- One very juicy lemon yielded more than enough lemon juice for a batch of these muffins. If the fresh lemon you’re using feels somewhat small and not as juicy, have another on hand. You don’t want to skimp on the lemon juice for the batter.
- If you yield more than a tablespoon of zest from your lemon, throw the excess zest in the batter too!
- Used reduced-fat ricotta cheese that produced excellent results.
by Camilla SaulsburyMakes 12 Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 cup ricotta cheese (reduced-fat or low-fat)
1 egg
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
TOPPING
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pan using paper liners or spray with non-stick spray.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In another larger bowl, using either a stand or handheld electric mixer, beat the 3/4 cup of sugar, butter and lemon zest until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta cheese. Add the egg, lemon juice and almond extract until incorporated.
Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until blended (do not overmix).
Divide batter equally among 12 muffin cups/wells. Sprinkle each muffin with a little sugar, followed by the sliced almonds and then sprinkled again with the rest of the sugar.
Bake for about 22-25 minutes or until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer each muffin to a wire rack to cool.
Store covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Serve warm or chilled.