Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Lemon Ricotta Muffins


Bring on citrus season!  When life gives me a bowl of lemons, you better believe I'm going to make some muffins!  And perhaps some lemonade to wash them down, but that's another post all together.  For now it's all about muffins, as these Lemon Ricotta Muffins definitely deserve the spotlight.  They are bright, perfectly sweet and bonus - they're low in fat, though you would never know it.  The ricotta cheese gives the muffins a moist, soft texture, and the flavor goes perfectly with the lemon.  The taste is reminiscent of delicious lemon ricotta pancakes, only a bit more portable. 


With the wonderful citrus bounty upon us, over the next few weeks I will be sharing several recipes using citrus fruits.  In the meantime, grab those lemons and give these muffins a try! 


Lemon Ricotta Muffins
Yields 12 muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt (optional)
3/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
juice of 2 lemons (approximately 2 tablespoons)
zest of 2 lemons (approximately 1 tablespoon)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare 12 muffin cups with paper liners or cooking spray.  Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Make a well in the center.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the ricotta, water, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, egg, and vanilla until blended.
  4. Fold the ricotta mixture into the flour mixture until just blended.
  5. Divide batter evenly amongst muffin cups.  Sprinkle turbinado sugar over the tops of the muffins. 
  6. Bake for 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let muffins sit in pan for 5 minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Adapted from Cooking Light

20 comments:

  1. Your muffins look perfect A! Love ricotta and the dash of lemon is just perfection.

    Come over and share your recipe on our bloghop: http://ow.ly/8o33U

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, I love citrus baked stuff - but especially lemon. And i just happen o have some ricotta that needs to be used . . . here I come!

    ReplyDelete
  3. These look fabulous! I have a bowl full of lemons just wanting to be used and this looks like the perfect recipe to try!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Exactly what I was looking for, low fat and lemony!Looks absolutely delicious!Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I can totally imagine taking a bite of these lemony, moist muffins - DE-LISH! Love the ricotta in there...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ooh, I've never used ricotta in muffins - sounds fantastic and looks elegant and refreshing :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Citrus and fluffy ricotta! The perfect breakfast or snack!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yum I love the healthy benefit of the whole wheat pastry flour and the added protein from the ricotta. Great muffins!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm with you on this one! I was so ridiculously excited when I spotted Meyer lemons when I was at the market yesterday! I may have gone a little overboard in my excitement because I bought three bags.

    ReplyDelete
  10. You know I am all over muffins! I am going to have to go stock up on lemons for all the treats you are going to be making!

    ReplyDelete
  11. These lemon muffins are irresistable ! Glad to share the citrus-love with you!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This the bright sunny delish start I need to my mornings. I love the idea of doing this in a muffin. I need to get some lemons!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Well, these sound absolutely delicious! I LOVE citrus in baked goods...and I bet the ricotta was a terrific addition!

    ReplyDelete
  14. citrus is everywhere in the blog world.... these muffins sound fabulous. I love lemon and can imagine that these tasted amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  15. YUM! These look and sound delicious. You should definitely link these up to the #citruslove bloghop!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love anything lemon, especially in cakes and muffins. These look so good. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  17. i love this: when life gives u a bowl of lemons, make lemon muffins! awesome. these look perfect for the season. sending some #citruslove to you!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I believe I may just have to give this recipe a try, YUM! I don't work with ricotta enough, these sound so moist and delicous:-)Beautiful! Take care, Terra

    ReplyDelete
  19. These look delicious, Alida! I love citrus fruits. I've never tried ricotta in baked goods, but it sounds great :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Perfect way to use up leftover ricotta! Thank you for the recipe. Love the blog!

    ReplyDelete