If you love banana bread and cranberry bread, you’ll have to try this Cranberry Banana Bread recipe! It’s a really good, moist quick bread. A simple glaze is generously drizzled over the top, and pecans are sprinkled over the glaze (or you can use walnuts instead if you want). The glaze gives the bread a little extra sweetness, but it’s also good without the glaze if you’re counting calories or if you like things less sweet.

You can use fresh cranberries in this recipe, or you can buy frozen cranberries. You could even try it with dried cranberries—I haven’t tried it that way myself, but I’m sure it would be just as good. This recipe makes one 8 1/2 x 4 1/2″ loaf or one 9 x 5″ loaf. I doubled the recipe and made one of each size. The 8 1/2″ loaf comes out a little taller and narrower—it also needs to bake a few minutes longer than the 9″ loaf. Either size works well, so use the loaf pan size you like best!

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CRANBERRY BANANA BREAD by NancyC

Makes 1 loaf (or double the recipe for two loaves)

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium)
• 1/2 teaspoon banana extract (or substitute pure vanilla extract)
• 1/4 cup milk or Half and Half (light cream)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease and flour an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2″  or 9 x 5″ loaf pan; set aside.

Cream sugar and butter together in a medium-size mixing bowl until well blended. Add banana, banana extract (or vanilla), milk (or Half and Half), and eggs, mixing well.

Add flour and baking powder, mixing just until moist. Stir in nuts and cranberries. Spread batter evenly in loaf pan.

Bake at 350˚F for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. Let loaf cool a few minutes in the pan and then remove from pan and cool completely. Makes 1 loaf.

If you’d like to add a glaze, here’s what you need…

SIMPLE CREAMY GLAZE (double the recipe for two loaves)

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Half and Half (light cream)
• 1/3 teaspoon banana extract (optional, if you want a banana flavor in the glaze)
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (for sprinkling over the glaze)

Mix powdered sugar and Half and Half together, blending well. Add banana extract, if desired. This will make a thick, creamy glaze.

Drizzle glaze over the top of your cooled loaf with a spoon, then sprinkle with nuts. Let glaze set and serve.

NOTE: You’ll probably have a little glaze left over, but it’s better to have too much than not enough, right? 🙂 Save the rest of the glaze for something else, like muffins. You could thin it out with a little more Half and Half or milk and probably have enough to glaze a dozen muffins.

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I think the cranberry-banana flavors make a great combination in this quick bread. Are you a fan of cranberries and bananas too?