A few months ago I was looking for a quick muffin recipe to add to my repertoire. I had a carton of strawberries in the fridge that needed to be used in something- they were well past prime eating and would get tossed if I didn’t use them. I also had half a carton of ricotta cheese, and it sounded to me like it would be a good idea to combine the two and get a tasty muffin out of the combo.
However, a few searches online left me blank. No strawberry and ricotta muffins anywhere, but I did find blueberry and ricotta muffins. The deal was sealed- I swapped out the blueberries for strawberries and found an absolutely delicious berry-filled muffin. I think you could use just about any berry in this recipe. They key is the ricotta cheese- it keeps the muffins light and springy and pairs beautifully with the berries. They are not overly sweet, and I find the streusel topping adds a lot to them. However, this last time I made them, I left off the streusel and still managed to eat every single one. The kids preferred them with the streusel topping though.
Use whatever kind of berry makes you happy. I suspect any fruit would work, really, and as I’m eyeing up a bowl of apricots another idea is blossoming…
Fruit and Ricotta Muffins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/3 cup canola oil 5 Tablespoons whole milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 egg 3/4 cup ricotta cheese 1 cup fresh berries or other fruit, cut into small pieces Streusel topping: 1/4 cup sugar 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 Tablespoon butterDirections:
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.
Mix the dry ingredients separately from the wet ingredients. Using a spatula, gently stir the two mixtures together until incorporated. Try to not over-mix.
Fold in your berries or other fruit, and then fill 12 muffin cups 3/4 of the way full. Combine the streusel ingredients and mix together with a fork. Sprinkle this evenly among the 12 muffins.
Bake at 375ºF for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.