This Cranberry Orange Walnut Bread is bursting with fresh cranberries, orange juice and zest, and roasted walnuts. Topped with a bright and citrusy orange and walnut glaze, it’s the perfect treat for the holiday season!
I love the combination of orange and cranberries! It’s so bright and cheerful! And this Cranberry Orange Walnut Bread is amazing!
It has a moist, tender, buttery crumb. Studded with fresh cranberries, walnuts, and flecks of orange zest, it’s bursting with flavor.
To top it all off is an Orange Walnut Glaze. It’s very citrusy, but not too tangy. Just vibrant and refreshing. The walnuts are coated in the glaze making them almost like orange candy-coated nuts.
To make this Cranberry Orange Walnut Bread, butter is cut into the dry ingredients. This can be done by hand with a pastry cutter or in a food processor.
The wet ingredients are gently mixed into the dry ingredients, and the chopped cranberries and roasted chopped walnuts are folded in.
It is baked in a 350 degree F oven for about an hour, until it is golden brown.
It’s left to cool and then glazed with the Orange Walnut Glaze.
Enjoy! Don’t forget to pin for later!
Cranberry Orange Walnut Bread with Orange Walnut Glaze
Ingredients
- ¾ cup plus ½ cup walnuts (85g and 57g)
- 2 eggs
- Zest of 1 orange, finely minced
- ¾ cup orange juice (160g)
- 1/3 cup sour cream (78g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (283g)
- 1 cup sugar (198g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 8 tablespoons butter, cold (113g)
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
- 2 cups confectioner’s (icing) sugar (240g)
- Zest of 1 orange, finely minced
- 6–7 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Coat a 9-inch by 5-inch nonstick loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. (If your pan is not nonstick, either coat with butter and flour, or line with parchment, leaving an overhang to lift the bread out after baking.)
For the walnuts:
- Roast walnuts on a baking sheet for a few minutes until they are toasty and fragrant. Be careful not to over-darken them.
- Remove from oven and chop coarsely.
For the Cranberry Orange Walnut Bread:
- Whisk the eggs in a medium sized bowl. Add the orange zest, orange juice, sour cream, and vanilla and whisk to combine.
- Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl or bowl of food processor.
- Cut the butter into small cubes.
- With a pastry cutter, or pulsing with a food processor, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is the texture of a coarse meal. (See photo)
- Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Gently fold in the chopped cranberries and ¾ cup roasted walnuts.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about an hour, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Let cool 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Let cool on baking rack.
- When cake is cool, spoon over some of the glaze. Let sit for a few minutes, then spoon over more of the glaze. Any leftover glaze can be served on the side with the bread.
For the Orange Walnut Glaze:
- Combine confectioner’s sugar, orange zest, and orange juice in a bowl. Add the juice slowly until the desired consistency is reached, like a thick syrup. You may not use all of the juice. Whisk until smooth.
- Stir in 1/2 cup roasted walnuts.
Wow, Kelly! This looks and sounds simply amazing!! I love cranberry and orange together!
Such a great combination! Thanks so much, Laura!
I know this is a older post but would I be able to make mini loaves with this?
Hi Brenda! Absolutely! Just adjust the cooking time.
Wow, that looks really good. I can’t stop thinking about how tasty this is going to be.
Thanks so much, Cookie Monster! It’s delicious!
Cranberry, orange and walnut always remind me of HOLIDAYS and happiness :-)) The loaf looks sensational with that glaze.
Thanks so much, Angie! It’s a very festive loaf and the glaze gives it so much flavor!
LOVE cranberry and orange together and what I love even more is that generously topped loaf! Wowzers! Love to have a big ol’ slice of this with the biggest cup of coffee tomorrow for breakfast! Great recipe, Kelly 🙂 Have a wonderful week!
The orange walnut icing is my favorite! It’s so citrusy! Thanks so much, my friend! 🙂
What a gorgoeus loaf Kelly! Loaded with all my favorite flavors!
Such a bright and lovely combination of flavors. So festive! Thanks so much, Mary Ann!
As if this bread wasn’t enough on its own, that glaze and walnut topping has stolen my heart.
The glaze is amazing! I make a little extra to drizzle on each piece. It’s so citrusy and refreshing. Thanks so much for stopping by, Laura!
this looks fantastic and i will make it if i can find some frozen cranberries. no fresh ones here:)
Thanks so much, Sherry! Ron suggested lingonberries as a substitute for cranberries if you can find them. They are a form of mountain cranberry and in the same family. They’re often used as a substitute for cranberries.
hi kelly
nope lingonberries are not really an aussie thing either:) so frozen cranberries it is. cheers sherry
This is absolutely gorgeous! What I love the most is how moist it looks, which is why I love cooking with fresh cranberries. I just can’t handle dry breads of any kind. Thanks.
Thanks so much, Mimi! It’s perfectly moist and tender. Plus, all that yummy glaze! I make a little extra so there’s enough to drizzle on each slice 🙂
That Cranberry Orange Walnut Bread would set very well next to my coffee just about now. We don’t get fresh cranberries over here but I have frozen lingonberries so I’ll use those and make it nut free (allergies in the house). My coffees calling for that cake!
It’s perfect with a cup of coffee! Didn’t know much about lingonberries until you mentioned them. Just looked them up and read that they are a form of mountain cranberries. That’s pretty cool! I don’t think you’ll miss the nuts at all. The orange glaze is where it’s all at! Thanks so much, Ron!
Holy cow, this bread looks amazing, Kelly! I love the cranberry + orange combination, but the walnuts is what seals the deal for me. I’m a big fan of nuts in breads, and this one not only has nuts in it but those tasty candied nuts on top, too. I’m fairly certain Santa will need a slice of this one on Christmas Eve this year! 🙂
Yes, those orange glazed walnuts on top got me too! It’s pretty and so tasty! Thanks so much, David!
This would be great to have around for the holidays. It’d fit easily into a party menu, but it’d also be good for just having on-hand!
Yes, it’s pretty much wonderful any time! Thanks so much, Jeff!
Your photos are beautiful! I’d love nothing more than a big hunk of this with my afternoon espresso! The flavors are calling my name! Pinned!
Thank you so much, my friend! I can hear that slice I saved in the freezer calling my name right now!
Orange and cranberry go so well together. This bread would taste great on Christmas morning toasted in a little butter.
That sounds so yummy! I’ll have to give it a try! I love the combination of orange and cranberry. It’s so cheerful and festive for this time of year. Thanks so much, Trisha!
can you substitute honey for sugar?
I haven’t tried it, but it should work out ok. Do let me know how it goes if you try it!
Have you ever made these into muffins ?
I haven’t but I’m sure they’d be wonderful!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It is magnificent! I’ll be making this for years to come.
So happy you liked it, Dorothy! Thanks so much!
Can you use craisens instead of real cranberries??
Hi Pat, that should be fine.