Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Ricotta - probably the most popular ingredient in Sicilian desserts.....think poundcake, cheesecake, cannoli's, Cartocci, and the most famous of all  - Cassata- made with sponge cake, soaked in rum and fruit juices, with layers of ricotta and topped with a marzipan shell.  Decadent, don't you think.?

In trying to start the year off in a somewhat healthier way I opted for a Lemon Ricotta muffin - light and fluffy -great for breakfast or any time -minus the rum and marzipan.

Adapted from Giada De Laurentis' Everyday Italian

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar or more as needed for sprinkling
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup thinly sliced almonds
Directions
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar, butter, and lemon zest in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended (the batter will be thick and fluffy).

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the almonds and then the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar over the muffins. Bake until the muffins just become pale golden on top, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm.

World Nutella Day

It's World Nutella Day and since I am an obsessive nutella eater, I thought I would share one of my recent recipes - the top layer calls for chocolate chips and butter melted, but since I had this gigantic jar of Nutella in my cupboard, it was obvious what ingredient I HAD to use. Don't forget the sea salt! 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookie (twix) Bars 

 COOKIE LAYER 1/2 cup granulated 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract 1/2 tsp salt 2 cups flour 

 CARAMEL LAYER 10 oz plastic wrapped caramels, unwrapped and roughly chopped {I used those Fleur de Sel caramels from Trader Joe’s– fabulous!} 2 tbsp heavy cream 

 CHOCOLATE LAYER 12 oz. dark chocolate chips Or 1-1/2 cups nutella tbsp butter flaky sea salt

 

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 15 x 10″ glass baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Cream together the soft butter with the granulated sugar and powdered sugar until fluffy. Then, add the vanilla and salt. Mix in the flour until you have a soft dough then press dough into the bottom of the baking dish. Prick holes all over the dough using a fork then bake for 35 minutes, until golden brown. After baking, remove crust and let cool while you make the caramel layer. Melt together the chopped caramels with the cream in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Once melted completely, pour caramel over cookie crust, smoothing with a rubber spatula. Set aside. Melt the chocolate chips with the butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour the chocolate over the caramel layer, smooth with a spatula, then immediately scatter flaky sea salt all over the top. Set in the fridge for an hour to cool completely before slicing. To slice cookie bars, run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen then gently take the entire large “cookie bar” out of the pan and place on the counter. Using a HOT knife (keep the knife in a mug of hot water), cut into bars. The hot knife is key here — be sure to wipe knife with a paper towel between slices. total time (includes cooling) — 2 hours