Ricotta Blueberry Muffins

I have a short list of things that I always keep on hand for baking.  This list includes the basics (flour, sugar, eggs, etc.), as well as a few useful add-ins (chocolate chips, oats, dried cranberries, nuts).  And, at the bottom of that list, I have blueberries.  They’re a mainstay in my freezer, and they come in handy whenever I have a breakfast craving for something sweet.

In the past, I’ve used blueberries to amp up my pancakes, scones, and crumb cakes.  This week, they were my inspiration for muffins.  I happened to have some fresh ricotta on hand, so I decided to try out this recipe by Dorie Greenspan (you may be noticing that I pick favorites, and Dorie Greenspan is one of them).  The ricotta here substitutes in for other common dairy ingredients (whole milk, buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream), giving the muffins a hearty but fluffy texture once baked.

While I really liked the look of this recipe, I found myself questioning some of the proportions midway through. The batter was much thicker than usual,  and it was almost impossible to coax into muffin cups.   I added in 1/4 cup of whole milk to change the texture a bit, and it seemed to balance the recipe out.

Also, while the recipe suggests lime zest, I’d be curious to try other varieties.  I’m pretty obsessed with orange zest right now, but lemon zest would be great as well. If you happen to have raspberries or blackberries hanging around, this batter would be a great foundation for a mixed berry muffin.

Ricotta Blueberry Muffins (adapted from this recipe by Dorie Greenspan):

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• zest of half a lime
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 stick of butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 cup frozen blueberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line two cupcake pans with butter (or use cupcake liners).
2. Mix together the sugar and the lime zest in a large bowl until it’s well incorporated.  Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Using a wire whisk, stir all the ingredients together.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix in the butter until combined.  Slowly add in the whole milk, if desired.
4. Add the ricotta mixture to the dry ingredients using a spatula.  Mix slowly, being careful not to over mix the batter (this will make your muffins tough!).  Once the batter is combined, add the blueberries.
5. Divide batter into the 12 muffin cups.  Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.  Cool for 10-15 minutes.

Note: These muffins are definitely best within 1-2 days.  If you’re keeping them for longer, I would freeze or refrigerate them.