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Cranberry Eggnog Bread

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Tender moist mini loaves of Cranberry Eggnog Bread, loaded with fresh cranberries and hints of nutmeg and cinnamon topped off with a scrumptious Eggnog Vanilla Bean glaze. It’s the perfect festive Holiday quick bread.

Hi Cranberry lovers! You’ve come to the right place today. I’ve got an amazing new “quick bread” recipe.  It’s a delicious festive Holiday bread that any red-blooded, or should I say bright ruby-red-blooded, cranberry-loving fiend would die for! 

Cranberry Eggnog Bread on a board sliced

It requires only a few simple ingredients, lots of fresh cranberries, and is topped off with a lip-smacking, finger-licking Vanilla Bean Eggnog Glaze.

These mini loaves have the perfect “crumb” and each bite is bursting with the sweet tangy flavor of those juicy orbs of delight…known as Cranberries! (I’m a huge Cranberry Fan! In case you couldn’t tell.)

I’m also a huge fan of a quick, easy breakfast bread that is super versatile, can be made ahead of time, frozen, served on Christmas morning, or given away as gifts to friends and neighbors. (Whew that was a mouthful to say! Especially when I’m munching on a slice of this yummy bread!)  You can make mini loaves like I have, one large loaf, or even muffins! So many choices. Isn’t it wonderful? 

Let’s get baking! 

How To Make Cranberry Eggnog Breakfast Bread

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of 4 mini loaf pans, or a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Then line them with parchment paper.

I know it seems totally unnecessary to do both, but just trust me, it works beautifully. A new little trick I learned about recently.

mini loaf pans lined with parchment paper

In a large bowl, whisk together 2- 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.

TIP: Whisking not only combines the ingredients, it helps to break up any lumps in the flour and spices. Replaces the need for “sifting”. 

Dry ingredients in a large bowl

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and set the bowl of dry ingredients aside.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 large eggs, 1 cup granulated white sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1 cup of eggnog. Mix well to combine.

mixing wet ingredients together in a bowl

Melt 1/2 cup salted butter and slowly whisk it into the eggnog mixture. 

Add butter to eggnog mixture.

Add the eggnog mixture to the flour mixture. Pouring it into the center of the well you made. 

Combining wet and dry ingredients for Cranberry Eggnog Mixture

Stir until just moistened. The batter maybe lumpy…kind of like me! (Just keeping it real my friends! It’s the Holidays…there maybe a few more lumps than usual!) 

Cranberry Eggnog Batter

Now for the fun part…it’s time to fold in those beautiful ruby gems! Fold in 3 cups of fresh, or frozen-thawed, cranberries into the eggnog batter. Folding helps the berries stay whole and not break up…it also prevents the berries from staining the bread batter. 

This is a nice thick batter! So don’t be alarmed if it seems a tad stiff when stirring. 

Adding cranberries to bread batter

Preparing the batter for baking

Spoon the Cranberry Eggnog batter into the prepared pans.

TIP: To make the loaves look gorgeous, I place 4-5 whole berries on top of the loaf before baking, and press them down about half way.

Bread batter spooned into loaf pans

Place the mini loaf pans on a large baking sheet. This will keep the mini loaf pans nice and level in the oven during baking.

mini loaves on a baking sheet ready for the oven

Baking Cranberry Eggnog Bread in Mini Loaf Pans

Bake for 30–40 minutes for mini loaves and 45–55 minutes for one large loaf.  Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaves. If it comes out clean, it’s done.

TIP: You can also carefully, so as not to burn yourself, press the center of the loaf. If it springs back, it’s done.

Cool the mini pans of bread on a wire rack for 10 minutes. 

Cranberry Eggnog Bread out of the oven

Remove the slightly cooled bread from their pans, do not remove the parchment paper, and cool completely on the rack. 

TIP: Leaving the parchment paper on the loaves gives you a “drop cloth”, so to speak, to catch the glaze when you drizzle it over the tops of each loaf of bread.

How To Make Vanilla Bean Glaze

Glaze ingredients in a bowl

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of eggnog, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. You can substitute regular vanilla if you don’t have vanilla bean paste.

Mix the glaze ingredients until smooth.

Vanilla bean glazed mixed in a bowl

Once the loaves are completely cooled, drizzle the vanilla bean eggnog glaze over the top of each loaf. 

Now I will say this, the glaze is optional…but I HIGHLY recommend adding it. This is not an overly sweet cranberry bread recipe, so this mild sweet vanilla bean glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness to offset the “tang” of those cranberries.

