Raspberry ricotta muffins

A light and delicious not-too-sweet treat!

I love these muffins because the ricotta adds protein and contributes to an incredible texture – they’re moist without being too dense. They’re much less sweet than most muffin recipes, which I also appreciate. They would be equally tasty made with strawberries, blueberries or blackberries, or a combination of fruits. It’s important to heed the instructions to have the eggs, milk and ricotta at room temperature as this helps things blend much more evenly. If you’re looking for more ways to incorporate ricotta into dishes, check out my lemon-oat-ricotta pancakes or my blueberry-ricotta-maple tarts.

Ingredients

Lemon sugar:

• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• freshly grated zest of one lemon

Muffins:

• 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons (9.5 g) baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.2 g) salt
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup (78 mL) milk, at room temperature
• 1 cup (250 g) ricotta cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (57 g) butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) raspberries (thawed if frozen)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a 12 compartment muffin pan with paper liners; set aside.
• Make the lemon sugar by combining the granulated sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl. Stir with a spoon or, better yet, rub together with your fingers so it is well blended. Remove 1 tablespoon (14 g) of the mixture to a smaller bowl and set aside – you’ll use it to sprinkle on top of the muffins before baking.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and larger amount of lemon sugar); set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ricotta, melted butter and vanilla extract.
• Add the wet mixture all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir just until no dry spots remain (batter will be thick).
• Reserve 12 intact berries and set aside. In a bowl, mash the remaining berries with a fork.
• Fill the muffin tins one-third full then add a spoonful of the mashed berries and top, dividing the berries evenly among the muffins. Top with remaining batter, dividing evenly (about 1 tablespoon per muffin). Nestle one more raspberry on top, pressing into the batter a little.
• Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over the tops.
• Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.

Makes 12 muffins.