Apple Cranberry Bread
This apple cranberry bread is incredibly easy, packed with apples, has a little tartness from the cranberries, is super moist and a fall baking staple!
I can’t tell you how thrilled I am with how many of you sent me your favorite fall and holiday recipes. Seriously, I got hundreds of emails and I’ve loved reading through each and every recipe, the back story, family history… I love, love, LOVE it! I have tons of my own family recipes, stacks of cookbooks and magazines, and of course there’s Pinterest, but it’s been such a treat to find out which recipes YOU and your family treasures. I’ve uncovered tons of amazing recipes and am looking forward to sharing them with you over the coming months, starting with this apple cranberry bread!
Thanks to Colleen for sending this to me! When I received the recipe, I already had a bag of fresh cranberries in the freezer and too many apples in my refrigerator, so it took me about five seconds to decide to make it. It’s such an easy, simple recipe that is absolutely bursting with fall flavors!
Like most quick breads, this apple cranberry bread can be mixed together in virtually no time at all. It bakes up studded with chopped apples and fresh cranberries, and might be the moistest bread I’ve ever eaten!
The recipe called for making this in a 9×5-inch loaf pan, which I did. The slices are a little short, which was a sweet reminder of my grandma’s banana bread – they were the exact same way! If you’d prefer taller slices, I think you could use an 8×4-inch loaf pan and increase the baking time without an issue.
My husband and I loved this bread so much that it didn’t last for any other family members to try… we polished it off within 24 hours! We’re usually pretty good at rationing, so when things disappear crazy fast, you know we REALLY loved it. I hope you will, too!
One year ago: Apple Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Frosting
Six years ago: Bacon Onion Cheddar Biscuits
Apple Cranberry Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) peeled cored and chopped apple , (about 2 medium apples, your favorite variety)
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1½ cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (100 g) fresh or frozen cranberries
- ½ cup (58.5 g) chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, stir together the apples, sugar and oil. Add the egg and mix well. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon into the apple mixture. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moist. Gently stir in the cranberries and walnuts (if using).
- Turn the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread into an even layer (it is a very thick batter, almost like cookie dough). Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Leftover bread should be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I’m very confused by this recipe. If you don’t add additional liquid there is no way to stir until moistened. I added just enough milk get ingredients to mix. In oven now. We’ll see.
Delicious!!! So easy!! Will make again for sure!!!
Browneyed Baker, I usually love all things you make. This was not one of my favorites. The dough is very thick, hard to cook through. flavor is there but I just think it needed some more egg or fat. Milk maybe…
I made this today. It is delicious! I substituted half the sugar for brown sugar. Thanks for the recipe!
Very forgiving recipe .. I doubled it, used self-rising flour, and added a splash of pure maple syrup. Got two nice size loaves, one for gifting and one for eating. So many cranberry bread recipes call for orange zest, and we had no oranges in the house. This was a great alternative. Thanks!!
A bread that screams FALL! Cranberries look like little jewels adoring the bread. pinning now
Excellent recipe! This is one of our favorite quickbreads. Always tasty!
Family recipes are the best! Like many bloggers, family recipes are what inspired me to start my own blog! This recipe from Colleen looks so delicious and gives me inspiration to make it myself. I love the flavor combination of apples and cranberries, and there is no doubt from the photos this bread is super moist!
This looks really tasty and easy – it sounds like a bread I can actually make
I’m going to split the difference and use my 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 pan! Did you use fresh or frozen cranberries for this recipe? I know you said you could use either but I’m just curious! :) Also, what do you think about using shredded apple instead of chopped?
Looking over your pictures again I can clearly see that those are fresh cranberries. Silly me!
Lisa, FYI:
In the preceding story Michelle said ‘I already had a bag of fresh cranberries in the freezer and too many apples in my refrigerator…’ therefore I believe she used frozen :)
Hi Lisa, They were fresh cranberries that I had frozen from last season! I’m not sure how the shredded apples would affect the final product – if you try it let me know!
Such a pretty loaf too! And a natural pairing of fruits. Maybe I’ll give this a go today as I JUST stopped for apples yesterday at Shenot’s – first of the season :)
Hi, Michelle. Did you thaw your cranberries before putting in the batter? Also, how is Einstein doing? You and your family? You are in my prayers…
Hi Nicole, I did not thaw them, I threw them in straight from the freezer. Einstein is doing okay, we’re trying to rebuild his strength on that left side since laying around at the animal hospital for 2 days last week caused some regression. We’re just taking one day at a time, such a roller coaster of emotions… thank you so much for asking ❤️
What is this “leftover bread” you speak of? :)
Making this today for tea today. Can’t wait.
What a wonderful way to restart my subscription again. You may wonder about the restart — I haven’t been getting your posts and I didn’t unsubscribe. So I searched for you and signed up again. I love reading your recipes and following along with the happenings in your family. This recipe sounds fantastic, especially since we’ll be seeing fresh cranberries in the store. Have a great day!
Looks AMAZING!!
Rxx
http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Thank you for a recipe using fresh cranberries. I too have some in the freezer, and all I can find using them are cranberry sauce recipes, everything else uses dried.
Hi! This looks like the “healthy”solution i was looking for for my one year old’s birthday cake! I could reduce the sugar to make it “healthier”, but could I omit the egg or substitute it with something else? TIA!
Hi Demi, I didn’t make any substitutions, but you could try applesauce in place of the egg – about ¼ cup.
Yum! I love quick bread recipes and am so glad this is not pumpkin (I am so over pumpkin everything already!). I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks Colleen and Michelle!
How would this work with dried cranberries? Don’t have access to fresh/ frozen ones where I live.
Hi Priyanka. Dried cranberries would probably be fine. They just won’t be plump and leave the red circles like you see in Michelle’s bread. You could always soak your dried cranberries in some warm water with a little vanilla or brandy to make them slightly plump before you use them. They don’t need to soak long, maybe 10 min. The dried cranberries would also be a slightly different texture when eating the bread than if fresh cranberries were used. Dried cranberries would be like baking with raisins, if that makes sense?
Dried fruit, rehydrated for baking is best used when it is plumped in the liquid of your choice for at least 24 hours. In professional baking, dried fruit is often preferred because the bakers can control the moisture content of their final product. Fresh cranberries will float in thinner batters, although this quick bread is a thicker batter. Discerning whether you should use dried vs fresh is always important. In this case, you could make a delightful apple cranberry bread, you could soak the cranberries in booze, orange juice, wine(shiraz), etc…
Hi Priyanka, You could use them, but I would steep them in hot water first to plump them up a bit, then blot dry.
Thanks everyone! The boozy suggestions sound good too.. gonna try it this weekend