The Best Cranberry Apple Stollen

This homemade cranberry apple stollen is a traditional German bread made with nuts, dried fruits, spices, and marzipan. In this version, we’re using dried apples, cranberries, and hazelnut marzipan for a soft, buttery Christmas treat! This bread is perfect for guests, holiday snacking, and gifting to friends.

The first time I met Marc’s German side of the family was in Idaho Falls where we combed through old pictures of Trier, looked at his grandma’s Hummels and Räuchermanners, and I ate a ton of stollen because did you know there are huge chunks of marzipan in the middle?!

I may have eaten three or four slices and left his family’s house covered in powdered sugar. It was fine, I’m fine. It was worth it and now it’s one of my favorite Christmas breads along with cookie butter cinnamon star bread and ginger cranberry orange scones.

This version combines some of my favorite winter flavors like cranberry, apples, hazelnuts, and tons of warm spices. This bread is lovely for snacking, brunch, and gifting for the holidays. Let’s make it!

Why this is the best stollen

Even though my husband is half German, he’d never tried stollen because of his almond allergy. So, I decided to make an alternative version with homemade hazelnut marzipan, dried cranberries and apples, and a splash of bourbon! This recipe is based on the stollen I learned how to make in pastry school and it is so good.

• This bread is soft, flaky, and basically tastes like Christmas.
• The recipe is surprisingly easy to make!
• Eat this bread with hot coffee, tea, or holiday cocktails.
• Serve this bread in cookie boxes, at brunch, or for the holidays.
• Gift it to friends, family, and neighbors. Everyone will love it!

What is stollen?

Stollen, a.k.a Christollen, is a yeasted German bread that is typically eaten around Christmastime. There are many versions of stollen, but the most well-known version in the U.S. has marzipan in the middle (marzipanstollen). The bread is filled with dried fruit, nuts, marzipan, warm spices, and topped with a thick dusting of powdered sugar. It’s basically the German form of fruitcake, but much better because it’s super buttery and has a hint of booze.

The ingredient list

Hazelnut marzipan

• Hazelnut flour – you can find hazelnut flour in the baking aisle of well-stocked grocery stores. Or, make your own by blitzing hazelnuts in a food processor until it’s mealy.
• Powdered sugar – this will add sweetness to the marzipan while keeping the texture nice and smooth. You will also need some for the topping!
• Egg white – an egg white will bind the marzipan together.
• Vanilla – for a little extra flavor! Feel free to leave it out.

Macerated fruit

• Dried fruit – I use a mix of dried apples and cranberries but any dried fruit you like will work! Make sure it’s unsweetened so the bread isn’t overly sweet.
• Hazelnuts – these will add crunch and complement the marzipan.
• Bourbon – a bit of liquor will plump up the fruit and add flavor.

German stollen

• Whole milk – this will add moisture and richness to the dough.
• Yeast – active dry yeast is my go-to. Make sure it’s fresh so it’s alive and healthy!
• Sugar – this will feed the yeast and add sweetness to the dough.
• Flour – to add structure to the bread. Regular all-purpose or bread flour works great!
• Eggs – you’ll want one egg and one egg yolk. The extra egg yolk will add tenderness and flavor.
• Unsalted butter – you will need butter for both the dough and topping. The butter will make the dough nice and rich!
• Vanilla – the vanilla complements the fruit and spices. Use 100% pure vanilla extract!
• Citrus zest – I use a mix of orange and lemon. Candied citrus is more traditional, but I use zest for ease.
• Spices – cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg will add warmth and make the bread taste Christmasy.
• Kosher salt – this will add flavor and offset the sweetness a bit.

Ingredient variations

• Marzipan – feel free to use store-bought almond marzipan to skip a step!
• Dried fruit – raisins, apricots, dates, prunes, cherries, or any other dried fruit you like will work in this recipe.
• Nuts – try almonds, walnuts, pecans, or pistachios.
• Liquor – dark rum is the most common, but I usually go with bourbon. Brandy is also delicious!
• Citrus – candied lemon and/or orange is more traditional so feel free to add that in!
• Spices – any warm spice will work. Mace is traditional but feel free to add ginger, cloves, allspice, or anything else you like.
• Gluten-free – replace the flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour replacement like Cup4Cup.

How to make stollen

Make the marzipan

1. First, combine the hazelnut flour and powdered sugar in the bowl of a food processor.
2. Add an egg white and vanilla extract, and pulse the mixture a few times until a thick dough forms.
3. Turn the dough onto a cutting board dusted with a bit of hazelnut flour. Knead until there are no dry spots.
4. Roll the marzipan into two 12-inch logs and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the marzipan for at least 30 minutes.

