Cranberry Walnut Carrot Bread

A plethora of baby carrots were sitting in my fridge, begging to be used. I had recently seen a recipe for carrot cake cookies on The Gastronomer's blog, and it inspired me to use my carrots in some sort of baked good. This could be a healthy treat, I thought to myself.

I scanned the internet and came across a "Cooking Light" recipe. I tweaked it slightly, adding cranberries and walnuts. The cranberries and walnuts were definitely a nice addition. The bread itself is fluffy, with a nice crunchy exterior. The spicy undertones from the cinnamon, ginger, and cloves are complimented nicely by the tart cranberries and crunchy walnuts. Next time I would toast the walnuts prior to baking, to bring out more of their flavor. The bread is earthy, and not too sweet. A perfect afternoon snack or breakfast treat, best served with a hot cup of tea!

Recipe is as follows.

Carrot Bread

3/4 cup sliced carrots (about 4 oz)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (JAM Note: I used King Arthur's white whole wheat flour)
1 tsp cinammon
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 ground ginger
1/4 ground cloves
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 egg white
1/4 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries (JAM Note: add-ins optional)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (JAM Note: add-ins optional)


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Place dried cranberries in a small bowl of warm water. Let stand for 30 minutes.


Boil carrots until tender (JAM Note: the baby carrots took about 6 minutes). Place carrots in food processor and chop.


Mix flour and the next six ingredients in a large bowl.


Whisk together carrots, sugar, yogurt, oil, and eggs.

Drain cranberries. Combine wet mixture, cranberries, and walnuts until just combined.

Butter an 8-in loaf pan. Pour batter into pan and bake for 50 min or until toothpick comes out dry (JAM Note: finished baking in 40 min).

Mmm fresh out of the oven!

2 out of 3 JAMs