Bakery Style Strawberry, Lemon, Ricotta Muffins
Strawberries, Lemon Zest, Lemon Juice and Ricotta Cheese combine to make these incredibly delicious muffins. Top them with Turbinado sugar before baking, and you've got a delectable bakery style muffin from your own kitchen.
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Ingredients
- 2 C all purpose unbleached flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 C white granulated sugar
- 3 lemons zested (divided 2 and 1)
- 1/2 C unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 C ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- Juice of 3 lemons roughly 3 Tbsp
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 C chopped strawberries
- Turbinado Sugar for topping
Instructions
- Measure 1 C white granulated sugar and pour into a medium mixing bowl. Zest two lemons into the bowl on top of the sugar. Mix together with your hands, set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350° F
- Spray a muffin tin with baking spray, or line with liners
- In a medium bowl, whisk together: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and lemon sugar until light and fluffy. This takes about 2 minutes, you'll know it when you see it :-)
- Add the ricotta cheese to the lemon-sugar/butter mixture and beat until smooth.
- Add in the egg, vanilla, almond extract and the lemon juice, beat until smooth.
- Add in the zest of the 3rd lemon, beat until full incorporated.
- Add in the flour mixture 1 C at a time, mixing after each addition. Do this until all the flour mixture has been incorporated completely.
- Take the bowl away from the mixer and gently fold the strawberries into the mix.
- This is a THICK batter.
- Spray an ice cream scoop with baking spray and fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full.
- Top each batter filled cup with about 1 heaping Tbsp of Turbinado sugar - this is what gives the muffins the incredible crunchy topping.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes -- the tops will become slightly golden brown and the muffin top will resist slightly when pressed.
Notes
This recipe can easily be doubled!
I'm still learning my oven and what I found was that 18 minutes was too few, 22 minutes was WAY too long and you do NOT want to overbake these. 20 minutes was just perfect for us.
You can add even more lemon flavor by adding in an additional zested lemon and the juice.
I really want to try this with raspberries, too since Raspberry Lemonade is one of my kids' favorite drinks.
I'm still learning my oven and what I found was that 18 minutes was too few, 22 minutes was WAY too long and you do NOT want to overbake these. 20 minutes was just perfect for us.
You can add even more lemon flavor by adding in an additional zested lemon and the juice.
I really want to try this with raspberries, too since Raspberry Lemonade is one of my kids' favorite drinks.
Servings: 12 large muffins or about 30 mini muffins