Cranberry Banana Bread with Walnuts

The history of banana bread goes back to the 1930s, during the Great Depression in the United States. During this time, it was necessary to utilize all foods and not let anything go to waste. Overripe bananas became a key ingredient in sweet, easy-to-make bread.

The original recipes have evolved over time, with different fruits, nuts, and spices being added to create more subtle flavors. This recipe for banana bread with cranberries and walnuts is one such variation.

This recipe is something between a classic banana bread and a tart cranberry bread, with the addition of walnuts to enhance the texture and flavor. It’s the perfect balance between sweet and tart flavors, and the moist, soft crumb will have you reaching for a second slice.

Our version has a few distinctive features.

First, along with butter, we add olive oil. The olive oil adds a subtle richness, creating a moist and soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Second, we use fresh cranberries, which imparts a unique tartness that perfectly offsets the sweetness of the bananas and sugar. But if fresh cranberries aren’t available, you can easily substitute frozen cranberries. At the very least, use dried cranberries, putting them in half their weight.

Finally, adding ground cinnamon gives the bread a touch of warming spice that is perfect for cozy days.

From a culinary standpoint, cranberry-banana bread can be classified as an American home-style bread known for its simplicity and convenience. It’s easy to make, and the difficulties you may encounter are minimal – perhaps the hardest part is waiting patiently for it to cool before cutting it into slices!

As far as serving goes, this bread is versatile. It’s perfect for breakfast, spread with a little butter or served alongside a cup of coffee or tea. It’s also a great afternoon snack or a sweet note at the end of a meal. Its rich flavor is self-sufficient, but if you don’t mind experimenting – try reheating it and serving it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

⏱ Cooking time — 65 minutes overall. Includes 15 minutes of preparation and cooking + 50 minutes unattended.

🔪 Ingredients

For 2 breads, 22 x 11.5 x 5 cm size each:

• 120 g (½ cup) unsalted butter
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 500 g (about 3 medium)bananas (overripe is fine, but just ripe is fine too)
• 50 g
• 50 g (about ½ cup) walnuts
• walnuts
• 150 g (about 1 cup) fresh cranberries (frozen will work too)
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 30 ml (2 tbsp.) olive oil
• 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt

🥣 Directions

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Preparation of bananas and nuts

Take 500 g (about 3 medium bananas). Use a knife to peel the skin off the bananas. Then cut each banana into cubes of about 1 cm on each side.

Take 50 g (about ½ cup) of walnuts. With a knife, chop them into small pieces, about the same size.

Preparation of the sugar and butter base for the dough

Place 120 g (½ cup) of unsalted butter in a bowl. It should be soft and at room temperature. If it hasn’t had time to warm up and become so, you can melt it slightly on a water bath or in the microwave. Just don’t overdo it – you don’t want to get liquid butter, just a soft consistency.

Now add 200 g (1 cup) of granulated sugar to the softened butter. Using a whisk, mix the butter with the sugar.

Break 2 eggs and add them to the sugar and butter mixture. Whisk everything together until the eggs are completely blended.

Dough preparation

Pour 30 ml (2 tbsp.) olive oil into the mixture and add ½ tsp. ground cinnamon. Stir all the ingredients together so that the olive oil and cinnamon combine well with the rest.

Now add the previously diced bananas and 150 g (about 1 cup) of fresh cranberries to the mixture.

If you don’t have fresh cranberries, frozen cranberries will do. Stir everything together, making sure the bananas and cranberries are evenly distributed.

Now it’s time to add the dry ingredients.

Take 250 g (2 cups) of all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. of baking powder and ½ tsp. of salt. Also add chopped walnuts. Pour all these ingredients into the mixture.

Mix again until the dry ingredients are completely blended and the dough is smooth.

Preparing the mold and baking the bread

Prepare the bread mold. Grease it with butter and then sprinkle with flour, turning the mold over so that the flour coats the greased surface. Wipe out the excess flour.

Mix the dough again, making sure there are no dry parts of flour left in it, and place it in the prepared bread mold.

This amount of dough will be enough to fill two molds measuring 22 x 11.5 x 4.5 cm .

Bake the banana bread in a preheated oven at 180 °C (350 °F) for 45-50 minutes.

The bread should turn golden and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Refrigeration and serving

After removing the bread from the oven, carefully transfer it to a wire rack to cool. This will allow air to circulate and cool the bread evenly.

Before baking the second batch, cool the mold, then repeat the steps of buttering and sprinkling with flour, place the remaining dough and place back in the oven.

When the banana bread has cooled, transfer it to a cutting board and cut into portioned pieces.

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