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

Toasts with ...

Toasts with ...

 

... Banana and Toasted Walnuts

Toasted 100% whole-grain bread; cut a medium-size ripe banana (4.3 ounces) into large chunks; slightly mash half of the banana chunks and spread on the toast first, then pile the rest of the banana chunks on top; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon organic unrefined coconut palm sugar OR organic maple sugar OR drizzle with 1 teaspoon of 100% pure maple syrup; and lastly, sprinkle 1 tablespoon toasted chopped walnuts on top (0.3 ounces).

(285 calories)

 

 ... Mashed Avocado

Toasted 100% whole-grain bread, spread mashed one-half of a medium-size avocado (2.0 ounces), sprinkle with salt and generous amount of coarsely ground pepper.

(210 calories)

 

 ... Havarti Cheese and Sauteed Mushrooms

Toasted 100% whole-grain bread, layer 1 ounce slice of Havarti cheese to fit nicely on top of the toast and top with sauteed cremini mushrooms. Toast in the toaster oven until cheese melts.

(300 calories) 

 

... Ricotta Cheese and Pistachios

(adapted from Cooking Light)

Recipe posted here.

Apple Bundt Cake

Apple Bundt Cake
Adapted from Design Sponge

I received a bag full of home grown golden delicious apples. I cannot seem to eat them fast enough and is taking up too much space in my refrigerator. I bookmarked an Apple Bundt Cake recipe from Design Sponge's website years ago. I finally gave this recipe a try and it turned out great. I'm dissappointed I didn't try this recipe sooner. The cake is not overly sweet and moist which is great to eat as a breakfast cake...or a great afternoon tea cake. This cake didn't exactly clear up the apples in my refrigerator, so I am planning to bake a second one this week because it's that delicious!
 
1 tablespoon organic natural cane sugar (0.3 ounce)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 cups diced peeled apples (about 1:3.9 to 1:6.4 pounds)*
3 cups unbleached WHITE whole wheat flour (12.3 ounces)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups organic natural cane sugar (13.2 ounces)
1  cup EXTRA LIGHT olive oil or expeller-pressed canola oil (7.0 ounces)
1/4 cup orange juice (2.0 ounces)
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs (7.2 to 7.6 ounces)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted and cooled (3.5 ounces)
1/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting

*Approximately 1.75 to 2.0 pounds at purchase weight. After apples are peeled, cored and diced, the weight will be anywhere from 1:3.9 to 1:6.4 pounds. I like to use Golden Delicious, Gala, Macintosh, or Pink Lady varieties.
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven. Coat a 10-inch (12-cup) bundt pan or tube pan with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
 
In a tiny bowl, whisk together the 1 tablespoon sugar and the 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon with a tiny whisk or a fork until thoroughly combined. In a medium-size bowl, combine the apples and the cinnamon-sugar mixture and toss until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and salt into a separate medium-size bowl. Set aside.

In a large-size mixing bowl, combine the 2 cups sugar, oil, orange juice, vanilla and eggs. Using a whisk, whisk vigorously together until smooth (couple of minutes). Add the flour mixture and gently whisk together just until combined, but do not overmix. With a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped nuts.

Spread one-fourth of the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Evenly sprinkle in one-third of the apple mixture. Continue to alternate layers of cake batter and apple mixture ending with the cake batter. Do not need to worry whether all the apples get completely covered by cake batter. It will turn out during baking.

Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown and top springs back with lightly touched. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Unmold cake and continue to let cake COOL COMPLETELY on a wire rack (about 2-1/2+ hours). Make sure the bundt cake has cooled completely before dusting the powdered sugar. If cake is not completely cooled, the powdered sugar will melt.

 

Dust with powdered sugar and ready to slice and eat.

If cake is going to be left out for more than two days at room temperature, it's best to store cake in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container. This cake will become more moist with age.

Yield 8 to 16 slices, approximately 301 calories per 1/16 slice