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    Home » Recipes » Desserts & Treats

    Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread

    Updated: Jun 10, 2024 · Published: Nov 28, 2022 · by Jan Nunes

    Cranberry Bread and slices on a white cutting board.

    Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread is a quick bread loaded with tart cranberries, mini chocolate chips, pecans, and the flavor of sweet oranges.

    Cranberry Bread sliced on a white cutting board.
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    It is a perfect sweet treat for the holidays, brunches, or teas.

    Jump to:
    • About This Recipe
    • Ingredient Notes
    • How to Make Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread
    • My Top Tips
    • Substitutions & Variations
    • Make-Ahead & Storage
    • More Great Quick Bread Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    About This Recipe

    I have to be honest when I first tasted this bread's flavor combination of cranberries, chocolate, and nuts I thought it tasted like Christmas and the much-maligned, errr....dare I say its name?... Fruitcake.

    But this Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread is far better than any fruitcake made with candied fruit. The crumb is tender with the flavor of sweet oranges and it is bursting with cranberries, chocolate chips, and chopped pecans. Overall this bread is sweet with small bursts of tart cranberries. You will love the first bite and look forward to the next.

    As you read through the ingredients you will see that this quick bread contains two leavenings: baking powder, and baking soda to give it the perfect lift. Plus, it has a double boost of orange flavoring with orange juice and orange zest. There is nothing unusual about the method for mixing this cranberry bread and the batter comes together very quickly.

    If you love my Banana Nut Bread and Zucchini Bread, you will definitely love this Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread.

    So, let's cook!

    Ingredient Notes

    Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread ingredients, clockwise from top: orange juice, semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped pecans, whole cranberries, melted butter, orange zest, powdered sugar, salt, egg, baking soda, baking powder, white sugar, and all-purpose flour.

    Here's what you will need for this delicious Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread:

    • Cooking Spray - A spritz of cooking spray will make it easy to slide the bread from the pan after it has baked.
    • All-Purpose Flour - Simple all-purpose flour is best for this quick bread.
    • White Granulated Sugar - Simple and sweet, white granulated sugar works well in this recipe.
    • Baking Powder - I prefer to use an aluminum-free baking powder for the best taste for everyone. Some people are especially sensitive to the flavor of aluminum which can leave a bitter aftertaste.
    • Baking Soda - Since there is citrus (orange) juice in this bread, baking soda is a natural choice for a little extra leavening lift in this fruit-heavy bread.
    • Salt - Just regular salt, nothing fancy here.
    • Orange Juice - Can be freshly squeezed or a good quality fresh or frozen juice.
    • Grated Orange Peel - Finely grated and from one large orange or 2 small oranges.
    • Melted Butter - Let the butter cool slightly before adding it to make the batter.
    • Large Egg - You will need one large egg well beaten for the batter.
    • Whole Cranberries - Choose fresh cranberries that are deep red and firm to the touch. Use them whole or give them a rough chop with a knife or chop them in a food processor with a few short pulses.
    • Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - Mini chips will disperse well throughout the batter for chocolate in every bite.
    • Chopped Pecans - I love the crunch of nuts that takes this bread to the next level.
    • Powdered Sugar—(Optional) Dusting the top of this bread with powdered sugar is totally optional.

    Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.

    How to Make Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread

    A loaf pan line with parchment paper on a baking sheet.

    Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9” x 5” loaf pan with cooking spray. Make a parchment sling the length of the pan and longer than the width. Line the pan so the ends hang off on the long sides. Set aside for later.

    Sifting the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

    In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

    Adding the orange zest, melted butter, beaten egg, and orange juice to the dry ingredients.Adding the melted butter, orange zest, beaten egg, and orange juice to the dry ingredients.
    The batter is made by mixing the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.

    Stir in the orange juice, orange peel, melted butter, and beaten egg. Mix until well blended.

    The cranberries, chopped pecans, and mini-chocolate chips are added to the batter.
    The cranberries, pecans, and chocolate chips are mixed into the batter.

    Fold in the cranberries, chocolate chips, and pecans.

    The batter is spread in the prepared loaf pan and ready to be baked.
    The batter is spread in the prepared loaf pan and ready to be baked.
    Left image: Batter made with whole cranberries. Right image: Batter made with chopped cranberries.

    Spread the batter evenly in the loaf pan. Bake the loaf for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

    The baked bread in the loaf pan cooling on a wire rack.

