Slightly Sweet Cranberry Walnut Quick Bread
I was so excited to find organic cranberries at Trader Joe’s over the weekend, I immediately scooped up a couple of bags and tossed them into my cart, having no idea what I would actually do with them. I considered making a homemade cranberry sauce, but reminded myself of how I always end up liking the canned cranberry sauces better.
I know, I know. I’m not supposed to say that, but it’s true! There’s something about the Ocean Spray brand that just reminds me of Thanksgivings when I was little. And similar to olives, I probably could have eaten a whole can on my own, alongside a giant bowl of mashed potatoes. And some pumpkin pie. And maybe some eggnog. But now I’m just getting greedy.
Aaron suggested using the raw cranberries as garnish on my pumpkin custards, to which I explained that you shouldn’t use something inedible as a garnish. This is one of the few things a vegetarian takes away from countless hours of watching Top Chef and Chopped over the years. How to properly butcher and cook a steak? Notsomuch.
Aaron argued that the cranberries were indeed edible, and as he kept pushing this point, I suddenly realized that he had never tried a raw cranberry. Nice as I am, I spared him the experience, and clarified that raw cranberries do NOT taste like grapes. He’s going to thank me later on that one.
| Cranberry Walnut Quick Bread |
- 1 C. All-Purpose Flour
- 1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 C. Non-dairy Milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
- 1 Flax Egg (1 Tbs. ground flax, 3 Tbs. water)
- 1/2 C. Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 C. Chopped Walnuts
- 2 C. Fresh Cranberries
- 1/2 Tsp. Salt
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a 9 x 4 inch loaf pan and set aside.
- Prepare your flax egg by combining 1 Tbs. ground flax with 3 Tbs. water. Stir and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes, until it has a gel-like consistency (similar to an egg).
- In a large bowl, mix together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the flax egg, non-dairy milk, and sugar. Stir until just combined.
- Fold in chopped walnuts and cranberries.
- Transfer to greased loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
I intentionally went easy on the sugar in this recipe to create a bread that’s only slightly sweet, as I figured I’d be eating my fair share of pie this week. If you’re looking to bake a sweeter bread, I recommend using 3/4 C. to 1 C. of sugar.
Yup, its confirmed…..all the fab recipes start, I start baking and I gain 30lbs from now till 26th os Dec. This looks amazing, doll!!!
What a gorgeous combo. I love Cranberries sooo friggin much!!
xxoo
I know what you mean. It’s total dessert overload! Plus there’s the mashed potatoes, stuffing…the list goes on and on.
I have a lighter recipe that I’ll be posting a little later this week. 🙂
This bread look really good! 😀
Thanks, Kim!
You’re better than I am, I would’ve forced him to taste one 😉 I love the tartness of cranberries in baked goods. I bet I’d love this bread.
haha I know, I totally should have. That would have ended the debate pretty quickly. 🙂
“I immediately scooped up a couple of bags and tossed them into my cart, having no idea what I would actually do with them.” <— I DID THE SAME THING! Not TJ's brand, but reg groc store, Ocean Spray. And now…I better use those buggers up.
And I tried a raw cranberry last week when I was making cranberry mango orange chutney. Not good. At all. Blech!
Reminds me of when I was little and my mom told me not to eat the baker’s chocolate. Of course, I had to learn the hard way and find out for myself! Yuck.
I still have a bag of cranberries I need to use up. I’m going to check out your chutney recipe – it sounds awesome!
Looks great, I have a freezer full from Costco. I like them big and whole like that in things. Mostly I just put them in pancakes and oatmeal but bread might be a little more “normal” 🙂
Cranberry pancakes sound great! I bet the tartness pairs really well with the sweet maple syrup. 🙂
Okay. I seriously cannot get over your gorgeous photography.
This bread sounds phenomenal. 🙂
Awww, thanks Emily! I appreciate the compliment. 🙂
This looks delicious! I tried a similar recipe last year but used dried cranberries because I couldn’t find fresh ones…it was still good but I know fresh would be better!
The fresh cranberries add a nice tartness to the bread. 🙂
Hehe, I just had my husband try a fresh cranberry for the first time yesterday. I gave him a warning but he was still surprised at how tart/sour they were. They sure are pretty though!
They’re almost deceptively pretty. I explained to my husband that there’s a reason most cranberry sauces have more sugar than cranberries. 😉
I really enjoyed this recipe. I used a banana because I had some turning brown and I added a whole cup of walnuts because I love walnuts. Thanks for the great recipe. Definitely a keeper.
Thanks, Jen! I’m so glad you enjoyed the quick bread!
Made these tonight after searching for a cranberry walnut bread with no oil in it. I found that there wasn’t enough liquid so added fresh squeezed orange juice from an orange. While I was at it I figured I might as well add some grated orange rind, cinnamon, and all spice. It was delicious!
That sounds really delicious, Dawn! I will have to try those additions the next time I make this bread.
Outstanding! No one would ever believe there’s no dairy in there. I swapped out one cup of flour for coconut flour and didn’t have particularly high expectations but wow! Was I ever wrong. If anyone does that remember to add more almond milk since coconut flour needs more moisture. Great and simple recipe. Thank you.
That’s so great to hear, Audrey! I’m glad the coconut flour worked out for you, and thanks for your note about adding more almond milk. 🙂