Cranberry Raisin Almond Banana Bread
Here’s another banana bread recipe. Like the one I posted the other day, this banana bread kicks things up a notch with some great mix-ins. I hadn’t planned on using raisins and crans, but I didn’t have enough crans for the recipe, so I went with a combination of the two. It added great color and flavor to use both.
I really enjoyed the almond and banana combination. By using almond extract, there was a great almond scent to the bread, and of course the chopped almonds helped to enhance the almond flavor while also adding texture to the bread.
This bread came out pretty dense, I think due to all the add ins and the fact that I used white whole wheat flour in the bread. This bread made a great breakfast for me and Hubby for quite a few days. And, of course, it also freezes really well.
I always toast nuts that I use in any recipe. Toasting them really brings out their nutty flavor. I usually toast them in a skillet on medium heat for just a few minutes until they become fragrant.
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Cranberry Raisin Almond Banana Bread
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup mashed banana (2 medium bananas)
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
Directions:
Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 -inch loaf pan.
Mix sugar and butter together in a medium mixing bowl until completely blended.
Add banana, milk, eggs, and almond extract, mixing well.
Add dry ingredients, mixing just until moist.
Stir in almonds, dried cranberries, and raisins. Spread batter evenly in a loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool.
Recipe adapted from Ocean Spray, as seen on Sweet and Savory Tooth
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I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I wish I could run home & bake these right now! They look so delicious & how could you go wrong with apples & cinnamon? I can’t wait to try these soon.
They look so good! I LOOOVE the cute apple backround too! 🙂 🙂
These look great!
I made these from Katie’s blog in the fall and took them to a school function. One of my student’s dads ate several of them. A few weeks later I made chocolate chip cookies because they’re usually a hit with everyone there, and the same dad was like “awww. where are those apple bars? I was hoping for those again.” 🙂 They are truly wonderful!
I agree! These are amazing. I send baked goods with hubby about once a week and these got so many more comments than usual. I’m actually making them again this weekend.
I saw that recipe last year, and I wish I had made them. They look so good.
Free manual labor in exchange for apple bars? Sounds like a deal to me. I’ll have to offer that up next time I have to call a plumber 🙂
Scott made these tonight and they were AMAZING! Seriously, AMAZING!
I made these this weekend….they were fantastic! At 10 last night Sam had to ask me “are you still eating that apple cake?” Yes. I was. I saved one more piece for after work today!
Oh, my dad would love these. I have an apple bread recipe that he always requests. I’ll bookmark this one to try too. Thanks.
Michelle
http://oneordinaryday.wordpress.com/
I made these yesterday and think they are fabulous! So gooey, but so much better the next day! Thankyou for sharing! =)