    Remove the loaf from the oven and cool it on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Lift the parchment sling to remove the loaf from the pan and cool completely. Dust the top with powdered sugar, if desired.

    Cranberry Bread sliced on a white plate.

    My Top Tips

    ♡ I've made this Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread with whole cranberries and also with cranberries that have been roughly chopped. The bread made with whole cranberries will have a burst of tart cranberry in various bites of the bread. If you give the cranberries a rough chop, you will have cranberry in every bite of the bread.

    ♡ Don't open the oven too soon to test the bread, which may cause the top to collapse. I recommend letting the bread bake for 55 minutes before testing.

    Substitutions & Variations

    • Substitute Walnuts - Instead of pecans you can use walnuts.
    • Substitute Any Neutral Flavored Cooking Oil - Instead of safflower oil, you can use any cooking oil that is neutral flavored.
    • Omit the Nuts - You can omit the nuts and double the mini chocolate chips
    • Omit the Chocolate Chips - You can omit the chocolate and double the nuts for cranberry orange nut bread.

    Make-Ahead & Storage

    This Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread can be made ahead and stored if wrapped in cling wrap for up to 3 days at room temperature.

    Cranberry Bread sliced on a white cutting board.

    More Great Quick Bread Recipes

    • A sliced loaf of banana bread with bananas in the background.
      Banana Nut Bread
    • Zucchini bread on a white platter with a zucchini.
      Zucchini Bread
    • Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin with unwrapped brown parchment paper on a plate with a fork.
      Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Coconut Crumb Topping

    ♡ Did you love this Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread? Please leave a star rating and a comment below!

    📖 Recipe

    Cranberry Bread sliced on a white cutting board.

    Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread

    5 from 2 votes
    By: Jan Nunes
    Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread is a quick bread loaded with tart cranberries, mini chocolate chips, pecans, and the flavor of sweet oranges.
    Print Share Pin Email
    Prep Time ~ 20 minutes minutes
    Baking Time ~ 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time ~ 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes
    Servings ~ 12 Slices
    Calories ~ 262kcal
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    Ingredients
     

    For the Bread:

    • Cooking Spray
    • 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 Cup White Granulated Sugar
    • 1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder, Aluminum Free
    • ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
    • 1 Teaspoon Salt
    • ¾ Cup Orange Juice
    • 1 Tablespoon Grated Orange Peel, from 1 Large Orange
    • 2 Tablespoons Salted Butter, Melted
    • 1 Large Egg, Well Beaten
    • 1 Cup Fresh Cranberries, Whole or Coarsely Chopped
    • ½ Cup Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
    • ½ Cup Chopped Pecans
    • Powdered Sugar

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9” x 5” loaf pan with cooking spray. Make a parchment sling the length of the pan and longer than the width. Line the pan so the ends hang off on the long sides. Set aside for later.
      Cooking Spray
    • In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
      2 Cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 Cup White Granulated Sugar, 1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder, ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 Teaspoon Salt
    • Stir in the orange juice, orange peel, melted butter, and beaten egg. Mix until well blended.
      ¾ Cup Orange Juice, 1 Tablespoon Grated Orange Peel, 2 Tablespoons Salted Butter, 1 Large Egg
    • Fold in the cranberries, mini chocolate chips, and pecans.
      1 Cup Fresh Cranberries, ½ Cup Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, ½ Cup Chopped Pecans
    • Spread the batter evenly in the loaf pan. Bake the loaf for 55 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    • Remove the loaf from the oven and cool it on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Lift the parchment sling to remove the loaf from the pan and cool completely.
      If desired, dust the top with powdered sugar.

    Notes

    This Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread can be made ahead and stored if wrapped in cling wrap for up to 3 days at room temperature.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 262mg | Potassium: 192mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 124IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg

    Per 1 serving. All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.

    Encharted Cook™ or Jan Nunes shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result.

    © 2018-2025 Encharted Cook, Jan Nunes. All rights reserved.

    Course: Bread, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine: American

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    About Jan Nunes

    Jan is the creator and owner of Encharted Cook. Her cooking and baking journey began more than 50 years ago and she specializes in showing how recipes and ingredients can work together and why. At Encharted Cook you can rely on proven recipes and take your cooking and baking up to the next level.

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    Jan Nunes

    Hey There!

    Welcome to Encharted Cook! I'm Jan, a seasoned cook with recipe charts, pro tips, and ideas to help you make delicious dinners. Over the years I've learned that many recipes are related... and if you learn to make one delicious dish, you can make many more!

    more about Jan

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