The bleakness of winter is setting in.
It snowed yesterday. Which was then followed by freezing rain and a wintry mix. I think wintry mixes are the worst. A wintry mix is the epitome of the brown slush on the side of the road. There is always a burst of short lived joy when it starts to flurry outside. I can't help it, despite virtually hating winter. Even though it is way past the magical holiday season, where one can only find themselves hoping to get caught in a fairyland squall. Even though snow basically means that the 10 foot tall mountain of brown slush blocking coveted parking spots in the TJ Max parking lot will grow another foot, and take another week in April to finally melt. The start of a snow fall will always be exciting.
My joy yesterday was halted as the delightful balls of snow turned into wet, heaps of ice falling from the sky. The wintry mix entered the forecast and encapsulated all of our cars in giant ice cubes. I couldn't even get into my car this morning as other bystanders were hacking away, chiseling out their door handles with the back side of their ice scrapers. Lucky for me, working from home, means I quickly turned around, exited the scene and decided to let the sun do its work. Coming home into my apartment my body craved freshness. The grey skies, and sounds of plows scraping pavement can really put a damper on your morning. I decided to make muffins, but not just any muffins. A muffin that is light, fluffy, and airy. A muffin with hints of lemon and ricotta. A lemony poppyseed muffin to wipe away the winter slushy blues. As I made these lemon ricotta muffins, the sun started to peak out, and the sounds of the plow were quickly replaced by the rushing sound of water dripping down your window panes. At last, the sun was out, and the wintry mix was melting.
My joy yesterday was halted as the delightful balls of snow turned into wet, heaps of ice falling from the sky. The wintry mix entered the forecast and encapsulated all of our cars in giant ice cubes. I couldn't even get into my car this morning as other bystanders were hacking away, chiseling out their door handles with the back side of their ice scrapers. Lucky for me, working from home, means I quickly turned around, exited the scene and decided to let the sun do its work. Coming home into my apartment my body craved freshness. The grey skies, and sounds of plows scraping pavement can really put a damper on your morning. I decided to make muffins, but not just any muffins. A muffin that is light, fluffy, and airy. A muffin with hints of lemon and ricotta. A lemony poppyseed muffin to wipe away the winter slushy blues. As I made these lemon ricotta muffins, the sun started to peak out, and the sounds of the plow were quickly replaced by the rushing sound of water dripping down your window panes. At last, the sun was out, and the wintry mix was melting.
These muffins are as delightful as my story above. I have been craving fresh flavors during the dead of winter. The deliciously fresh and crisp flavors of lemons are much needed in this recipe. Also, we skimp on the butter and use a light airy ricotta, which helps to give these muffins a creamy texture. Do yourself a favor and whip up a batch of these. They are guaranteed to cure your winter blues. This recipe was inspired by Half Baked Harvest.
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
Juice and zest of one whole lemon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour (you can sub for whole wheat)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp poppyseeds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 muffin tins with paper liners. Spray with cooking spray. In a large bowl mixer, whisk together olive oil and honey. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk on a low speed until fully incorporated. Add in the ricotta cheese and lemon juice and zest and mix until fully combined. In another bowl combine together flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 tbsp poppy seeds and cinnamon. Slowly add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and continuing mixing until everything is completely combined. Divide the batter equally into the muffin tins. Top the muffins with the left over poppy seeds. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Serve with butter or additional honey.
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
Juice and zest of one whole lemon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour (you can sub for whole wheat)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp poppyseeds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 muffin tins with paper liners. Spray with cooking spray. In a large bowl mixer, whisk together olive oil and honey. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk on a low speed until fully incorporated. Add in the ricotta cheese and lemon juice and zest and mix until fully combined. In another bowl combine together flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 tbsp poppy seeds and cinnamon. Slowly add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and continuing mixing until everything is completely combined. Divide the batter equally into the muffin tins. Top the muffins with the left over poppy seeds. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Serve with butter or additional honey.
RSS Feed
