The Unlikely Baker

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Lemon Ricotta Muffins Recipe

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This lemon ricotta muffins recipe is simple, easy to follow, and produces the softest, lightest, most lemony muffins. The toasted almond topping gives the perfect crunch and texture. Perfect with tea!

Lemon Ricotta Muffins Recipe

We all love Giada De Laurentiis, yes? I used to watch her show Everyday Italian and would be mesmerized as she made cooking look easy, simple and just so glamorous (unlike the chaos that is me in the kitchen lol).

Giada’s lemon ricotta muffins recipe

Lemon Ricotta Muffins Recipe

Anyway, I’m excited because this is the first recipe of hers I’ve attempted to bake (Red cooks off of her cookbooks all the time, to great success).

She actually calls this her Nonna’s recipe so you already know it’s going to be special. Grandma recipes always are. And it’s perfect as expected. I changed very minor things – more as a personal preference. Let’s get baking!

Muffins vs. Cupcakes

Before that, did you ever wonder what the difference between a muffin and a cupcake was? I always thought frosting = cupcakes but apparently it goes deeper than that. Muffins are considered healthier and closer to bread; cupcakes are, well, mini-cakes. And it has to do with how they are mixed too. Regardless, we like both!

Lemon and ricotta

Lemon Ricotta Muffins Recipe

Anyway, back to these muffins. They are a treat for lemon lovers (and even for those who only like lemons a little bit). I consider ricotta as one of my magic baking ingredients (check out this Fresh Blueberry Ricotta Bars) and lemon and ricotta pair beautifully.

[clickToTweet tweet=”A most wonderful lemon ricotta muffins recipe” quote=”A most wonderful lemon ricotta muffins recipe”]

Toasted almonds

Lemon Ricotta Muffins Recipe

The original recipe calls for just sliced almonds but I decided to toast them – toasting brings out this unique flavor that complements the sweet and tangy lemon very well. So spend the extra 5 minutes and toast your almonds – you won’t regret it.

I also did not add any almond extract. I’m not a big fan – though you can add it back in if you are. What I did on the other hand was up the lemon flavour by adding more lemon juice and I love how this muffin turned out…hope you do too!

[clickToTweet tweet=”Soft, light, delicious lemon ricotta muffins. Perfect with tea!” quote=”Soft, light, delicious lemon ricotta muffins. Perfect with tea!”]

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Lemon Ricotta Muffins Recipe

Lemon Ricotta Muffins Recipe

This lemon ricotta muffins recipe is simple, easy to follow, and produces the softest, lightest, most lemony muffins. Perfect with tea!

Ingredients

    For the Cupcake:
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    For the Topping:
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Prep a muffin pan by lining with paper liners (this recipe yields 12 muffins).
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk 2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
  3. Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter and 1 tablespoon lemon zest until pale and creamy (about 3 minutes on medium high speed). Scrape the bottom and sides of your bowl and add 1 cup ricotta cheese. Beat until combined.
  4. Add the egg and 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice until well incorporated. Again remember to scrape your bowl.
  5. Add your flour mixture about a third at a time and stir on low speed until just blended (the batter will be thick and sticky).
  6. Transfer and evenly divide your batter into your 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle with sugar and toasted almonds. Bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins turn a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with minimal crumbs.
  7. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (or you can serve them warm).
https://theunlikelybaker.com/lemon-ricotta-muffins-recipe/

(Recipe adapted from The Food Network)

Happy baking!

Did you give this lemon ricotta muffins recipe a go? Tell me about it in the comments section below. I’d love to hear all about it. Check back in on Wednesday – a chocolate muffin recipe is on tap.

In the meantime, lemon lovers rejoice! There are more lemony goodness to be had:

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. I love your blog posts, again these cupcakes look incredible! I love the colour cases you have chosen as well, they really compliment the colour of the sponge.

    Reply

  6. those sound so yummy! I am a fan of anything ricotta and toasted almond, so I will have to try it. I did not know what the difference between muffins and cupcakes were, always thought of it as an American thing, I just did not grow up with. Thanks for shedding a light on that subject, blessings!

    Reply

    • Thanks Claudia! It’s really just me I guess, I didn’t think the difference was that technical though haha. Sending good vibes your way too!

      Reply

  11. I never thought about the difference between a muffin and a cupcake, I always thought that muffins were thicker. I love muffins, they’re my go-to breakfast and these are definitely worth the try!

    Reply

    • Haha I may have too much time on my hands thinking about these things! We both like them, yes? And yay for muffins for breakfast!

      Reply

  14. I love lemon muffins. I never thought about putting ricotta in them. Sounds delicious! This is for sure something to try!

    Reply

    • Thanks Ana! I had these taste tested by my friends (with the promise that they would give honest feedback haha) and I’m so happy they liked it. Hope you do too!

      Reply

  19. I’ve watched Giada too and love some of her recipes. She makes it seem so easy! LOL These lemon ricotta muffins look really moist and yummy. That ricotta definitely gives it a great texture!

    Reply

    • She does doesn’t she?? I mean, she doesn’t even get dirty while me on the other hand have flour on my hair LOL! Thanks LaKisha!

      Reply

  22. I do love the taste of lemons so this muffin recipe of right up my alley! Not sure if this klutz should try making them——-but I sure would like eating them!

    Reply

  24. I’m not the best baker and sometimes i think it’s just laziness (haha) but once in a while I’m tempted to try recipes like these! It looks and sounds delicious!

    Reply

    • Hi Julie! Thanks! I’m still a beginner baker too and still learning and this is IMO the perfect recipe to experiment on…very high % of success lol.

      Reply

  27. Aw these are so cute and lovely! Love the addition of toasted almonds – toasting makes everything better. I’ll be honest, I’m still tempted to add frosting…even if that would move this into cupcake territory….but I’m sure these are amazing without.

    Reply

    • Mwahahaha totally understandable 🙂 The line is so blurry I’m not sure it matters! Thanks Liz! (And yes, toasted = deliciousness. Almonds, coconut…bread lol)

      Reply

  29. Oh man these look really good. Have never had a lemon with ricotta anything before. I might actually give these a try. I’ll skip the almonds though since I’m allergic but my kids may like it on theirs.

    Reply

    • Hi Amanda! Lemon and ricotta make a lovely pair. Hope you try it soon! (And yes, you can totally skip the almonds on yours, these muffins are still great without)

      Reply

    • Thanks Sabrina! I haven’t tried but just remember that mascarpone is like very thick, very dense cream while ricotta is more like cottage cheese. So this difference will affect your muffin’s texture. As to the taste, I think your mascarpone version would be amazing. If you do decide to go ahead with using mascarpone, let me know. I’m so curious about how it would turn out!

      Reply

    • IKR? I mean, both are great haha. It’s just always been at the back of my mind I finally decided to google it. If you’re allergic to nuts I’d say just don’t put it on. Sprinkle with sugar and you’re good to go. Or perhaps toast some coconut for some crunch. That would be lovely too 🙂

      Reply

  43. First off, can I just say your picture quality is absolutely amazing! What sort of camera do you use? Those muffins look so tasty aaah wish I weren’t allergic to nuts =( lol

    Reply

    • Thanks Rhiann! I use an old Canon 40D (you can see all the gear I use in my Blogging Resources page). And you can definitely leave out the almonds and just enjoy the yummy lemony muffins 🙂

      Reply

    • So happy to hear that! Mommy needs to make some muffins then lol 🙂 Hope you guys like these as much as we did! Would love to hear how it goes.

      Reply

  47. I just always thought of muffins as a naked cupcake or cupcake’s less popular cousin, lol 😀 But, I seriously do love both. And, of course, these muffins are totally calling my name because of the LEMON! Love it. And I can just imagine how moist they are with the ricotta. Pinning these and making soon 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Dawn! I just always thought no frosting? Then it must be a muffin haha (which I realize is pretty dumb now). Oh yay for lemon! This is a lovely lemon recipe, hope you like it! Thanks for the pin!

      Reply

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