Cranberry is one of my all-time favorite berries. I love buying extra when the season arrives and freeze some so I can still enjoy them months after the season is over. This recipe features my favorite quick bread recipe with cranberry and grated orange zest.  This is a variation of my Easy Zucchini Bread, so I knew that this recipe works.

I have made them also using whole wheat flour (it tasted great!). When I first made the recipe, I chopped the cranberries, but decided that they bled too much after it was done, so I went back to just leaving them whole and it looks so much better. Sometimes I throw in a handful of chopped toasted walnuts in there to add a little bit of crunch. I have frozen this bread before and it held up well… If you are looking for other cranberry recipes for your holiday entertaining,  try these two recipes below. Happy eating!

Cranberry Harvest Muffins
Cranberry Orange Scones, Mini

Slightly adapted from Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups of fresh cranberry, if using frozen, thawed and drained well
2 large eggs
1/3 cups of flavorless oil
3/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
1-1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp grated orange zest

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease bottom of 8-1/2 X 4-1/2 X 2-1/2 inches pan. Mix the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the rest of the ingredients together, do not over-mix.

Bake for 50-60 min (I would start checking at 40 min to make sure that it is not over-baked). It is done when a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Yield: 1 8×3-inch loaf