Cranberry Banana Bread

Name: Cranberry Banana Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: ½ cup applesauce (I used unsweetened applesauce); ½ cup sugar; 2 eggs; 4 mashed bananas; 1 ½ cups flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon cinnamon; ½ teaspoon vanilla; ½ cup dried cranberries; ½ cup white chocolate chips

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This Cranberry Banana Bread will almost melt in your mouth. It is that good! If you are looking for more easy bread recipes, check out our Instant Pot Banana Bread.

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.

Cranberry Banana Bread - This banana bread is super moist and will melt in your mouth.

You will need:

½ cup of applesauce (I used unsweetened applesauce)
½ cup of sugar
2 eggs
4 mashed bananas
1 ½ cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup white chocolate chips

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.

FAQs for Cranberry Banana Bread

Can I use dried cranberries instead of fresh or frozen?

Yes! Dried cranberries work just fine. You can soak them in a little warm water first to soften them if you’d like.

Can I freeze this banana bread?

Definitely. Let it cool completely, then wrap it tightly and freeze. It’ll keep well for up to 2 months.

How should I store leftovers?

Store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also refrigerate it to make it last a little longer.

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