Step 1 - DRY ROAST PISTACHIOS

• Dry roast raw unsalted pistachios on medium heat for a few minutes, then turn off the heat. Transfer the pistachios to a food processor and grind until you have ground pistachios. Set aside.

Step 2 - MAKE CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BREAD

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

• Cream Butter Sugar: Add butter to a large bowl. Make sure the butter is at room temperature. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter for a few minutes until smooth and creamy.
• Add white sugar to the butter. Blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time mixing the ingredients until well incorporated.
• TIP - Food Color: If you're using regular food color, you only need a drop. If you're using natural or nontoxic food colors like I did, you will need a little more. You can also skip the food color.
• Add Wet Ingredients - Now add the sour cream, zest of 1 orange, 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice, vanilla extract, and pistachio extract. Additionally, I added green food color. Mix well until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
• Add Dry Ingredients to Wet - Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl - all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, and mix until just combined, do NOT over mix. Now add half a cup of the ground pistachios reserving the rest for the topping.
• Rinse and dry cranberries. Slice them in half.
• Flour Canberries: This prevents the cranberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake. Sprinkle 1/2 a tablespoon of flour over the cranberries. Add the cranberries to the cake batter. Fold them in - do not over-mix.
• Grease Loaf: I grease the loaf with a little butter and dust some flour on top. Flip the loaf tray to remove the excess flour.
• Pour batter into a greased 8.5" x 4.5" loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes. I baked mine for 65 minutes, but checked after 55 minutes and every 5 minutes after. To test, the top should be golden brown, and insert a toothpick inside the cake to make sure it comes out clean.

Step 3 - MAKE ORANGE GLAZE

• Allow the cranberry bread to cool. Once cooled, gently remove it from the loaf pan and place it on a serving platter.
• In a mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice, and 1 tsp of orange zest. Use a whisk to mix well. If you'd like to thin out the glaze, add more orange juice one teaspoon at a time. Using a whisk, drizzle the delicious glaze all over the cranberry pistachio bread.
• Garnish with the remaining pistachios. Optional: For a more festive look, add a few whole cranberries on top and grate a little orange zest.