I tried out this recipe last year and now it is a family holiday favorite. I love baking with cranberries in part because they lend such a unique flavor to the finished product, balancing the sweetness and in part because I think cranberry laden breads make for pretty table fare.
White Chocolate Cranberry Bread
½ cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup vanilla or white chips, melted and cooled (Tip: You can get directions for melting the chips on the back of the bag.)
2 ¼ cups flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
1 cup dried cranberries
In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. (Tip: Don’t cheat. Adding eggs one at a time will make for a better texture!) Beat in the buttermilk, orange juice, lemon peel and vanilla. Stir in melted chips. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in the cranberries.
Pour into a greased and floured 9-in x 5-in x 3-in loaf pan. Bake at 350 for approximately 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins
Another very festive addition to the dinner table because these muffins are chock full of cranberries. I prefer to make mine with fresh berries.
You will need:
1 cup butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups of flour
1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
2 cups of fresh cranberries
½ cup chopped pecans
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in cranberries and pecans.
Fill paper lined muffin cups three-fourths full of the muffin mixture. Bake at 350 for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.