Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Lemon Ricotta Muffin

Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

These muffins are delicious. They are tender, moist, and lemony! These muffins are not only perfect for breakfast, but are also great with afternoon tea or Masala Chai. Since I don't normally line my muffin cups with paper liners, I am only able to bake up 9 muffins from this recipe. Recipe can be doubled to get 18 muffins.

Lemon Ricotta Muffins

7.9 ounces (224g) WHITE whole wheat flour (about 1-3/4 cups)

2/3 cup organic natural cane sugar (130g)

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder (11g)

1/4 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese (170g)

1/2 cup water (113g)

1/4 cup EXTRA LIGHT olive oil or expeller-pressed canola oil (48g)

Grated lemon zest from 1 large lemon (4g)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (28g)

1 extra large egg, lightly beaten (57g)
1/2 teaspoon lemon oil OR 1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (10g)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven. Spray 9 standard-size muffin cups with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, natural cane sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir well with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and water. Using a fork, smash up the ricotta cheese and the water until combined. Add the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg and lemon oil or extract. Using a wire whisk, whisk everything together until thoroughly combined.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the entire ricotta cheese mixture. Using a pastry fork or a wire whisk, gently stir-fold the flour mixture with the ricotta cheese mixture just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be thick. Divide batter among 9 muffin cups. Sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar.

Bake for 18 minutes or until tops are lightly browned and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan and transfer muffins to a wire rack to cook completely.

 

Best to store muffins in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator. The muffins will become more moist as it sits out at room temperature of more than one day.

Yield 9 muffins

Chocolate Chip-Coffee Muffins

Chocolate Chip-Coffee Muffins

Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

The first time I baked these Chocolate Chip-Coffee Muffins from Cooking Light, it turned out to be the ugliest muffins I ever baked. They were dry and very dense. I knew these muffins would be a disaster once I mixed together the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. The muffin batter was the consistency of a cookie dough. I continued to bake these muffins anyway just to see what would be the outcome. When they were done baking, they were really small, ugly, dense, and dry. I couldn't understand how these muffins got such outstanding reviews. I wanted to throw them out immediately, but I decided to taste them first. Surprisingly the muffins were moist on the inside, but very dense. Had a good chocolate flavor, but lacked the coffee flavor. They were very dry on the exterior, but remain moist and dense brownie-like on the inside. These muffins had potential and with a few of my own modifications, the muffins are now light, tender and very moist with great chocolate/coffee flavor. Another plus... it's 100% whole wheat.

2 cups WHITE whole wheat flour (241g ounces)

2/3 cup unrefined natural cane sugar (130g ounces)

2 teaspoons baking powder (8g)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (96g ounces)

1 large egg (53g) 

1 cup carton UNSWEETENED coconut milk (227 ounces)

5 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, melted (71g ounces)

1 teaspoon coffee bakery emulsion or coffee extract

3-1/2 tablespoons NesCafe Clasico Dark Roast Instant Coffee (15g)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven. Spray 11 standard-size muffin cups with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.

In a large-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir together with a wire whisk until well combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips and make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Set aside.

In a separate medium-size mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg. Whisk in the next 4 ingredients, one at a time, until well blended. 

Add the coffee mixture to the flour mixture. Using a pastry fork or wire whisk, gently stir and fold the flour mixture with the coffee mixture until just until dry ingredients are moistened and finish folding with a rubber spatula just until incorporated. Do not over mix. Batter will be quite thick.

Divide batter among 11 muffin cups.

Bake for 18 minutes or until muffins feels firm on the top when lightly touched.

Let muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield 11 muffins

Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini Muffins
Adapted from Simply Recipes

I have to agree that these are the best zucchini muffins ever. What I love about these muffins, they are pack full of zucchini. They also have a lot of walnuts and raisins that adds sweetness, crunch and texture to these muffins. Just as I do with most recipes, I modified a few ingredients to suit my healthy way of eating, like replacing all-purpose flour with WHITE whole wheat flour and replacing butter with EXTRA LIGHT olive oil. I like my zucchini bread spiced up tasting like a pumpkin bread or a carrot cake, so I added a few more ground spices to this recipe. I seem to detect an unpleasant "metallic" aftertaste from the amount of baking soda the original recipe called for so I reduced the amount of baking soda and replaced the difference with baking powder which worked out perfectly.

