cranberry pecan bread

Last week, in acontinued effortto get my fridge back to inbox zero after it was groaning under the weight of the extraneous contents of a few shoots here this fall, I decided to take my surplus of cranberries, oranges, and pecans and turn them into a cranberry bread. Except — wait — I don’t have a recipe for cranberry bread. Why did you guys let me go 15 years without a cranberry bread recipe on this site? How did I go 1300 recipes deep in the archives and never find my forever version of one of most classic late fall recipes everyone deserves in their repertoire? Let’s fix this right now. Along the way to this final cranberry bread — which yes, predictably required purchasing more cranberries, pecans, and oranges for testing and retesting, as if I’d misunderstood the assignment — two things happened that shocked even me. First, I fell in love. Prior to last week, I’d have told you that I love all of my quickbreads equally:Banana,Pumpkin,Zucchini, andCoconut. Choose a favorite? I could never. It’s all lies. Turns out I only love this. I love it even more thanblueberry muffins. It’s the tartness. I added a full two cups of halved cranberries, they stay perfectly distributed in the cake, the cheeriest ruby ornaments, and then I made the loaf four more times. And counting. The second shocking thing that happened was that despite being previous anti-nuts in soft cakes — the interruption is so unwarranted, the soft crunch after they bake is so sapped of flavor — here I added pecans and love them. Am I… getting old? Are the kinds of reading glasses you keep at the end of your nose next? I do love a grandma cardigan, bonus if it has pockets, so maybe I was always heading down this path. Or maybe the pecans are particularly fitting here, especially if toasted first. For me, they’re here to stay. There a few more wonderful things here — a great crunch on the outside, a plush but not-too-sweet interior, the scent of orange zest, how well this keeps and keeps (if we’re not around) but I hope you’ll discover this for yourself ASAP. You won’t regret it at all. The Pie Episode!Are you ready to learn how to master fuss-free homemade pies and never look back?In a brand new Smitten Kitchen YouTube video, I show you how to make my All Butter, Really Flaky Pie absolutely fuss-free and then throw in an Even More Perfect Apple Pie because ’tis the season. New episodes are coming every Wednesday 12 EST through the end of the year, each chosen based on overwhelming requests from you!Please consider subscribing to the channel so you don’t miss even one..VideoPreviously6 months ago:Twisty Cinnamon Buns1 year ago:Potato and Leek Gratin2 years ago:Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin3 years ago:Roberta’s Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad4 years ago:Endive Salad with Toasted Breadcrumbs5 years ago:Roasted Cauliflower with Pumpkin Seeds and Brown ButterandApple Strudel6 years ago:Oven FriesandChocolate Peanut and Pretzel Brittle7 years ago:Squash Toasts with Ricotta and Cider Vinegar8 years ago:Spinach and Egg Pizzettes9 years ago:Apple Cider Caramels10 years ago:Homesick Texan Carnitas11 years ago:Spicy Squash Salad with Lentils and Goat CheeseandBuckeyes12 years ago:Baked Chicken MeatballsandSalted Brown Butter Crispy Treats13 years ago:Cabbage and Mushroom GaletteandPeanut Butter Crispy Bars14 years ago:Cranberry Caramel and Almond TartandChicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic15 years ago:Not Your Mama’s Coleslaw The Pie Episode!Are you ready to learn how to master fuss-free homemade pies and never look back?In a brand new Smitten Kitchen YouTube video, I show you how to make my All Butter, Really Flaky Pie absolutely fuss-free and then throw in an Even More Perfect Apple Pie because ’tis the season. New episodes are coming every Wednesday 12 EST through the end of the year, each chosen based on overwhelming requests from you!Please consider subscribing to the channel so you don’t miss even one.. 6 months ago:Twisty Cinnamon Buns1 year ago:Potato and Leek Gratin2 years ago:Perfect Apple Tarte Tatin3 years ago:Roberta’s Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad4 years ago:Endive Salad with Toasted Breadcrumbs5 years ago:Roasted Cauliflower with Pumpkin Seeds and Brown ButterandApple Strudel6 years ago:Oven FriesandChocolate Peanut and Pretzel Brittle7 years ago:Squash Toasts with Ricotta and Cider Vinegar8 years ago:Spinach and Egg Pizzettes9 years ago:Apple Cider Caramels10 years ago:Homesick Texan Carnitas11 years ago:Spicy Squash Salad with Lentils and Goat CheeseandBuckeyes12 years ago:Baked Chicken MeatballsandSalted Brown Butter Crispy Treats13 years ago:Cabbage and Mushroom GaletteandPeanut Butter Crispy Bars14 years ago:Cranberry Caramel and Almond TartandChicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic15 years ago:Not Your Mama’s Coleslaw