Raspberry Lemon Ricotta Muffins (Printer-Friendly)
Moist, tender muffins with fresh raspberries, lemon zest, and creamy ricotta. Ready in under 40 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Wet Ingredients
01 - 1 cup ricotta cheese
02 - ½ cup whole milk
03 - ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil (canola or sunflower)
04 - 2 large eggs
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
06 - Zest of 1 large lemon
07 - Juice of ½ lemon
→ Dry Ingredients
08 - 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
09 - ¾ cup granulated sugar
10 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
11 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
12 - ¼ teaspoon salt
→ Fruit
13 - 1 ½ cups fresh raspberries (or frozen, unthawed)
→ Topping
14 - 2 tablespoons coarse sugar
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease with butter or oil.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, whole milk, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth and well blended.
03 - In a separate medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to distribute evenly.
04 - Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
05 - Gently fold the raspberries into the batter with a spatula, taking care not to crush them.
06 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar for a crunchy finish, if desired.
07 - Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
08 - Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The ricotta keeps these muffins impossibly soft for days, and I mean that literally because I found one wrapped in a napkin three days later and it was still perfect.
- They walk the line between breakfast and dessert so well that you will feel zero guilt eating one at either end of the day.
02 -
- I once stirred the batter vigorously for two full minutes and every single muffin turned out dense and rubbery, so please treat folding like a gentle meditation and stop early.
- Frozen raspberries work beautifully but do not thaw them first because the extra liquid will dye your batter purple and make it too wet.
03 -
- Toss the raspberries in a teaspoon of flour before folding them in and they will suspend beautifully throughout the muffin instead of sinking to the bottom.
- Let the batter rest for ten minutes before scooping it into the tin because the flour absorbs the liquid and produces a taller, softer muffin with a nicer dome.