In At the Heart of Christmas, Nolan stays up late one night designing a very special ornament. Quinn brings him freshly-baked cranberry bread, because she knows it’s his favorite. Goes perfectly with either a cup of tea (Quinn’s beverage of choice) or coffee (the drink Nolan can’t live without.)
Yield: 1 loaf (12 servings)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 75 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Cranberry-Walnut Bread:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs, large
¾ cup buttermilk
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh cranberries
½ cup walnut pieces, toasted
zest of 1 orange
Orange Glaze:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons milk
zest of 1 orange
DIRECTIONS
1. To prepare cranberry-walnut bread: preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8 ½ x 4 ½-inch loaf pan.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, lightly whisk eggs; add buttermilk, oil, orange juice and vanilla extract; whisk to blend. Pour over dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
4. Fold in cranberries, walnuts and orange zest. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
5. Bake for 60 minutes; cover loosely with foil and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in bread comes out clean. Transfer loaf pan to a rack and cool for 15 minutes. Carefully remove loaf from pan and cool completely on rack.
6. To prepare orange glaze: in a small bowl, combine confectioner’s sugar and milk and whisk until smooth. Add orange zest and whisk to blend. Drizzle orange glaze over cooled cranberry-walnut bread..