3 cups WHITE whole wheat flour (12.6 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 cups slightly packed grated fresh unpeeled zucchini (about 13.7 to 14.1 ounces from about two large-size zucchini)*
1-1/3 cups unrefined natural cane sugar (8.9 ounces)
2 extra-large eggs, beaten (3.8 to 4.0 ounces)**
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup EXTRA LIGHT olive oil or expeller-pressed canola oil (3.4 ounces)
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (4.0 ounces)
1 cup dark raisins (5.0 ounces)

*ZUCCHINI: If you don't have enough zucchini, no worries. Just add enough grated peeled carrots for the difference in weight.
**EGGS: You don't have extra large eggs, just add enough EXTRA LIGHT olive oil to make up the difference in weight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position two oven racks to the upper third and lower third of the oven. Spray 15 muffin cups with nonstick baking spray (2 muffin pans). Set aside.

In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Whisk everything together until thoroughly blended. Set aside.

Grate the unpeeled zucchini using the large holes of a box grater. DO NOT need to squeeze dry the grated zucchini. Set aside.

In a separate large-size mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until light and creamy. Sugar will somewhat dissolved, but not completely. Whisk in the olive oil until blended.

Using a pastry fork, stir in the grated zucchini. Then add in all the flour mixture. Gently stir/fold the flour mixture with the pastry fork until almost combined.

Using a rubber spatula, fold in the walnuts and raisins until thoroughly combined, but do not over mix.

Divide batter among 15 muffin cups. Place the muffin pan that is entirely filled in the upper third rack and the other pan that is partially filled in the lower third rack. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes; then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Best to store muffins in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator. The muffins will become more moist as it sits out at room temperature of more than one day. Reheat muffins in the microwave for 15 seconds.

Yield 15 muffins, approximately 291 calories per muffin

Golden Raisin Oat Bran Muffins

Golden Raisin Oat Bran Muffins

Adapted from www.epicurious.com

I have found the ULTIMATE bran muffin recipe. For many years, I THOUGHT I had a very good recipe for a wheat bran muffin. Not anymore! After making these delicious oat bran muffins, I'm throwing out my old wheat bran muffin recipe. This oat bran muffin recipe is a keeper! In my opinion, oat bran is more pleasant tasting than wheat bran. I've been making these oat bran muffins almost weekly. Bran muffins are usually the best when they are fresh-baked. These muffins will firm up the next day, but it reheats well. Just reheat them in the microwave for 15 seconds and they will taste just as good as fresh-baked. I've changed the original recipe to make it healthier by substituting WHITE whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour. I also substituted unrefined coconut oil for the butter. The original recipe calls for half the amount of butter (coconut oil) than what I posted. By accident, I doubled the amount of coconut oil. It was already too late when I realize I added twice the amount of coconut oil, but it worked out for the better. Because I'm using whole wheat flour, the extra coconut oil made the muffins more tender and flavorful.

Golden Raisin Oat Bran Muffins

2 cups WHITE whole wheat flour (8.5 ounces)

Scant 3/4 cup Trader Joe's brand Toasted Oat Bran (3.1 ounces) - See NOTE below

1/4 cup unrefined natural cane sugar (1.8 ounces)

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup golden and/or dark raisins (5.0 ounces)

1 extra large egg (1.9 to 2.0 ounces)

1 cup well-shaken cultured low-fat buttermilk (8 ounces)

1/3 cup mild honey (3.6 ounces)

1/2 cup organic unrefined coconut oil or butter, MELTED (4 ounces)

NOTE: Not all oat bran are the same for this recipe. I had tried several other brands of oat bran in the past and the texture of the muffins were more dense and drier. I had the best results using Trader Joe's brand in which the muffins are tender and flavorful.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven. Spray a standard size muffin pan with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl. combine the flour, oat bran, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Using a wire whisk, stir ingredients together until well blended. Toss in the raisins and set aside.

For the wet ingredients, I like to mix one ingredient at a time. In a separate medium-size bowl, beat the egg with a wire whisk until well beaten. Whisk in the buttermilk until blended. Add the honey and whisk until blended. Last, add the melted coconut oil and whisk until blended.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the entire buttermilk mixture in center of the flour mixture. Using a pastry fork or wire whisk, gently stir and fold the flour mixture with the liquid mixture until just until dry ingredients are moistened and finish folding with a rubber spatula just until incorporated. Do not over mix. Batter will be quite thick.