Macerate the fruit

1. Mix the dried fruit and nuts together in a small, shallow bowl.
2. Next, pour the bourbon over the fruit-nut mixture. Stir to combine.
3. Lastly, let the mixture sit while you make the dough, or for up to 12 hours.

Mix the dough

1. Start by activating the yeast with the warmed milk and a bit of sugar. Let it sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Then, add the sugar, egg, egg yolk, butter, vanilla, zest, spices, and Kosher salt. Stir the mixture until it’s roughly combined.
3. Then, add the flour and mix until the dough is tacky but not sticking to your hands.
4. Knead the dough for 7-8 minutes until it’s smooth and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
5. Cover the kneaded dough with a linen and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours.

6. Once the dough is doubled, punch it down to release any air.
7. Drain the fruit-nut mixture if necessary and add it to the dough.
8. Mix the dough with a dough hook until it’s evenly combined.

Shape the loaves

1. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a round ball.
2. Roll each dough ball into a 1-inch thick oval. Place one log of marzipan in the center of each oval.
3. Fold the left side of the dough over until it covers the marzipan log.

4. Next, fold the right side of the dough over the top of the left side (like a brochure) just until it reaches the left side of the marzipan log. Don’t fold it all the way over to the edge.
5. Seal the side and ends of the dough by pinching them closed.
6. Use the side of the palm of your hand to press down along the left side of the marzipan log, creating a divot. This will give the stollen the classic “bump” down the middle.

Bake & finish

1. Place each loaf on parchment-lined sheet pans. Cover the loaves with linens and place them in a warm spot until puffy, about 1 hour.
2. Pick off any fruit sticking out of the loaves. Bake them at 350°F until golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.
3. Let the stollen sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Then, poke holes all over the top of the stollen with a skewer or toothpick. Immediately brush melted butter over the tops until it soaks in.
4. Finish by dusting the stollen generously with powdered sugar. Let the bread cool and dust it with more powdered sugar. Slice and enjoy!

How to turn your oven into a proofing box

To help the dough rise properly, I like to turn my oven into a proofing box. Here’s how I do it!

1. Set your oven to the lowest setting (mine is 170°F) and let it heat for 4-5 minutes. You don’t want the temperature to go over 130°F (54°C) or the yeast could die.
2. Then, start boiling some water on the stove. Place an oven-safe baking dish on the bottom rack of your oven.
3. Place the covered dough in the oven on the top rack, and then pour the boiling water in the baking dish on the bottom rack. Close the oven door and let the dough double in size about 1-1 1/2 hours. The heat and steam from the boiling water will mimic a proofing box!

A make ahead option

If you want to split up the steps, there are lots of ways to spread out the recipe for this German Christmas bread!

• Marzipan – make it up to 1 week in advance.
• Fruit – cacerate the fruit up to 12 hours in advance.
• Make-ahead dough – to start the dough early, make it up until the first rise. Instead of placing the dough in a warm spot, just cover it well with plastic or beeswax wrap and place it in the fridge to slow-rise overnight, no more than 12 hours. When you’re ready to continue, take the dough out and let it warm on the counter for 20-30 minutes, until it is fully doubled in size. Then, continue with the remaining steps according to the directions.

Helpful tools

• Kitchen scale or measuring cups
• Food processor
• Stand mixer with bread hook
• Sheet pans
• Parchment paper
• Sifter

Tips & tricks

• Warm the milk between 100-110°F so the yeast activates properly.
• This recipe makes 2 large loaves but you can make 4 mini stollens if you’d like. (Just quarter the dough and marzipan logs instead of halving). Start checking the loaves for doneness at around 20-25 minutes.
• Pick off the extra fruit before baking the bread. Otherwise, it will burn in the oven.
• To prevent the bottom of the loaves from burning, bake them on a sheet pan doubled up with another sheet pan. Many home baking pans are too thin and will cause the bottoms of the loaves to burn.
• Let the bread “ripen” for a day or two before slicing. This will give all of the flavors time to develop and meld together!
• Brush the loaves immediately with butter while they’re warm so that they soak up all the butter.
• Don’t skip on the butter and powdered sugar topping. It keeps the bread nice and moist so that it stays good for a long time.
• Use a sharp bread knife to slice the bread so it doesn’t get squished when you’re cutting it. Only slice off what you need to keep the slices from drying out!

More holiday bread recipes

Cinnamon Swirl Bread with Streusel
Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Frosting
Norwegian Potato Lefse
Cookie Butter Banana Bread
Rose Cardamom Buns

If you make this recipe, I would love if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

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xo Sara Lynn

Song of the day – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love

Originally posted on December 21, 2021.