Cranberry Nut Bread

Last night, I had the sudden urge to make some cookies. My first choice was chocolate chip. Unfortunately, after searching through my entire kitchen pantry, I found no chocolate chips. I then figured I'd make oatmeal raisin cookies, but no oatmeal. So, after reading through all of my cookbooks I found a recipe, not for cookies, but for Cranberry Nut Bread. Naturally, I didn't have all of the ingredients, so I had to improvise a little (almonds for walnuts and no orange zest). But even with my missing ingredients, the bread turned out great.

Here is the recipe if you want to give it a try:

Cranberry Nut Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the cranberries and walnuts, and stir to coat with flour. Mix together the egg, oil, orange juice, and orange zest. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, and stir until just blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack, and cool completely.