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Cranberry Pecan Quick Bread is a buttery pecan bread loaded with fresh cranberries for a sweet and tart bread that’s great for breakfast or as a snack.

A top view of a plate with slices of cranberry pecan bread and dollops of whipped cream with cranberries on them.

How many of you use olive oil on a daily basis? I do! When I was younger I used a lot of butter in my cooking but the older I’ve gotten, the more I use olive oil in both my cooking and baking. I didn’t know any better when I was young but I do now!

While I use olive oil every day in my cooking I don’t get to use it quite as often in my baking. So when I picked up a bag of cranberries at the store my first thought was cranberry pecan bread. I was going to make it with butter then started wondering if I could use both butter and olive oil.

I chose to make a quick bread with cranberries and pecans because I thought the butter would add a great flavor along with the sour cranberries and the crunch of the pecans. Then the olive oil would keep the loaves from drying out.

Ingredients:

flour
baking powder
salt
butter
olive oil
sugar
brown sugar
eggs
vanilla
fresh cranberries
pecans

Moist and delicious Cranberry Pecan Bread made with olive oil

The Cranberry Pecan bread came out perfectly. It was rich, buttery, and delicious. The bread was moist from the olive oil and was full of flavor from the cranberries and pecans. With the pans I used it made three mini loaves which are perfect for gift giving at this time of year.

If you want to make these for gifts you can put them in decorative bags and tie them with pretty ribbons. Gift with a jar of jam or a bottle of honey.

Do I have to use both the olive oil and the butter?

No you do not have to although I think each adds something to the bread. If you only have butter or olive oil you can use 1 cup of either instead of half a cup of both.

I can’t find fresh cranberries. What else can I use?

Ideally fresh is the best. However, if you can’t find them you can use frozen cranberries that you’d defrosted ahead of time. While using dried cranberries will give you some of the flavor the moisture content will be off and it won’t be as tart so I would steer clear from them.

Can I make this is a regular sized loaf pan?

Yes! Follow the directions as they are written and pour into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan. Instead of baking for 25-35 minutes you’ll need to bake it for 50-60 minutes. Make sure you put a toothpick in the center to check for doneness.

I want to gift these for the holidays. How should I package them?

Depending on when you are gifting them there are two different ways to package them. If you are gifting within 3 days of making the bread simply put it in pretty cellophane or a cellophane bag and tie ribbon around it. If you are gifting it 4-6 days after making it I recommend putting them in a tin or air tight container to preserve the freshness.

These loaves made an awesome breakfast on the go whenever I was running late to work but they were also delicious at home as a snack. Honey butter, orange jam, or pecan butter are three tasty toppings to put on your quick bread.

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