Cran/Apple Nut Bread, Revised Recipe

After yesterday's re-post of some of my favorite cookie recipes, i thought i'd re-post the recipe for my cranberry nut bread, with this year's variations. This bread is healthy, not too sweet, and goes great with a big slab of salty butter: yum! I was lucky to get some locally grown cranberries this year and used up some of the last of this Autumn's apples. The walnuts were local too, but i can't use this recipe for our Dark Days Challenge because of the glut of flour sourced from who knows where. All the other ingredients (save the sugar) were local though!

Cran/Apple Nut Bread

• 3 1/2 cups flour (i subbed 1 cup whole wheat)
• 3/4 Cup Sugar (increase by 1/4 cup if you want a sweeter bread)
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups milk (or orange juice)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup chopped nuts (local walnuts)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cups chopped cranberries and apples
• Drop almond or vanilla extract
• Pinch cinnamon and cloves

** I doubled this recipe to make 2 pans of bread
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, add to dry ingredients and stir well until mixed. Pour into pans (this recipe fills 1 9x7 pan unless doubled) and let stand 20 minutes. Bake for 50 minutes ** I had to bake my doubled recipe for about 90 minutes- always check with a chopstick or long toothpick.

Remove and let cool a bit, then remove from pan onto a nice towel to finish cooling. You may wish to grease the bottom of the pan before you pour in the batter. My walnuts were so fresh that they didn't release as much grease as this recipe usually does.

As you can see, there isn't much left. I cooked 2 loaves, brought one to a potluck and stuck the other in the freezer for later. We're already eying that frozen loaf! This bread makes a great gift and can be baked in mini loaves to share with many friends.


Do you bake for friends during the holidays?

Christmas Cookies!

I'm not doing much baking this year, yet... but here is a re-post from last year with some of my favorite cookie recipes. Let me know if you try any of them, or comment back with YOUR favorite cookie recipe!

This year i've tried foldover cookies filled with homemade jam. I've baked a few loaves of my favorite nut bread and may just have to bake another as the one i used pumpkin puree and duck eggs in was so good we ate it too fast and i want some more! My husband and i have been rekindling my mother and my tradition of making an annual gingerbread house. We've somehow managed to make this process last 3 days instead of one, but hopefully i'll have some photos of the finished product for you tomorrow. Gingerbread houses rock because the cookies just get yummier as they age and it's fun to pick them apart between christmas and new years. I'm not making my sugar cookies this year, but my favorite (chocolate variety) cookies are on the docket for tonight. Christmas just isn't Christmas without sucking the coldness out of some chocolatey, fudgey variety cookies.

Chocolate variety cookies

Gingerbread cookies for Texas

Sugar cookies with half whole wheat flour

Spiced Pecans

What are your favorite holiday cookies? Have you succombed to the delights of refined sugar despite normally health eating habits like me? I may have gained 3 pounds (2011 edit: 20 pounds, sigh), but i'm still enjoying my annual guilty pleasure of holiday cookies and quick breads.    Now, enough typing, and more cookie eating!