Delicious German Christmas Stollen Holiday Bread Recipe

This homemade Christmas stollen recipe is going to become a new family-favorite during the holiday season! This is a simple traditional German holiday dessert that features cranberries, candied ginger, walnuts and almonds, and crisp outside with the moist inside of great bread. A beautiful fruit-filled and sugar-coated loaf of delicious bread you will be amazed by. It is a cross between your favorite loaf of bread and cake.

Homemade Christmas Stollen Recipe

If you’ve never had this cakey bread, you are missing out! Christmas stollen is a traditional German holiday confection that just packs in textures and flavors. This version is filled with dried cranberries and ginger alongside nuts for not only texture but flavor. I love that this bread is moist and light on the inside and has a slight crisp on the outside that feels like a traditional loaf of bread.

If you like holiday bread, you will adore this yummy Nutella tree dessert idea and my list of quick and easy sweet bread recipes.  Of course, I also make sure that I make several of these holiday fudge recipes to serve.  There is nothing like a nice dessert platter with tons of variety.  

What’s the Best Sugar to Coat the Outside?

I used powdered sugar to dust over the top of my loaf of Christmas stollen, but you could use regular granulated sugar if preferred. For even more texture, you could use something like coconut sugar or cane sugar that has a bit larger grains.

The dusting of sugar on the outside is not necessary for this recipe but is traditional. I find that extra sweeteners really helps cut the bite of the candied ginger pieces in the cake dough.

You’ll also love my list of 70 Christmas cookie recipes that satisfy that sweet tooth.  These are great for adding a bit of extra sugar to your holiday menu. Don’t forget to add some fun treats for the kids like these Christmas tree marshmallow pops or reindeer rice krispie treats!

Can I Add Liqueur to My Christmas Stollen

Many traditional recipes include liqueur for flavor. Orange liqueur is the most commonly found option in recipes for this sweetened cake bread. You can simply mix in 2 tablespoons when you are mixing your wet ingredients for a more aromatic and flavorful loaf.

I think orange, black currant, and sour cherry liqueur would suit this recipe the best. If you wanted a creamier option to fit the cream cheese of the recipe, a cream liqueur or rum would be a great option.  

If you have some extra rum, make sure you whip these leftover eggnog recipes to serve your guests!

For more decadence on your holiday table, make some of these 20 amazing cheesecake recipes to wow your guests. 

Do I Have to Use Cranberries?

No, there are not set fruits you have to use in this recipe. I happen to like the combination of cranberry, ginger, walnut, and almond. The combination you choose is up to your preferences. Pecans and candied orange are often popular as are a variety of dried or candied fruits within this dough. You can skip the nuts if you have allergies, but you really need fruit for added texture and sweetness.

Ingredients

• Butter
• Sugar
• Salt
• Cream cheese
• Vanilla extract
• Egg
• Flour
• Baking powder
• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Dried cranberries
• Candied ginger

How to Make Homemade Christmas Stollen

Begin by gathering all of your ingredients and measuring them out to make the mixing process easier. I like to do this before I begin baking so I am not caught halfway through the process needing to grab something from the grocery store.

Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, you will cream together your butter and sugar. I like to use a hand mixer or stand mixer to make sure there are no lumps.

When the butter starts looking pale in color, you will add in the egg, cream cheese, salt, and vanilla. Beat this until it is smooth.

Next, you will whisk or sift your flour and baking powder together in a separate bowl.

Combine the dry mixture with the wet mixture to form a batter.

Lastly, add your nuts, ginger, and cranberries folding into the dough.

Wet or spray your hands with non-stick spray, and pour the dough onto the parchment-covered baking sheet. Use your hands to form a log with the dough, then bake as directed.

When you pull the bread from the oven you will dust with powdered sugar while it is still warm.

Video Recipe:

Printable Recipe:

Yield: 8-10

A sweet and savory combination comes together in this loaded Christmas stollen traditional German sweet holiday bread!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 130 g (4.5 oz) butter, softened;
• 120 g (4 oz) sugar;
• a pinch of salt;
• ½ package vanilla powder or 2 tsp vanilla extract;
• 150 g (5 oz) cream cheese;
• 1 large egg;
• 230 g (8 oz) flour;
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder;
• 40 g (1.4 oz) walnuts, chopped;
• 50 g (1.7 oz) almonds, chopped;
• 70 g (2.4 oz) dried cranberries;
• 60 g (2 oz) candied ginger, chopped.

Instructions

1. Start by preheating your oven to 180C/350F. Cover baking sheet with some parchment paper.
2. Cream butter and sugar using hand mixture. When the butter becomes pale, add an egg, cream cheese, salt, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
3. Separately whisk the flour with baking powder. Combine dry and wet mixture together to form a thick batter, then add nuts, ginger, and cranberries.
4. Wet your hands and form batter into a log on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. 
5. Bake for 40 minutes, let cool down till warm and dust with powdered sugar.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 2071Total Fat: 141gSaturated Fat: 79gTrans Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 46gCholesterol: 434mgSodium: 2853mgCarbohydrates: 108gFiber: 28gSugar: 35gProtein: 100g

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