Heidi's Cranberry Bread Recipe

I’ve recently been on a cranberry kick. Thanksgiving brought my mom’s savory traditional meal with all of the fixings and of course the main event, turkey; and all the leftover turkey sandwiches my little heart desired. The signature and classic combination for me is always turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. I love everything else like the green beans, carrots, butternut squash, etc., but that classic combination is what I look forward to the most. There are always two types of cranberry sauce; the jellied and the whole berries.

 The jellied is great as a glue to keep the left-over turkey sandwich that was piled high together. Mom usually doctors up the whole cranberries as a sauce on the stove with some orange juice and (this year I think it was) vodka. Oh yes, a feast, indeed. The weeks before and after Thanksgiving, I made delicious cranberry bread—I can’t seem to get enough of it. I don’t normally follow the standard instructions of letting a baked good cool off, especially this bread when I make sure to cut a slice from the steamy crispy loaf and diligently apply a healthy smear of butter on it. It’s delicious! Here’s the recipe I used so you too can spread the joy of cranberry bread with butter. Hey, it’s healthy; there’s fruit in it!

1. Set your oven to 350F and grease the bottom and sides of the 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. I use the spray grease.
That’s right, folks—grease in a bottle! ​

2. Start with 1 ½ cups mighty fine looking whole cranberries. They should be bright red, plump and hard. I used Ocean Spray cranberries.

3. Chop the heck out of those babies! Hi-ya! At least until they’re coarsely chopped. No need to make cranberry juice.
​

4. Combine . . .

1 cup of sugar

2 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda 

It should look like this when these ingredients are combined . . .

5.   Measure ¾ cups of orange juice. I used ‘No Pulp’, but now I’m curious to see how ‘Lots of Pulp’ would come out.

6.  Pour that refreshing goodness right into the dry ingredients.
​

7.  Stir in the 2 tablespoons of oil. I couldn’t show the two in the picture.

8.  Grate 1 tablespoon of orange peel. My grater was more like a zester so I had pulp-like bits.

9.  Take one egg, and beat it with a fork. ​

​10.  Mix all of the ingredients well and add and mix the 1 ½ cups of coarsely chopped cranberries. Looking good!​
​

​11. Pour the mixture in the 9 x 5-inch greased loaf pan. Make sure to get every last morsel with a spatuala.
​

12.   Into the oven it goes (heated at 350F) for about 55 minutes.  I always have to keep mine in longer because I add a ½ cup of chopped walnuts and just recently I started adding ¼ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I will admit, it’s very sweet, but I’m not going to complain.

Voilà! Make sure it’s fully cooked with sticking knife in the center and having it come out clean (no gooeyness because that means it’s still raw)

Don’t forget the butter! ENJOY! ☺

---

Cranberry Nut Bread by Ocean Spray

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
​¾ cups orange juice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 egg, well beaten
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries coarsely chopped
​½ cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and backing soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, oil, orange peel and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Makes 1 loaf.

Comment Below, we want to hear from you! Like us, follow us and add us!

(​Facebook, Instagram & Twitter)

---

Heidi Williams

Heidi Williams is a foodie, yogi, dog-mom, hiker and animal and mountain lover. She has made the decision to be happy and continues to learn about herself and be a good listener to other people's experiences.  She has an entrepreneurial mindset and currently has a cleaning and organizing business.  She is dabbling in jewelry-making and writing; she was inspired by her sister, Holly Williams, owner of Pixie Chick Productions.  She lives in Massachusetts with her fiance and fur-baby.  Follow her on instagram at @hawilliams1912