Peach-ricotta muffins

A not-too-sweet baked treat!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: muffins should not taste like cupcakes. Don’t get me wrong – cupcakes are a fantastic dessert or party treat – but muffins are breakfast or snack food and as such, I feel like they should have some nutritional value. This relatively low-sugar recipe offers a nice pop of protein, thanks to the ricotta and milk, plus the peaches contain vitamins A and C. I love the texture of these muffins which are light but with a moist crumb and pleasingly chewy texture. As a bonus, they freeze extremely well. If you enjoy these muffins made with ricotta, you might also like this raspberry version.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger or cinnamon
• 3/4 cup (185 g) ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup (76 g) butter, melted
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup (90 – 125 mL) milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (255 g) fresh or frozen peeled and chopped peaches, divided

Method

• Preheat oven to 375F and line a 12-compartment standard-sized muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and ginger.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the ricotta, melted butter, 1/3 cup (90 mL) of the milk, egg and vanilla.
• Divide the peaches, scattering 1 cup of the pieces over the flour mixture. Reserve the rest for topping.
• Gently stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Depending upon the moisture content of your ricotta, you may need to add 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 mL) additional milk to adequately moisten all the dry ingredients. Take care not to overmix the batter.
• Divide batter among prepared muffin cups; top with reserved peach pieces.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes then serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 muffins.