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+ servings
5 from 1 vote

The Best Cranberry Apple Stollen

Yield: 2 large loaves
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Rising Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
This homemade cranberry apple stollen is a traditional German bread made with nuts, dried fruits, spices, marzipan, and powdered sugar. 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.

Ingredients

Hazelnut Marzipan

  • 1 1/2 cups hazelnut flour, plus more for dusting (176 grams)
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (150 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg white

Macerated Fruit

  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries (120 grams)
  • 3/4 cup chopped dried apples (60 grams)
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped (66 grams)
  • 1/4 cup bourbon (50 milliliters)

Stollen Dough

  • 1 cup whole milk, warmed to 110°F/43°C (240 milliliters)
  • 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast (8 grams)
  • 1/3 cup sugar, divided (67 grams)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened & cut into chunks (113 grams)
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest (about 1 orange)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed (480 grams)
  • 1 batch hazelnut marzipan (recipe above)

Topping

  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (28 grams)
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, plus more as needed (200 grams)

Equipment

Instructions 

Make the hazelnut marzipan

  • In a food processor, combine the hazelnut flour and powdered sugar. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the vanilla and egg white and pulse until a thick dough forms.
  • Turn the dough onto a cutting board dusted with hazelnut flour and knead it until there are no dry spots. Roll the marzipan into two 12-inch logs and wrap the marzipan tightly in beeswax or plastic wrap.
  • Refrigerate the marzipan for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 week. Alternatively, you can freeze the marzipan for up to 3 months.

Macerate the fruit

  • In a medium bowl, combine the dried cranberries, dried apples, and hazelnuts. Pour the bourbon over the fruit-nut mixture and stir to combine. Let it sit, stirring occasionally, while you make the dough, or for up to 12 hours.

Mix up the dough

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warmed milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let it sit until it’s foamy, 5-10 minutes.
  • Then, add the remaining sugar, egg, egg yolk, butter, vanilla, lemon zest, orange zest, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt. Use a dough hook to stir the mixture together until it's broken up a bit.
  • Add the flour and mix until you have a dough that is tacky and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until it's tacky but not sticking to the bowl. Avoid adding too much flour or the bread will come out dry.
  • Knead the dough for 7-8 minutes until it is very smooth. Remove the dough from the bowl and grease the bowl with neutral oil or baking spray. Add the dough back to the bowl and cover the bowl with a linen. Place the dough in a warm spot until it is doubled in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours.
  • Once the dough is doubled, punch it down to release the air. Pour off any excess bourbon from the fruit-nut mixture, and add it to the dough. Use a dough hook to mix the fruit and nuts into the dough until well-combined. If the fruit-nut mixture makes the dough too wet, add flour 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough is tacky but doesn't leave a residue on your hands.
  • Tip the dough onto a floured surface and cut it into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Roll each dough ball into a 1-inch thick oval that is about 14 inches long by 10 inches wide.
  • Place 1 marzipan log gently into the middle of one of the dough ovals. Fold the left side of the dough over until it covers the marzipan, and then fold the right side over the top of the left side (like a brochure) just until it reaches the left side of your marzipan log. (Do not fold the right side of the dough all the way over the edge of the left side of the loaf). Seal the side of the loaf where the edge of the dough meets the left side of the marzipan log. Pinch the ends so no marzipan is showing.
  • Then, using the side of your palm, press your hand along the left side of the marzipan log to create a divot in the loaf. This will give the stollen the classic "bump". (See pictures above). Repeat with the remaining dough and marzipan.
  • Place the stollen loaves on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover the stollen loaves loosely with linens and let them rise in a warm spot until puffy, about 1 more hour.

Bake & finish

  • While the loaves rise, preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Once the loaves are puffy, pick off any pieces of fruit or nuts sticking out (they’ll burn in the oven). Bake the stollen for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown. The stollen are done when they sound hollow when you give them a "knock".
  • Let the stollen sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Then, use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes all over the top of the bread. Next, brush the butter evenly over the tops of the loaves, allowing them to soak in the butter.
  • Dust the loaves generously with powdered sugar. Let them cool completely and then dust them with powdered sugar once more. Slice and serve the stollen with hot coffee or store for later! Each loaf serves about 16 slices.

Notes

For the best results, I always recommend measuring the ingredients with a scale instead of measuring cups. It's the only way to make sure that the bread comes out great every time! If you don't have a scale, make sure you're measuring the flour properly. Fluff it with a whisk and spoon the fluffed flour into a measuring cup. Level it off without packing the flour in.
You can use whatever dried fruit you like in this recipe. Just make sure you have between 1 1/2-2 cups total.
If you don't have a stand mixer, you can make this dough with a wooden spoon or dough whisk. Then, knead it by hand until you have a smooth, but tacky, dough. It will take a bit longer than using a stand mixer but should still come together nicely.
To test if the dough is properly kneaded, try the poke test! After you knead the dough, use your finger to poke the dough about 1/2-1 inch. If it fills back in slowly, it's ready to go! If it springs back right away, it needs to be kneaded longer. If it doesn't spring back, the dough is over-kneaded.
Many regular sheet pans are too thin, so I recommend doubling them up to prevent the bottoms of the loaves from burning. I just stack two sheet pans together and it always keeps the stollen from burning before they're fully baked.
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.
Let the bread "ripen" for a day or two before slicing. This will give all of the flavors time to develop and meld together!
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!
Cuisine: German
Course: Bread & Dough
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 183kcal, Carbohydrates: 29.1g, Protein: 2.8g, Fat: 5.8g, Saturated Fat: 2.6g, Cholesterol: 21mg, Sodium: 107mg, Potassium: 60mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 16.2g, Calcium: 18mg, Iron: 1mg
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