LEMON-RICOTTA MUFFINS
This recipe can be easily scaled up to make 24 muffins by doubling the ingredient amounts, which is what I usually do when I make these muffins. (Remember, they freeze very well!) I usually don’t use paper liners when I bake muffins; I find the liners are sometimes difficult to remove once the muffins have been frozen. However, if I’m making a batch of muffins for a crowd (and thus I won’t be freezing most, or any, of the muffins), I’ll use the paper liners for a prettier presentation.
The muffins should keep well in the freezer for about a month. (I freeze mine in plastic resealable freezer bags.) You can thaw them at room temperature or—if you’re in more of a hurry—in the microwave. I think these muffins are best when served slightly warm, so once they’re thawed, I recommend heating them up in a warm oven or in the microwave just before serving.
Yield: 12 muffins
The muffins should keep well in the freezer for about a month. (I freeze mine in plastic resealable freezer bags.) You can thaw them at room temperature or—if you’re in more of a hurry—in the microwave. I think these muffins are best when served slightly warm, so once they’re thawed, I recommend heating them up in a warm oven or in the microwave just before serving.
Yield: 12 muffins
Author: Wholesome Family Kitchen
Ingredients
- -- Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray for coating muffin pan
- -- 1 cup ricotta cheese (I use whole-milk ricotta, but part-skim ricotta should work fine.)
- -- 1 egg
- -- ½ cup plain yogurt (but not thick Greek yogurt)
- -- ¼ cup light-tasting olive oil
- -- 6 tablespoons natural cane sugar
- -- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- -- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 medium-sized lemon)
- -- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 medium-sized lemon)
- -- 1 cup white whole-wheat flour *
- -- 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour **
- -- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- -- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a standard-size 12-cup muffin pan with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, yogurt, oil, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice; whisk together until well blended.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour in the ricotta mixture. With a spatula, stir together from the bottom of the bowl until just combined. (Don’t overmix!)
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, dividing the batter evenly among the muffin cups. (I like to use a ¼-cup ice-cream scoop for this step.) Transfer the pan to the preheated oven, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins in the middle of the pan comes out clean and the tops of the muffins are light golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins onto a cooling rack to cool completely (if freezing), or cool just enough for eating.
Notes
* White whole-wheat flour is my favorite flour to use when baking more-nutritious muffins and other baked goods without sacrificing flavor or texture. Don’t be misled by its name; white whole-wheat flour is not the same as white flour. White whole wheat has all the fiber and nutrition of traditional “red” whole wheat, but it is lighter in color and milder in flavor. King Arthur Flour makes a white whole-wheat flour that is pretty widely available these days. If you’re curious, you can learn more about white whole wheat here.
** Whole-wheat pastry flour is another flour I reach for when looking to bump up the nutrition and fiber content of muffins and other pastries without turning them into heavy, dense baked goods. Finely milled from lower-protein “soft” wheat, whole-wheat pastry flour has a finer, softer texture than regular whole-wheat flour, which is milled from “hard” red wheat.
If you have trouble finding white whole-wheat flour and/or whole-wheat pastry flour, you can certainly substitute all-purpose flour for either or both of these flours in this recipe and still turn out delicious muffins!
One last note: If these muffins aren’t quite sweet enough for you or your family, or you’d like to dress them up a bit for guests, you can make a simple powdered-sugar glaze to drizzle on top of the muffins. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar with about 2 tablespoons of your liquid of choice: water, milk, lemon juice, or even some buttermilk or yogurt if you’d like a little more tanginess. For a thicker glaze, use less liquid (or add more sugar); for a thinner glaze, add more liquid. Drizzle over the tops of the cooled muffins. If you’re feeling especially fancy, sprinkle some grated lemon zest over the tops too!
Recipe adapted from Molly Katzen.
** Whole-wheat pastry flour is another flour I reach for when looking to bump up the nutrition and fiber content of muffins and other pastries without turning them into heavy, dense baked goods. Finely milled from lower-protein “soft” wheat, whole-wheat pastry flour has a finer, softer texture than regular whole-wheat flour, which is milled from “hard” red wheat.
If you have trouble finding white whole-wheat flour and/or whole-wheat pastry flour, you can certainly substitute all-purpose flour for either or both of these flours in this recipe and still turn out delicious muffins!
One last note: If these muffins aren’t quite sweet enough for you or your family, or you’d like to dress them up a bit for guests, you can make a simple powdered-sugar glaze to drizzle on top of the muffins. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar with about 2 tablespoons of your liquid of choice: water, milk, lemon juice, or even some buttermilk or yogurt if you’d like a little more tanginess. For a thicker glaze, use less liquid (or add more sugar); for a thinner glaze, add more liquid. Drizzle over the tops of the cooled muffins. If you’re feeling especially fancy, sprinkle some grated lemon zest over the tops too!
Recipe adapted from Molly Katzen.
Recipe by Wholesome Family Kitchen at https://www.wholesomefamilykitchen.com/recipe-lemon-ricotta-muffins-freezer/