This is why we have to have a chest freezer in the garage...

I've been known to overbuy seasonal ingredients that freeze well and stash them away in the freezer so I can bring them out to play when I can't get them fresh. One of these ingredients that I always do this to every year is cranberries! I know some people can find them frozen at their grocery stores, but I've never had much luck with that. Cranberries freeze well and most recipes state you can use them fresh or frozen.

Jeff loves the combination of cranberries and oranges, so I knew I was going to make this recipe for Cranberry-Nut Mini Loaves with Flaxseeds at some point... I just had to figure out when! I needed to make something today to give away as part of a gift package for a friend, so I figured I would make these and keep some for us too.

This golden bread packs a good nutritional punch too by using part whole wheat pastry flour, with the addition of ground flaxseeds, in the dry ingredients. Since we wanted the loaves to pulse with an orange zing, we used a mess of fresh zest along with a good amount of the sweet juice. To give the bread a bit of crunch, chopped walnuts are tossed into the batter and also blanket the crowns of the baked mini loaves. When I cut off a piece for us to try, I loved how the cranberries formed a sort of tart ruby mosaic on each moist slice. Quite light and not too sweet, I almost didn't give the other two away as Jeff pretty much demolished the loaf we were keeping... but since I still have a good supply of the cardinal jewels in the freezer, I'll just have to make us some more!

Recipes
Cranberry-Nut Mini Loaves with Flaxseeds