Each year the consumers of Ocean Mental Health Services are treated to a festive holiday party with food, fun and tunes all thanks to the dedicated staff and volunteers of Holiday Express. 

In return the staff of OceanMHS bakes up a little treat to say THANK YOU every year…this year they were delighted with Cranberry Orange Muffins (the recipe is below) for you to enjoy!

Holiday Express visits more than 90 organizations every year between mid-November and Christmas Eve, bringing its unique brand of music, food, presents, hope and joy and much more to those in need of the gift of human kindness.

Comprised of more than 2,000 volunteers, including 150 professional singers and musicians, Holiday Express visits adults and children in need, including the mentally and physically disabled, the isolated, individuals in addiction and recovery programs, the poor and the homeless, veterans, and children with serious illnesses.

For many of the organizations Holiday Express visits, traditional sources of funding are not sufficient to provide basic needs. We also provide a gift bag – a well-stocked canvas duffel bag of brand new, useful and practical items, including a warm blanket, toiletries, gloves, hat, and scarf. Each season, volunteers pack and distribute over 24,000 gift bags.

Our programs strive to affirm the human dignity of all individuals. The criteria is simple: Holiday Express delivers to the source of the greatest human hardship. To learn more about Holiday Express and their mission visit http://holidayexpress.org/

Cranberry Orange Muffins

1 Cup fresh cranberries, chopped
3/4 cup sugar divided
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
2 large eggs
Coarse sugar (sugar in the raw)

Preheat the oven to 400

In a bowl, stir together cranberries, 1/4 cup sugar and orange zest.  In a larger bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and the rest of the sugaradd oil, orange juice and eggs all at once to the flour mixture stir until moist  (use a large mixing spoon not an electric mixer)  Fold in sugared cranberries.

Line cupcake pan with aluminum foil baking cups, pour into baking cups, sprinkle tops with coarse sugar (we used sugar in the raw)

Bake 400 for 20-25 minutes.
If you are using the larger muffin tins bake time may increase to 25-30 min depending on your oven (check at 25 min)