Divide batter among the 12 prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let muffin cool in the pan for about 5 minutes; then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

YUM! Enjoy!

Yields 12 muffins, approximately 267 calories per muffin

Irish Brown Soda Bread

Irish Brown Soda Bread

This is a very easy-peasy recipe. From measuring the ingredients to putting the bread in the oven took about 15 minutes. This bread baked up beautifully and tastes absolutely wonderful: crunchy on the exterior and soft and dense in the interior. Good with a smear of butter. This bread is the easiest and quickest bread I ever made. Normally, Irish Soda Bread tastes the best the day it is baked, but toastes up nicely in the toaster the next day spread with a a smear of reduced-fat cream cheese, any type of nut butter, or just plalin butter. This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light magazine, March 2007 issue.

2 cups all-purpose flour (9 ounces)
2 cups whole-wheat flour (9.5 ounces)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda (0.3 ounce)
3/4 teaspoons salt (0.2 ounce)
2 cups buttermilk (1:0.9 pounds)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven.

In a very large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda and salt. Stir ingredients with a whisk until thoroughly blended. Make a well in center of mixture. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture. Using a pastry fork, stir everything together until blended. Dough will be sticky. Using floured hands, transfer dough to a generously floured surface and knead lightly 4 to 5 times. Using floured hands, gently shape dough into an 8-inch round loaf (I gently turn and shape dough into a round shape and then pat the top into 8-inch diameter; add more flour on work surface as needed and flour hands as needed). Place dough on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cut a 1/4-inch deep X on the top of the dough, using a serrated knife..

First bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees (do not remove bread from oven) and bake for additional 15 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer loaf to a wire rack to cool.

Yields 6 to 8 servings

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Muffin

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Muffins
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

 

Although Cooking Light already came out with a good Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe, it took me several modifications to come up with a moist muffin using 100% WHITE whole wheat flour. After experimenting with several types of cocoa powder, I prefer using the Dutch-process cocoa powder in this recipe which delivers a more intense chocolate taste. Replacing the water with buttermilk made the muffins more moist, tender and light. I'm pretty satisfied with these modifications. The muffins are not too sweet and perfect for breakfast.

1/2 cup semisweet MINI chocolate chips (3.2 ounces)
7.9 ounces WHITE whole wheat flour (about 1-3/4 cups)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (4 ounces)
1/3 cup sifted Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder OR Hershey's Cocoa Special Dark (1 ounce)
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten (1.8 to 1.9 ounces)
1-1/2 cups well-shaken cultured low-fat buttermilk (12 ounces)
1/4 cup EXTRA LIGHT olive oil or expeller-pressed canola oil (1.7 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven. Spray 11 standard-size muffin cups with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.

Measure 1 tablespoon chocolate chips (0.4 ounce) from the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to a separate small dish. Set both aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well with a whisk, using your fingers to break up any lumps of brown sugar. Set aside.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the egg, buttermilk, olive oil, and vanilla. Whisk until thoroughly combined.

Make a well in center of the flour mixture. Add the entire buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Using a wire whisk, gently stir the flour mixture with the buttermilk mixture just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently fold in the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.

Divide batter among 11 prepared muffin cups, about 3/4 filled. Sprinkle with remaining reserved 1 tablespoon chocolate chips and very lightly press the chips into the batter. Bake for 16 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing muffins from the pan and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield 11 muffins, approximately 224 calories per muffin

Banana Oat Muffins

Banana Oat Muffins

These banana oat muffins are made with WHITE whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is lighter and milder in flavor compared to regular whole wheat flour made from red wheat. Both white and regular whole wheat flour are equal in fiber and nutrition. Since white whole wheat flour is lighter then regular whole wheat flour, your baked goods will bake lighter as if you are using regular all-purpose flour. The buttermilk makes these muffins tender and moist. Using EXTRA LIGHT olive oil is a healthier choice of fat to use and flavorless enough to use in your baking goods. These muffins are moist and will become more moist with age. Store these muffins in an airtight container and place them in the refrigerator. Rewarm in a toaster oven or microwave for just a few seconds.

