The only thing better than a friend on your doorstep is a friend on your doorstep bearing homemade baked goods. After all, some of the best gifts (at any time of year!) are those you can eat. That holds true for these tasty, quick mini cranberry bread loaves.

While they’re called loaves, they’re really more like moist, buttery mini-cakes bursting with sweet-tart cranberries, raisins and a hint of cinnamon. A slice topped with a pat of butter is the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee and good conversation.

Despite their deliciousness, they’re very easy to make. Just chop the cranberries, mix the dry ingredients, cut in the butter, add rest of the ingredients — and bake it all up as you enjoy the delectable scent wafting through your house.

You’ll wind up with four beautiful little loaves. Once they’re cool, wrap them up for gifts that will always be welcome on any doorstep. Yum.

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