“Now I saw this categorizing of my freezer food as a sign of the true chaos in my head.”
— Abraham Verghese, Cutting for Stone
Before I had kids, my freezer usually contained only ice cubes… and maybe some ice cream (chocolate, of course). I could never understand other people’s needs for a secondary freezer, especially not one of those chest freezers that you could seemingly fall into if you had to reach in and dig out something from its deep, dark recesses. Whatever did they store in there, I’d wonder. But then I had kids, and well… I kind of “got it.” Within the first week of bringing my first-born son home from the hospital, my freezer was nearly bursting with food: with extra meals that my mom made while she visited, assuring us (and her) that we’d be well-nourished after she returned home; with homemade lasagnas and casseroles from generous neighbors and friends; with frozen fruit for smoothies that I could sip with one hand while cradling a baby with the other…. In those hazy, sleep-deprived early weeks of learning to parent a tiny human, there were few things that brought me more comfort than knowing that dinner would involve nothing more than thawing and reheating a meal from the freezer. And those neatly organized and labeled stacks of frozen food warmed my Type-A heart and gave me some illusion of control over a small part of my life, when most of it was clearly not in my control at all, ruled by the wants and needs of an adorable yet demanding newborn. Yes, just like that, the freezer became my friend.
These days, my previously underutilized freezer is almost always stocked with, among other things, frozen fruit, frozen shrimp, cooked brown rice and other cooked whole grains, some sort of vegetarian soup or chili, and at least two different kinds of homemade muffins. I discovered early on in my parenting career that muffins are a great snack to have on hand for my kids, especially for bringing on long car rides and packing in school lunches. And once I realized I could freeze just about every type of muffin I baked (and that my boys could eat them faster than I could bake them), I truly embraced the freezer. Now I regularly make double batches of muffins to keep that freezer fully stocked, adding another tool to my arsenal of quick, easy, and healthful snacks that I reach for when trying to appease the after-school/before-dinner cries of “I’m soooo hungry, Mom!” But, let’s be honest: Most muffins, unfortunately, are just cupcakes in disguise; full of white flour and sugar, they are basically unfrosted cupcakes. Now, I’ve never been known to refuse a cupcake, but in the interest of feeding my children wholesome, nutritious snacks, I’ve experimented over the years with making more-healthful versions of various muffin recipes. Sometimes just substituting whole-wheat flour for white flour can significantly improve the nutritional profile of a muffin. Including other healthful ingredients such as yogurt, olive oil, wheat bran, or oats, and/or fruits and vegetables such as bananas, apples, carrots, or pumpkin also helps the muffin shed its cupcake facade. In addition, I try to cut back on the amount of sugar without sacrificing flavor, and/or I might substitute a less-refined, less-processed sugar (honey, maple syrup) for traditional white sugar.
After some snowy-day experimentation, these lemon-ricotta muffins have become the most-requested muffins in our house this winter. Bright yet tart lemon is the star of these muffins, balanced with other good-for-you ingredients: whole-wheat flour, yogurt, ricotta cheese, and olive oil. Although they still contain sugar, they have less sugar than most muffins (and I usually use a less-refined, less-processed natural cane sugar here). The ricotta cheese and yogurt provide some protein (more than you’d probably find in the average muffin) while adding moistness and a light, fluffy texture to the muffins. As a nourishing, satisfying snack, with or without a cup of tea, they are hard to beat! They keep very well when tucked inside my trusty friend the freezer, among the (labeled and organized) frozen fruit… and the cooked brown rice… and maybe some ice cream (chocolate, of course).
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
- -- 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
- 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.
** 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.
Leave a Reply