Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Every day, every walk we take, Clyde picks up a stick or a branch along the way.

Today, this one stopped him in his tracks.  He turned around and looked at me as if to say, "Yikes!"  Then he did an about-face and dragged me home.

We came home and he promptly took a nap so he could sleep off his trauma.

While he slept, I baked a batch of muffins.

  I wanted to take a picture of the muffins, and the best place for natural light is on this bench in my dining room.

Gus understands the meaning of "look but don't touch."  Clyde--not so much.  Good thing he was sleeping.

If you haven't yet entered the giveaway for the Whole Foods gift card, head on over to this post and leave a comment telling me what your favorite comfort food is.  The winner will be announced on March 31.  Good luck!

Today's Playlist

• "The Girl Got Hot"...Weezer
• "In One Ear"...Cage the Elephant
• "Dani California"...Red Hot Chili Peppers
• "Glamour is a Rocky Road"...My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
• "Teenagers"...My Chemical Romance

Lemon Ricotta Muffins  (Adapted from Cooking Light)

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 egg

sanding sugar, for sprinkling on top (optional)

Printable Recipe Click Here

Gather your ingredients.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Zest the lemon.  You will end up with about 2 tablespoons of zest, which is exactly what you need!

Funny how that works out.

Squeeze the juice out of the now-bald lemon.

In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar...

baking powder...

and salt.

Whisk together.  Make a well in the center and set aside.

In a medium bowl, place the ricotta, water...

olive oil...

lemon zest & juice...

and the egg.

Whisk together.

Add the ricotta mixture to the well in the flour mixture.

Stir just until moistened.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.  I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop it into the cups.

Sprinkle the sanding sugar on the tops of the muffins.

Bake in your preheated 375-degree oven for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean and the tops are lightly golden.

For the record, my muffins took 20 minutes.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Remove the muffins and cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy!