For the first time in 31 years, I will not see my mom on Christmas. We're splitting up the holidays with our families, so this year we head up to Maine to spend Christmas with Dan's family. I'm super excited to wake up on Christmas in snowy Maine. Dan's family is huge, and there are lots of little kids (some still believing in Santa.) It's always a good time when his family gets together. But I am going to miss my mom.
We went out to New Jersey on Sunday to see my mom as an early Christmas. Like always, my mom had a delicious meal waiting for us. But these muffins, which I've never had before, were ridiculously good. It's like my mom read my mind and knew I needed a little comfort food. We ate these ricotta muffins while they were still warm from the oven. They're somewhere in between savory and sweet. You could spread jam on them and eat them as breakfast muffins, but they also complemented our lunch of steak and salad. It's impossible to eat just one — and they actually don't even taste like ricotta. My mom sent me off with a few ricotta muffins. And the next day, these muffins were a magic pick-me-up when I was feeling a little blue.
My mom has no idea where she got this recipe. My guess is she initially heard the recipe on some Food Network show and then tweaked it. Because she always tweaks recipes, and you're always glad she did.
ricotta muffins
mix together with a whisk:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
cream together:
1 stick of butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
then add:
1 tbsp lemon juice to 1 cup ricotta cheese
add to creamed mixture
add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Add the creamed mixture to dry ingredients. Mix together but don't overmix.
Put in muffin pan 2/3 full (grease or use paper fillers.)
Top with sliced almonds and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
