange zest and orange juice, and crunchy nuts that make up this tasty loaf. Give it a try — you won’t be disappointed.

Here’s a plate of this delicious sweet bread for company. Isn’t this yummy looking? I want a bite right now!

Everyone loves it when I bring Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread to potlucks, meetings, or special occasion brunches. If you freeze a few bags of cranberries you can make this throughout the year and not just during the holidays.

Here’s what I did.

I used these ingredients.

Wash and rinse cranberries in colander under running cold water. Place washed cranberries in a large mixing bowl. Add chopped nuts. Grate orange peel on the finest edge of your grater. Add orange peel and a half cup of sugar.

Stir all ingredients together. Set aside.

Place remaining sugar in mixing bowl. Add UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour. Bleached flour toughens baked goods. Add salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add Crisco shortening or, if you prefer, add cold butter. Work shortening or butter into flour mixture with pastry blender until all the shortening or butter has been cut up into small pieces the size of peas.

Add orange juice, eggs and cranberry mixture to the flour mixture and stir all ingredients together gently with a wooden spoon just until moistened. Don’t overmix the dough.

Here’s what the mixture looks like when stirred.

Grease and flour 4 small miniature bread baking pans. Add cranberry batter to pans.

Bake about 50-60 minutes at 350 or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Slice down the loaf with a serrated knife or an electric bread knife.

Bring some Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread to holiday parties, special occasion brunches, your office or Sunday school class and you will have lots of takers wanting this elegant and beautiful dessert bread.

Look at all those cranberries! I increased the amount of the original recipe to using an entire 12-oz. bag. Wow, it’s scrumptious! We love a good Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread. I think you will too.

Here’s the recipe.

CRANBERRY FRUIT NUT BREAD

(My own concoction)

Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread

Teresa Ambra

Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread is as delightful to smell as it is to taste! This lovely breakfast sweet bread is filled with tart, juicy cranberries, orange peel and orange juice and pecans. It's great for holiday breakfasts when cranberries are in season. Or, you can freeze cranberries and enjoy this tasty bread all-year round!

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Breads, Rolls and Muffins, Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 24

Calories 165 kcal

Equipment

• 4 miniature bread loaf pans
• 1 large mixing bowl
• 1 orange zester or grater
• 1 medium mixing bowl
• 2 wooden spoons
• 1 pastry blender
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• 1 bamboo skewer or sharp knife to check bread for doneness
• 1 nut chopper if nuts are not previously chopped

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3/4 cup pecans chopped
• 2 tbsp. orange peel freshly grated
• 12 oz. bag fresh or frozen cranberries rinsed
• 3 1/2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar divided use
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter or coconut oil
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 large eggs well beaten

Instructions

 

• Wash and rinse cranberries.
• Place in large bowl.
• Add nuts, orange peel, and ½ cup granulated sugar.
• Stir well to combine.
• Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl combine flour, remaining 1 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
• Cut in butter with pastry blender.
• Add orange juice, eggs, and cranberry mixture.
• Stir with wooden spoon to combine.
• Grease and flour small loaf pans well.
• Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.
• Bake at 350° for about 60 minutes or until knife or bamboo skewer inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.

Notes

NOTE: This mixture can be baked in a 9x5” baking dish. Adjust cooking time accordingly. Ovens vary. Stick a knife all the way to the bottom of the dish. If any gooey mixture adheres to the knife, continue baking until the knife comes out clean. (You may have a little juice from the cranberries, but no goo from the batter).

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 165kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 147mgPotassium: 74mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 90IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg

Keyword bread, breakfast, brunch, cranberry, orange, pecans, sweet bread

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Doesn’t Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread look superb?

This is a terrific sweet bread and it’s not too difficult to make either. Consider making this for your holiday breakfasts when cranberries are in season and the kids are home from school. Or, do what I do–freeze cranberries and you can enjoy this great loaf any time of the year!

You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!

Pecan Cranberry Muffins

Iced White Chocolate Cranberry Coffeecake

Apple Cranberry Breakfast Cobbler

Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread

Teresa Ambra

Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread is as delightful to smell as it is to taste! This lovely breakfast sweet bread is filled with tart, juicy cranberries, orange peel and orange juice and pecans. It's great for holiday breakfasts when cranberries are in season. Or, you can freeze cranberries and enjoy this tasty bread all-year round!

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Breads, Rolls and Muffins, Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 24

Calories 165 kcal

Equipment

• 4 miniature bread loaf pans
• 1 large mixing bowl
• 1 orange zester or grater
• 1 medium mixing bowl
• 2 wooden spoons
• 1 pastry blender
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• 1 bamboo skewer or sharp knife to check bread for doneness
• 1 nut chopper if nuts are not previously chopped

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3/4 cup pecans chopped
• 2 tbsp. orange peel freshly grated
• 12 oz. bag fresh or frozen cranberries rinsed
• 3 1/2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar divided use
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter or coconut oil
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 large eggs well beaten

Instructions

 

• Wash and rinse cranberries.
• Place in large bowl.
• Add nuts, orange peel, and ½ cup granulated sugar.
• Stir well to combine.
• Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl combine flour, remaining 1 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
• Cut in butter with pastry blender.
• Add orange juice, eggs, and cranberry mixture.
• Stir with wooden spoon to combine.
• Grease and flour small loaf pans well.
• Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.
• Bake at 350° for about 60 minutes or until knife or bamboo skewer inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.

Notes

NOTE: This mixture can be baked in a 9×5” baking dish. Adjust cooking time accordingly. Ovens vary. Stick a knife all the way to the bottom of the dish. If any gooey mixture adheres to the knife, continue baking until the knife comes out clean. (You may have a little juice from the cranberries, but no goo from the batter).

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 165kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 147mgPotassium: 74mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 90IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg

Keyword bread, breakfast, brunch, cranberry, orange, pecans, sweet bread

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!