Cranberry Banana and Pecan Mini Loaves

Cranberry Banana & Pecan Mini Loaves

Written by on in Breads, Muffins & Scones, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts & Sweet Treats
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Tangy cranberries, sweet bananas and nutty pecans come together beautifully in these delicious Cranberry Banana & Pecan Mini Loaves.

Cranberry Banana and Pecan Mini Loaves

Our Local Cranberry Bog

I love cranberries. We actually have a cranberry bog here in our town of Carlisle, Massachusetts. It’s only about a mile and a half from our house. The bog is a beautiful place for a walk or a jog. And, it’s a lot of fun to watch the cranberry harvest each fall. My friend and fellow Carlisle resident, Karina, has some nice photos of this year’s harvest on her website.

A small portion of the Carlisle cranberries are dry harvested, i.e. picked by hand, so there’s no bruising. These beautiful fresh cranberries are available locally for purchase just after the harvest and you have to get there fast because they sell out quickly. This year, luckily, we managed to score a bag. I used most for making cranberry sauce, but did have a couple of cups still in my freezer earmarked for cranberry bread.


Cranberry Banana and Pecan Mini Loaves

Yesterday, my kids polished off the last of the Spiced Pumpkin Bread that I had made for Christmas and immediately asked for more. I told them sure, but we’d have to bake some first. So, we were going to do some baking. And, since the oven was going to be on, I had the perfect excuse to make some cranberry bread as well.

Mini Loaves

I’ve recently become a bit obsessed with making mini loaves. I finally purchased some mini loaf pans and made mini loaf versions of my Spiced Pumpkin Bread and Banana Coconut Bread to give as gifts this holiday season. They make the perfect gift and are just so darn cute. So, I thought I’d make some mini cranberry bread loaves.

A search of the Internet yielded a version of this recipe for Cranberry Banana & Pecan Mini Loaves. It sounded like a wonderful combination and the loaves turned out beautifully and taste amazing. There is a nice balance of sweetness from the bananas with the tangy tartness from the cranberries. The pecans give it just the right amount of crunch.

The only changes to the original recipe that I made were to increase the amount of cranberries and to use fresh cranberries rather than dried. I also used light sour cream as opposed to regular. I find in baking you can’t tell the difference and it reduces the fat content.

Cranberry Banana and Pecan Mini Loaves

A slice or two of these delicious Cranberry Banana & Pecan Mini Loaves is wonderful at breakfast or as a snack any time of day. I like to put a couple loaves in the fridge for immediate enjoyment and the rest in the freezer for use at a later date.

These Cranberry Banana & Pecan Mini Loaves also make great gifts and would be the perfect hostess gift for a New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day party. These loaves would also look beautiful on a buffet for a brunch or open house.


 
Adapted from The Houston Chronicle.
 
Cranberry Banana and Pecan Mini Loaves - Tangy cranberries, sweet bananas and nutty pecans come together beautifully in these delicious Cranberry Banana & Pecan Mini Loaves.
 
I love my mini loaf pans! You can find them at Amazon:

43 Comments

  3. Thank you so much for attending week 16 of #PureBlogLove and linking your fantastic blog post, I can’t wait to see what you have in store for our next party, Thursday 8 PM EST- Sundays at midnight. Your post has been added to the #PureBlogLove Pinterest board for all to see 🙂 Have a great day!
    Nicole

  4. Thanks for coming and linking up at The Weekend Social. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST The Midnight Baker! I hope to see you there!
    Judy

  8. Yummy, these mini loaves look amazing! I love mini loaves, and cranberries! Stopping by from the Saturday soiree! 🙂
    Cathy

  15. These loaves look soooooooo delicious!! Love the combination of flavors here. Just wish we had here fresh cranberries.

  16. This looks so good that my mouth is watering! Pinned and tweeted. We appreciate you taking the time to stop by our party. We love partying with you! I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm. Happy Saturday! Lou Lou Girls

  17. Looks very festive, Joy! I was just looking into banana bread recipes – I am sure the cranberry would make it even more tasty!

  19. I haven’t made mini loaves in a super long time and these look so cute. I love the red pops of color that the cranberries give in these loaves. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday.

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