White Chocolate Cranberry Bread

Topped with an eye-catching vanilla coating full of dried cranberries and white chocolate chips, this delicious White Chocolate Cranberry Bread is full of tart and sweet. A combination of fresh and dried cranberries deliver an amazing flavor in this tasty bread that makes both a wonderful holiday gift and a great show-stopper at any winter gathering.

Why We Love It

You know it's officially winter baking season when the large bag of fresh cranberries enters my house. Cranberries are vibrant and beautiful, taste great and are so good for you--and because they keep well in the freezer, they're easy to buy in bulk. The only knock against them is that I can't eat them right out of the bag!

I can put up with that though, because there are so many delicious treats to pop cranberries into, like Easy Cranberry Mini Pies, Cranberry Upside Down Cake, Cranberry Orange Meltaways and this sinfully good White Chocolate Cranberry Bread.

Believe it or not, I am not a Starbucks person. But rumor has it there is a certain cranberry bread on their menu that resembles this one that is unbelievably good.

White Chocolate Cranberry Bread is great with a cup of coffee for sure, but what sets it apart from the other breads I make is its special bejeweled top that's full of dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.

This tasty quick bread boasts a simple base of flour, milk and sugar (among other common pantry staples), then transforms into the extraordinary when fresh cranberries and white chocolate chips are stirred into the batter. After it cools, the bread is decorated with its delicious red and white bedazzled topping, offering an extra sweet flavor to counterbalance the tangy cranberries nestled underneath.

With the perfect balance of tart and sweet, this beautiful, scrumptious bread is perfect for winter get togethers and always gets raves whenever it's served.

Why You'll Love It

White Chocolate Cranberry Bread Ingredients

For the bread:

• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk, scant 2 tablespoons
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup vanilla flavored melting wafers
• 2-3 tablespoons white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

How to Make White Chocolate Cranberry Bread

You'll want to gather the following equipment:

• food processor or cutting board and knife
• medium mixing bowl
• large mixing bowl
• 2 microwave safe dishes
• small mixing bowl
• scraping/rubber spatula
• mixing spoons
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• 9x5x3 loaf pan
• parchment paper
• wire rack
• spreading spatula

Getting Started

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop cranberries in a food processor (or slice cranberries in half on a cutting board).

Kitchen Ready Betty tip: Do not skip this step! Cranberries must be cut at least in half or they will burst when baking. Chopping them also ensures that the delicious cranberry flavor will be evenly distributed throughout the bread.

Place chopped cranberries in a medium mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup white chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Make the bread base by combining all the remaining dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir thoroughly.

Melt the butter and then place it in a separate, small bowl. Add the milk and beaten egg to this bowl. Stir to combine, then add this mixture to the large mixing bowl and mix just enough to moisten.

Kitchen Ready Betty tip: In order to avoid lumpy or chewy bread, it's important that you don't overmix!

Fold in the cranberries and white chocolate chips. Again, do not overmix!

Lightly grease the loaf pan, then line it with parchment paper. Spoon mixture into pan.

Bake for 55-65 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven or until loaf tests done.

Allow the bread to cool for 15 minutes, then lift it up out of the pan, using the parchment paper ends as handles. Cool completely on wire rack (about 1 hour).

If you plan on freezing the bread, stop here. You should only decorate the top if you don't intend to freeze it. The top can always be decorated after the bread fully defrosts.

To make the topping, melt the vanilla candy melts, covered, in the microwave at half power. Check at 15 second intervals and stir to smooth.

Kitchen Ready Betty tip: It's better to stir to smooth than overheating wafers, which will quickly clump if exposed to too much heat.

Immediately spread the smooth melting wafer mixture onto the top of the loaf. Then gently press in dried cranberries and reserved white chocolate chips.

White Chocolate Cranberry Bread Leftovers?

Wrap tightly in foil and store on your countertop for up to 3 days. You may also refrigerate for up to 5 days. The topping will get harder in the fridge. Have it sit out a little bit on the counter to soften before slicing and serving.

Freezing is only recommended if the bread does not have a topping.