Cranberry Bread
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This healthy cranberry bread is a delicious, kid-friendly snack or dessert. This recipe makes a wonderful housewarming or holiday gift.
I love sweet muffins and bread at snack time, and cranberry bread is one of my favorites. The tart cranberries and the sweet orange bread complement each other so well.
Cranberries are the state fruit in Massachusetts, and they’re readily available at all the grocery stores around here in October and November. I stock up on 12 ounce bags when they’re on sale and stash some away in the freezer. High in nutrients and antioxidants, cranberries are a great addition to a snack.
I’ve made this healthy cranberry bread with both gluten-free flour and white whole wheat flour. It’s delicious either way. If you bake this bread in mini loaf pans, it’s the perfect size for holiday gift giving. A homemade treat like this is always well-received.
Well, almost always. One year when I was a child, we went to visit my grandparents in Florida during February vacation. After dinner, my grandmother said to my mother, “Why don’t we have a glass of that Irish Cream you sent for Christmas?” My mom looked at her, confused. She said, “I didn’t send you Irish Cream, I sent you a fruit cake.” Grandma wasn’t buying it. “No, you sent us Irish Cream.” She pulled the Irish Cream box out of her cabinet, only to find a 2-month-old fruit cake inside.
Moral of the Story: If you make a pretty loaf of bread like this for a holiday gift, wrap it in clear packaging so there’s no question what’s inside. 🙂
Cranberry Bread
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten-free flour (or white whole wheat)
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups maple syrup
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups chopped cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease 4 mini-loaf pans (or two standard loaf pans).
- In a small bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.
- In a large bowl, mix the syrup, orange juice, coconut oil, and eggs. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine evenly.
- Fold in the chopped cranberries. Transfer the batter to the loaf pans.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (If you use standard loaf pans, the bake time is closer to an hour.)
- Cool on a wire rack before cutting.
Approximate Nutrition Info
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Healthy Cranberry Bread Price Breakdown
This recipe yields 4 mini-loaves and it costs $7.11 to make with wheat flour. This comes out to $1.78 per loaf, or $. 59 per serving. Homemade cranberry bread is a healthy, delicious snack that makes a great gift. Be sure to keep a loaf for yourself, though – you’ll love it.
I made your recipe with a few adaptations, and it came out delicious! I cut the recipe in half, and didn’t have enough orange juice, so I added a little soymilk. I didn’t have maple syrup, so I used coconut sugar and a little honey.I added some cinnamon and cardamon, and also some pecans on top!
Even though it’s June, I’m thinking of making this with some frozen cranberries. Sometimes you have to take a break from summer! Wanted to say I love your story about your grandma:)
Thanks, Kate! I keep cranberries in my freezer so I can make this bread all year. I’m glad you enjoyed the story about my grandma – great memories.
Would a store bought gluten free all purpose flour work for this? Looks delicious!
Yes, that should work fine, Evie. I hope you like it!
I just made your cranberry bread today. It is so good. My husband loves it too:)
Thanks, Denise. I’m glad you both liked it!
Annemarie,
I’m staring at a nearly full case of juice oranges . . . in front of a nearly full case of navel oranges . . . beside an untouched case of tangelos. Lots of orange in my house–now I need cranberries!
Thanks for this recipe!
Sounds like you’ve got some serious citrus going on there, Kirsten! I hope you can find some cranberries now.
Do you use dried cranberries?
Denise, I use fresh cranberries. They’re chopped in the food processor (or you can do it by hand) so you don’t get too much tart flavor in each bite.
Thanks! Can’t wait to try this!