Lemon Ricotta Muffins

These Lemon Ricotta Muffins are sweet, rich, and cake-like–even though they contain whole wheat flour and not a ton of sugar!

Even though I live in one of the hottest places in the country, I still always look forward to the end of winter and the beginning of spring. (Especially now that I’m getting older and seem to be turning into a cranky old lady about the cold.) Here in Phoenix, one of the signature harbingers of spring–along with our beautiful wildflowers and the snowbirds leaving town–is the harvesting of lemons.

I don’t have a producing lemon tree myself, but my mom does, and BOY does that thing produce. There’s no way I could get through the lemon juice from the 49,000 lemons she brought over recently (in addition to the 49,000 I’m sure she also has at her house), but I of course want to hang on to it for use in tasty muffins, sauces, desserts, and more.

My favorite method for preserving all that good, fresh juice? Freezing it in a handy-dandy ice cube tray.

A couple of weekends ago, I enlisted my eight-year-old daughter to help me with juicing–a task she actually seems to enjoy. There really is something kind of fun about watching the whirring devastation of the juicer emptying lemons of their insides. We let it do its quick work, poured the juice into individual little wells, and…

Boom! Fresh lemon juice for months to come!

Now that I have a freezer full of lemon juice, I’ve been going a little nuts with the lemon recipes. The other day I made a batch of these lemon ricotta muffins–which was a bit of a leap of faith, because the lemon ricotta muffin recipes I’ve tried in the past have been a complete disaster. (Granted, that’s probably because I tried to substitute cottage cheese for ricotta and ended up with hard, chewy balls of baked cheese in each bite. Learn from my mistakes: Do NOT use cottage cheese for ricotta in baked goods.)

These muffins, on the other hand, turned out delicious, with a rich, cake-like texture. The creamy ricotta added moisture while eliminating the need for butter or oil. And not only did these taste like spring with their light lemon flavor, some pretty muffin liners (from TJ Maxx) made them look extra fresh and appealing–almost like Arizona wildflowers blooming right out of my oven.

For an Easter brunch or sweet afternoon snack, give these Lemon Ricotta Muffins a try! And tell me in the comments: What flavors make you think of spring?

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Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Rich, cake-like, and full of lemony flavor, these muffins are a special treat!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Course: Breakfast
Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. white whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 c. granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 c. ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 c. almond milk
  • 1/4 c. olive oil
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.
  • In a large bowl, mix both flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center and add all remaining ingredients. Stir gently until combined.
  • Divide batter among muffin cups and bake 16-20 minutes. To retain freshness, store baked muffins in the refrigerator.

Notes

Adapted from MyRecipes.

 

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