With the Holidays around the corner, and fresh cranberries readily available, this delectable Orange Cranberry Bread is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas guests or as a gift to teachers or neighbors!
If you know me well, you know I detest cooked fruit in any form, but oh my goodness, this Orange Cranberry bread is officially the exception! Cranberries chopped finely in the food processor is the secret! This treat is the perfect combination of sweet, fresh, and delicious!
The original recipe comes from my cousin, Cherry Watkins Dunn, in Columbus, Mississippi.
Orange Cranberry Bread
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 T. baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup good quality orange juice
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup melted butter
2 T. grated orange rind (one large orange)
2 cups chopped fresh cranberries (1 bag is more than enough)
1 cup chopped pecans
Baker’s Joy cooking spray
Cream Cheese, for spreading
Combine first five dry ingredients in a large bowl, using a whisk. Set aside.
Using a food processor, put in about 3/4 bag of fresh cranberries, and pulse until berries are chopped finely. Measure chopped cranberries and add a bit more, if needed, to reach two cups.
Using a Microplane Zester, grate the rind of one large orange to reach two Tablespoons.
In a small bowl, combine the eggs, orange juice, water, butter, orange rind, cranberries, and pecans.
Add cranberry mixture to dry ingredients, mixing well by hand.
Spray two 9×5 loaf pans or four mini loaf pans with Baker’s Joy. Fill pans equally with batter. **If baking the 4 mini loaves, I recommend filling each one only about 3/4 full. You may have a little extra batter. Mine “overflowed” when I used all the batter.
Bake at 325 degrees:
2 large loaf pans, bake for 1 hour, 10 minutes
4 mini loaf pans, bake 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
Orange Cranberry Bread is amazing when sliced, toasted, and spread with a little cream cheese!
To give as a gift, bake the mini loaves, wrap each in foil, and place the loaf and a mini (3 oz) block of cream cheese in a brown lunch sack! Secure the sack with a piece of jute or raffia, and you have the perfect Thanksgiving “happie” for a friend, neighbor, or teacher. (Use red raffia or ribbon to make it Christmas!)
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Simply Created by Cole says
Sorry, I posted my comment on the wrong post! Oops! 🙂 Love the recipe and your blog.
Cole