Meyer Lemon Ricotta Muffins are a lemony flavored muffin with a little bit of almond in there too.
The flavor is really, really nice in these muffins. There is a good amount of that wonderful meyer lemon zest in there, a splash of meyer lemon juice and added almond extract as well.
Can you use regular lemons to make these muffins?
I know that someone will ask if they can use regular old sour lemons in this recipe. Yes, I say ‘go for it!‘… but understand that they might have a different taste than I’m describing. Meyers do give off a substantially different flavor than regular sour lemons. But since this recipe calls for a minimal amount of the actual lemon juice, you’re probably okay to try it with plain old lemons.
Are you able to get your hands on some meyer lemons? They’re sometimes found at the Farmer’s Market. Or try Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s and any other specialty type markets. They actually have them at my regular market too. You simply must find them. And if you have a tree, well then I’m forever jealous.
The bright, sunny color of a meyer lemon will draw you in, along with the sweeter flavor. This delicious muffin is worth trying!
Something makes these meyer lemon ricotta muffins very moist (ricotta and applesauce, no doubt), and the blend of lemon and almond is fabulous. Don’t skip the sliced almonds on top. I added a little demerara/turbinado sugar on top for a little extra crunch and sparkle.
Here are a few more muffin recipes you might like to try:
- Bakery Style Blueberry Muffins
- Chocolate Muffins
- Snickerdoodle Muffins
- Buttermilk Raisin Bran Muffins
Meyer Lemon Ricotta Muffins
Recipe Details
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon finely grated Meyer lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
- 1 cup lowfat ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced almonds
- demerara sugar (coarse sugar), optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat sugar, butter, applesauce, and zest until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta, then egg, lemon juice and almond extract. Stir in the dry ingredients just until blended.
- Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter among the muffin cups. Place 3 to 5 almonds on top of each muffin and then sprinkle with coarse sugar (if desired).
- Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until the muffins test done (a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean).
- Place on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, store in a covered container.
I love the idea of muffins with ricotta. I think I might try them with limes too?