UPDATE: For those who came to this site because of a comment I made on Baking Bites's website regarding silicone cupcake/muffin cups, I want to inform everyone that I NO LONGER bake with the cupcake/muffin silicone cups. I was starting to notice an unpleasant rubbery, chemical taste on my muffins. I revert back to the traditional muffin tins. Besides the unpleasant taste on the muffins, the silicone cups becomes discolored the more you bake with them in which you would have to replace often if you bake with them frequently. My silicone cups are white so I noticed the dingy brown discoloration immediately.

1-1/2 cups WHITE whole wheat flour (6.0 ounces)
1 cup rolled oats (3.0 ounces)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (4.0 ounces)
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg (1.8 to 1.9 ounces)
3/4 cup well-shaken cultured low-fat buttermilk (6.0 ounces)
1/3 cup EXTRA LIGHT olive oil or expeller-pressed canola oil (2.5 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fork-mashed very ripe bananas, about 2 bananas (8.2 to 8.6 ounces)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven. Spray a standard size muffin pan with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.

In a large-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well with a whisk, using your fingers to break up any lumps of brown sugar. Set aside.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat the egg slightly with a whisk. Add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the bananas and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the entire buttermilk mixture in center of the flour mixture. Using a wire whisk, gently stir and fold the flour mixture with the liquid mixture until just until dry ingredients are moistened and finish folding with a rubber spatula.

Divide batter among the 12 prepared muffin cups, about 3/4 filled. Bake for 19 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let muffin cool in the pan for about 5 minutes; then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Best to store muffins in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator. The muffins will become more moist as it sits out at room temperature of more than one day.

Yield 12 muffins, approximately 196 calories per muffin

BAKING OPTIONS: You can also sprinkle some raw chopped walnuts, raw rolled oats or toasted coconut on top of each muffin before baking, if desired.

100% Whole-Wheat Banana Bread

100% Whole-Wheat Banana Bread

I'm not sure why...but I prefer my banana bread without nuts. I love to just savor the fresh banana flavor all on its own without the nuts. I don't mind having nuts in my muffins, but I just like my banana bread plain. To make this banana bread healthier, I replace all-purpose flour with WHITE whole wheat flour. The banana bread is still quite moist and delicious with the replacement of the whole wheat flour. Instead of butter, I use EXTRA LIGHT olive oil. I'm replacing the saturated fat from the butter with a healthier fat from the olive oil. Lastly, I replace the sour cream with reduced-fat (or low fat) Greek yogurt which will be a healthier alternative. The results is a moist banana bread with the a rich banana flavor. My friends cannot believe they are eating 100% whole wheat banana bread. The banana bread tends to be more flavorful and more moist with age. This recipe makes two loaves. When the banana bread is completely cooled, I like to wrap each loaf in plastic wrap. and leave one out to eat. The second loaf is double-wrapped in heavy duty aluminum foil and placed in the freezer until l I'm ready to eat it. This banana bread freezes well.

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain reduced-fat (or low fat) Greek-style yogurt (5 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups WHITE whole wheat flour (1:2.4 pounds)
4 teaspoons baking powder (0.6 ounce)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup EXTRA LIGHT olive oil or expeller-pressed canola oil (7 ounces)
2 cups granulated sugar (13.6 ounces)
4 large eggs
2 cups fork-mashed very ripe bananas, about 3-1/2 bananas (1:0.8 to 1:1.7 pounds)
2 cups chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven.

Spray two 9- by 5-inch loaf pans with nonstick baking spray and line the bottom of each loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine the yogurt and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer with the wire whisk attachment, beat together the oil and sugar for 5 minutes on medium speed, scraping down sides once or twice. Beat in eggs, one at a time, on slow speed, scraping down sides of bowl and beating well after each addition. Add the bananas and yogurt mixture and mixing just until well combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions on slow speed, about 7 seconds per addition, scraping downsides of bowl before each addition. Flour mixture will not be completely incorporated, but that's okay. After the last addition of the flour and mixing on slow speed for 7 seconds, increase speed to medium for about 5 seconds; increase speed to medium-high for about 6 seconds; reduce speed back to medium for about 3 seconds. Remove from mixer and gently fold in nuts by hand, if using.

Divide batter into the prepared pans. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and loaves are golden brown, about 60 minutes. Let loaves cool for about 5 minutes and then remove loaves from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Wrap in plastic wrap.

Yields 2 loaves