Cranberry Banana Bread - Food Fun Friday

I don't remember baking much with my mom when I was kid. She was working hard to support our family and if I am being honest, she is just not a baker. She can cook Italian food like nobody's business though. Baking however has never really been her thing. I love baking, and love it even more when I can do it with my kids. It is an opportunity to teach them a recipe, learn to follow directions, and work on our patience as we wait for our creations to bake. This family friendly recipe offers a twist on traditional banana bread. I added cranberries and white chocolate chips, which are two of my favorite cookie ingredients. I used applesauce in place of butter to make this a little healthier. You can do this without missing any flavor or moistness. This Cranberry Banana Bread will almost melt in your mouth. It is that good! If you are looking for more yummy bread recipes, check out our Instant Pot Banana Bread.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the applesauce and sugar in a medium bowl.

Mix the applesauce and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.

You will need 4 mashed bananas for the Cranberry Banana Bread. The most kid friendly way I have found to mash bananas is to place them in a zip top bag and let your child crush it with their fists.

This was so fun for my daughter and it gets out any aggression you might be feeling. I may have to try this banana smashing method myself the next time I feel stressed out!

When the bananas are completely mashed, add them to the applesauce and sugar mixture along with two eggs. Stir until thoroughly combined.

In a separate, smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and add the vanilla.

Add the dried cranberries.

Add the white chocolate chips.

Stir until all the ingredients are combined.

This required quite a bit of work on my daughter's part. After a few minutes, she said her arm was tired so I took over.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. Check on your banana bread while it is baking. After 40 minutes the top of mine was fairly brown, but the inside was still wet when I poked it with a toothpick. I covered the top with foil for the remainder of the cook time.

Let the Cranberry Banana Bread cool for few minutes, and then remove it from the loaf pan and enjoy. My daughter had two helpings at snack time. I limited myself to one, but it wasn't easy. This banana bread is so moist and delicious. The cranberries add a nice chewiness and flavor.

This bread would also be great with some chopped nuts, I am thinking walnuts or pecans. If you don't have dried cranberries, try the recipe with raisins.

For more fun ways to bake with kids, check out:

          Irish Soda Bread                                      Soft Pretzels with Butter