This white chocolate cranberry bread is studded with tart cranberries and melty white chocolate chips, then drizzled with a classic vanilla glaze. All of which is topped with sugared cranberries. It’s the perfect holiday dessert recipe!
Jump to:
White Chocolate Cranberry Bread
We’re officially in the holiday season, so that means lots of baking and time spent in the kitchen! And this white chocolate cranberry bread is just the thing to bake this season. It’s filled with cranberries, white chocolate chips, and has a hint of citrus. We wanted to add a little extra something to an otherwise regular cranberry bread, so we added vanilla glaze and sugared cranberries on top. The glaze adds a touch of sweetness while the cranberries add that extra pop of sweet and sour. Plus, they look like snowy ornaments which is why this is such a great holiday dessert recipe!
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: You’ll need 210 g (1 ¾ cup) of unbleached all-purpose flour. If you’re using cups, please be sure to use the spoon and level method for measuring.
- Leaveners: We use both baking soda and baking powder in this recipe.
- Salt: This helps to enhance the other flavors.
- Granulated Sugar: You’ll need 200 g (1 cup) for the cranberry bread itself, plus a bit more for the sugared cranberries.
- Orange Zest: This adds a bit of extra flavor and compliments the cranberries. 1 tbsp per cup is all you need to make orange sugar.
- Unsalted Butter: This helps to add a bit of moisture and flavor to the bread.
- Milk: A few tbsp of milk helps to thin out the batter just a bit.
- Greek Yogurt: This gives the cranberry bread a moist, fluffy interior.
- Eggs: You’ll need 2 large room temperature eggs. If you’re in a pinch, you can place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes before using.
- Extracts: Both vanilla and almond extract are used in this cranberry bread. Vanilla is a classic flavor whereas the almond extract makes it taste like it came from a bakery!
- Cranberries: One of the main flavors of this recipe. You’ll need plenty for the inside and the topping.
- White Chocolate Chips: You’ll need 90 g (½ cup).
- Powdered Sugar: This is the base of the vanilla glaze for the top.
The Perfect Topping for This White Chocolate Cranberry Bread
We wanted to make this white chocolate cranberry bread a little more festive, so we added sugared cranberries on top! They have the perfect blend of sweet and sour, as well as a bit of added texture and crunch. They’re easy to make and can be made while the cranberry bread is in the oven. Add them to any holiday dessert recipe for a bit of festive flair!
FAQ
Yes! Sour cream will work just as nice for this cranberry bread recipe.
For this recipe, we used the Nordic Ware Fluted Loaf Pan.
– 9×5″ loaf pan
More Recipes Like This White Chocolate Cranberry Bread
- Pumpkin Bread with Espresso Glaze
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Raspberry Lemon Loaf Cake with Raspberry Glaze
A Few Tips
- Accurately measure your flour. I know we stress this a lot, but it’s very important particularly for baking recipes. Plus, we make all our baking recipes using grams. While most of the other ingredients are fine using either measurement, flour can be very finicky. That’s why it’s important to use the spoon and level method if you don’t have a kitchen scale on hand. Otherwise, grams are your best bet when baking.
- Make sure your ingredients are room temperature. This is especially important for recipes like this one that use melted butter. If your other ingredients are cold when you add them, it could shock the butter and harden it in the batter.
- Use parchment paper for for easier lifting. If you’re using a standard loaf pan, we recommend creating a sling using parchment paper. Simply spray the inside with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper leaving a few inches of overhang. This will allow you to easily lift the cranberry bread out of the pan.
- Make the sugared cranberries while the cranberry bread is in the oven. If you like to make the most of your time, start the cranberries while the bread is baking. While they’re easy to make, they take a little while because of the dry time.
📖 Recipe
White Chocolate Cranberry Bread with Sugared Cranberries
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Cake, Quick Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This white chocolate cranberry bread is studded with tart cranberries and melty white chocolate chips, then drizzled with a classic vanilla glaze. All of which is topped with sugared cranberries. It’s the perfect holiday dessert recipe!
Ingredients
For the White Chocolate Cranberry Bread:
- 210 g (1 ¾ cup) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 113 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp milk, room temp
- 120 g (½ cup) Greek yogurt, room temp
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- ½ tsp almond extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 90 g (¾ cup) cranberries
- 90 g (½ cup) white chocolate chips
For the Sugared Cranberries:
- 120 g (1 cup) cranberries
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar, divided
- 60 ml (¼ cup) water
For the Glaze:
- 60 g (½ cup) powdered sugar
- 1–2 tbsp milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the White Chocolate Cranberry Bread:
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease a 9×5″ loaf pan and line with parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang.*
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, massage the sugar and orange zest together with clean hands until there are no white patches of sugar left. Doing this releases the natural oils in the zest which transfer flavor into the sugar.
- Add the melted butter, milk, Greek yogurt, eggs, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold everything with a flexible spatula until almost combined. There should be a few streaks of flour left. Fold in the cranberries and white chocolate chips until just combined. Be careful not to over mix.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan, smoothing out the top. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If you notice the top browning too much, place a tent of foil over the top to prevent extra browning.*
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Sugared Cranberries:
- While the cranberry bread is baking, combine 50 g (¼ cup) of the sugar with the water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved (2-3 minutes). Remove from the heat to cool completely (10 minutes).
- Once the sugar syrup has cooled, toss in the cranberries until fully coated with the syrup. Using a slotted spoon, fish out the cranberries and place them over a wire rack set over a baking sheet to dry. Dry for 45 minutes.
- In a shallow bowl, add the remaining 50 g (¼ cup) of sugar, tossing the cranberries around until evenly coated. Place back over the wire rack to dry for an additional 45 minutes.
For the Glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and drizzly.
- Pour over the cooled cake and top with the sugared cranberries.
Notes
Loaf Pan: If you’re using the same loaf pan I am, there’s no need to use parchment paper. Just be sure the pan is well greased before pouring in your batter.
Prevent Over Browning: I placed a tent of foil over the bread about halfway through baking. If it’s still too pale this stage, let it bake a little longer before placing the foil on top.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 484
- Sugar: 53.6 g
- Sodium: 264.2 mg
- Fat: 17.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 76.6 g
- Protein: 6.7 g
- Cholesterol: 81.8 mg
Keywords: white chocolate cranberry bread, cranberry bread recipe, holiday dessert recipe, quick bread recipe, loaf cake recipe
Scott Sletten says
Instead of using milk in the recipe could you use the juice from the orange ! Also I would add orange zest to the sugar to before coating the cranberries ! Like you did for the bread 🤣
fancifuleats says
Absolutely! It’s only 2 tbsp of milk so it shouldn’t alter the recipe too much if using orange juice instead. And great idea for adding zest to the sugared cranberries!