See how handy that parchment paper is at catching the “over-flow” of glaze! I love the beautiful flecks of vanilla bean in the glaze thanks to the paste. It truly heightens the subtle flavor of vanilla.

Cranberry Eggnog bread with glaze added

Allow the glaze to dry before cutting and serving the loaves of bread, or packaging them up for gifts. It takes about 15 minutes for the glaze to set.

Then dig in!!! Doesn’t that look AMAZING!!

Slice Cranberry Eggnog bread

This is no skimpy cranberry bread! It has rightfully earned the title “Cranberry” bread! 

I will warn you…don’t go into this expecting to get that burst of “Cranberry-orange” flavor…there is NO orange in this bread. This is a Vanilla Cranberry Bread! The berries are the star of the show!

Here are some of my other Favorite Cranberry Recipes

Cranberry Eggnog Bread on parchment paper

This is such a pretty Holiday Bread. It’s certain to brighten your Christmas morning or the doorstep of any friend you share it with.

As always… Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting with me. I’d love it if you could stop by for a slice and a cup of cocoa! Since that isn’t possible, make a few loaves to share with those you love. Enjoy!

Happy Nesting!

Photo of Norine with her signature
Yield: 18 servings

Cranberry Eggnog Bread

Cranberry Eggnog Bread on a board sliced

Tender moist mini loaves of Cranberry Eggnog Bread loaded with fresh cranberries and hints of nutmeg and cinnamon topped off with a scrumptious Eggnog Vanilla Bean glaze. It's the perfect festive Holiday quick bread.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1 cup eggnog
  • 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 cups fresh cranberries; of thawed frozen cranberries

Vanilla Bean Eggnog Glaze

  • 1 cup confectioners sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Eggnog
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of 4 mini loaf pans, or a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Line each pan with parchment paper after spraying with non-stick baking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, sugar, eggnog, and vanilla. Add melted butter. Slowly add melted butter and mix until combined. Add egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened (batter maybe lumpy). Fold in cranberries.
  4. Spoon batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake mini loaves on a baking sheet for 30-40 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of the loaves. Toothpick should come out clean. For the Large Loaf bake 45-55 minutes. Cool in the pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE parchment paper. Cool completely.
  5. In a small bowl combine confectioners sugar, vanilla bean paste, and eggnog. Mix with wire whisk until smooth. Drizzle Vanilla Glaze over the top of each cooled loaf. Parchment paper will catch any overflow. Allow glaze to set up for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

18 servings

Serving Size:

1 slice

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 204Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 171mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 3g

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Andrea

Saturday 23rd of December 2023

In the recipe it says to add eggs with the sugar,eggnog and vanilla, then add butter, but then it says slowly add the eggs. Which is right? I added them the FIRST time and my bread is in the oven. Hope this doesn't make a difference.

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Thursday 28th of December 2023

Hi Andrea! I'm so sorry. That was a typo. It was supposed to read to slowly add the butter to the eggnog mixture! Ugh! I have gone in and fixed that portion of the recipe card. I do apologize for the confusion. We try to edit everything and sometimes something slips through even with multiple sets of eyes looking for mistakes. Your bread should have turned out perfectly! Wishing you a Happy New Year! Norine

Sharon

Thursday 21st of December 2023

This is the best bread! So colorful and tasty!

Sheila King

Wednesday 13th of December 2023

Absolutely the best🤪👍❤️

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Monday 18th of December 2023

Hi Sheila! Thank you so much! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Norine

Laurel (Chef Potpie)

Saturday 14th of January 2023

We really enjoyed this lovely quick bread! so easy to put together, (I like not having to get my mixer dirty), moist and tasty! I was afraid 3 cups of cranberries might be too much for the grands, so I used 2 cups of thawed berries and roughly chopped the huge ones. I have several bags of cranberries in the freezer, and I will be making this again. Thanks for sharing this keeper!

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Monday 16th of January 2023

Hi Laurel! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! I love anything cranberry and have bags in the freezer to use year round. Sounds like we are on the same wave length on that front! Love a friend with a freezer full of cranberries. lol Thanks for stopping by and sharing. I hope you have a great week. Norine

Noreen

Sunday 18th of December 2022

I asked a question and didn’t check before I sent it. I was just wondering if this bread could be frozen before serving?

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Monday 19th of December 2022

Hi Noreen! First off...love your name! Yes it can be made ahead of time, wrapped in plastic wrap, and thawed the day before. It will be delicious! Enjoy and a Happy New Year to you and your family! Norine

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