Orange Ricotta Chocolate Chip Muffins

These muffins are SO good. I had some ricotta cheese to use up somehow and I ran across this recipe. We are hooked! I love using fresh squeezed orange juice...give it so much flavor. This is now a regular muffin at our house. We love muffins and trying new muffin recipes.

Original recipe found here

 

 

Orange Ricotta Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18-20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, add the sugar and orange zest. Rub the orange zest and sugar together with your fingers.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar and orange zest mixture together until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the ricotta cheese and beat until smooth. Beat in the egg, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups.
5. Bake muffins for about 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown. Let muffins cool completely.
6. While the muffins are cooking, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, orange zest, and orange juice. Drizzle glaze over muffins. Let the muffins sit until glaze hardens.
Note-we've made these muffins with low-fat and full fat ricotta cheese. Both work nicely so take your pick:)

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I like to make these muffins ahead of time and then freeze for the kids' school lunches. They get tired of sandwiches so I make different kinds of muffins instead. This is one of their favorites!

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
original recipe source

1/2 cup butter (1 stick or 4 ounces)
1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cups mini chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 350. Line or grease a 12 cup muffin pan. (I usually make these in my mini muffin tins. Makes 34 mini muffins or 12 regular size and 24 mini muffins).


Beat together the butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the banana, honey and eggs, beating until smooth. Add the flour and chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Divide batter into the muffin cups, they'll be nearly full. Bake the muffins until a cake tester inserted in the center of one comes out clean, 23-28 minutes. Remove from oven and after a couple of minutes transfer the muffins to a rack to cool.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

I have been on the search for a really good lemon poppy seed muffin recipe. I finally found one! I have made these muffins countless times now and they turn out great each time! I found the original recipe on Epicurious and have made it a few different ways. I am typing out here how they turn out for me.

You can also do a powdered sugar glaze on these...I usually don't when I make them for breakfast but it does make them really yummy.

I also need to put a plug in for True Lemon. This stuff is great. I use it a lot when I cook and I don't have to have real lemons or lemon juice on hand. It gives you the directions on the bottle of how much you need to substitute for lemon juice, lemon zest, etc. Chad's sister Tiffani turned me onto it and I love it. Check out their website...there is also True Orange and True Lime. Great for baking! They offer free samples and usually free shipping with a $10 order. Anyway.....here is the recipe.

2 c. white flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. buttermilk (1 c. milk & 1 Tbl. vinegar mixed and let sit for 5 min makes your own buttermilk)
2 Tbl. lemon juice (or 1 tsp. True Lemon)
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 Tbl. packed finely grated lemon peel (or 1/2 tsp. True Lemon)
2 large eggs
1/8 c. poppy seeds

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Spray three mini muffin pans or line with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and baking soda in medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk and lemon juice in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and lemon peel in large bowl to blend. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until mixture is light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions. Mix just until blended. Mix in poppy seeds. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups by generous tablespoonfuls. 

Bake muffins until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pans and cool on rack.

This recipe makes 16 regular sized muffins for me. The original recipe says 36 mini muffins, but I came out with more mini muffins too.

**You can also substitute 1 c. plain yogurt for the buttermilk. I have done that and they turned out super moist and yummy! I almost prefer it that way.

Banana Muffins

This recipe is from my friend Coralee. Her family loves this recipe and now we do too! It was an instant favorite. Try her suggestion at the bottom...it really is good!

• 1 3/4 cups flour
  
• 1/2 c. white sugar + 1/4 c. brown sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (I use sour cream)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large or 3 small)
  

*In a large bowl combine flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine and stir the egg, oil, yogurt (or sour cream) and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in mashed bananas. Try not to overstir. Just moisten all ingredients. Can add chocolate chips. (We like them better without chocolate chips.) Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

*Oh, and I always sprinkle a dot of sugar on the tops before baking just for visual effects and a yummy top crust. Just takes a sprinkle.

Apple Pumpkin Muffins

These are so delicious!

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup milk
1 cup diced apples, softened in the microwave (about 2 min)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with oil. Mix ingredients and spoon into muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full. Bake about 18-20 minutes.