Cranberry Walnut Bread

It’s cold out y’all! ❄️? No, really…like “let’s stay inside and not go anywhere for any reason for the next few days” type of cold. The wind chill alone keeps me from getting close to the door, and to be honest…I’m okay with it. The thought of staying cozy inside by the fire, with a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate is right up my alley. Now, adding in a delicious baked, still warm from the oven, homemade treat is the only thing missing… ?

Well…I’m sure we can fix that problem! ? This girl needs only the slightest excuse to turn the oven on right about now. ??‍♀️ But, with the holidays behind us we have thoroughly exhausted ourselves with every kind of cookie, cake and brownie. Okay, okay. Let me be clear though before I hear any more gasps from our readers…this does NOT (I repeat…does NOT) mean there is a problem with baking any type of cookie or cake right about now. We are NEVER tired of them. We are just sayin’…for the sake of keeping your (and, our) taste buds guessing, we have to change things up once and a while right?

So, when the most recent three-day weekend presented us with an opportunity to bake up something different, we couldn’t help but get nostalgic…thinking about some of our delicious family favorites. This is where our family recipe of THE best Betty’s Simply Southern Cranberry Muffins came to mind. Call us biased, but they really are hands down the best. ??‍♀️ They produce rave reviews every time. Plus, they are so easy to make. We are talking bowl to oven to mouth in under an hour. Win, win!

With cranberries in season right now, we wanted to take the opportunity to try something new with this slightly sweet and tart flavor while it’s readily around. That’s all it took. With a quick glance at our stock of ingredients, we were ready. Let’s create our fan-favorite cranberry muffins into some kickass bread! Yep. Done, and done! ??‍?

We also have all our New Year’s resolution-ers in mind by making this recipe a little healthier by using coconut oil and Stevia! This simple swap makes this bread lighter on calories, includes no refined sugar, and doesn’t comprise AT ALL on flavor.

The only baking note we have is something we do for all bread loaf baking. Not only do we line the pan with parchment paper, we spray the parchment paper with nonstick baking spray as well. Yes, it sounds silly and redundant. But, trust me. This extra steps ensures you bread does not stick to the paper and comes out nice and clean. Easy removal makes for a perfect presentation and easy slicing! 🙂 You’re welcome.

All you need is one large bowl, a spatula, a loaf pan and an oven. Mix ingredients together, top with some extra cranberries and walnuts, and let this baby bake for 50 minutes. It’s really that easy. Your kitchen will smell amazing, and your stomach will be oh so thankful for this simple, heart healthy treat. ??

Go on and get your bread baking on, babes! ?

What You Need

1 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 + 1/8 cup Stevia (P.S. our favorite brand is Pyure!)

1 cup fresh (or frozen) cranberries (plus, extra for topping)

1/2 cup walnuts (plus, extra for topping)

1/3 cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil)

1/4 cup milk (we used skim, but any kind of milk will work)

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Step by Step

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper. Then, spray parchment paper with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine your Stevia and coconut oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, cranberries and mix well.
4. Next, stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour into your parchment-lined and sprayed loaf pan.
5. Top with additional cranberries and walnuts.
6. Bake your bread for 50-60 minutes (we went for 50 minutes and it was perfect), or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few crumbs. The top should spring back when touched lightly.
7. Let your bread cool for at least 20 minutes before removing from the pan, or slicing.

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