Tangerine Ricotta Muffins (Monday Muffins)

Lightly sweet, brightly creamy, these tangerine ricotta muffins are a lovely winter muffin

 Follow me | Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook

When I saw these muffins I knew I wanted to try making them using one of the citrus fruits from the Band Fruit Fundraiser stash.  I also had ricotta that I wanted to use up so I could try and make my own like Annemarie does.  However, I made one of the classic blunders (no, not the "never get involved in a land war in Asia one" nor the "never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line" one):  I didn't read the entire recipe first.

So at 6:20 am, when I stumbled into the kitchen with the intent of making Tangerine Ricotta Muffins for my kids' breakfast, I was caught unawares with "1 stick of butter, softened" as an ingredient.

Oops!  I hadn't set out any butter to soften and I didn't really want to nuke one because good grief an entire stick of butter in a pan of muffins?  My kids eat 2 or 3 muffins a piece!  I didn't want them to consume 1/4 stick of butter just with breakfast--and that was before I read "1 cup of sugar".

If you've seen my other muffin recipes (muffin recipe index to your right), you know that I serve them to my kids as part of breakfast or after school snacks--not dessert--so my muffins are usually whole grain and contain less sugar and fat than what I see in many bakery muffins.

I set that recipe aside for a future dessert, because it looks so delicious and I think my family will love it for a special treat.  Instead, I took my ricotta cheese, my tangerines, and my muffin-making skills and made these muffins.  The kids loved them hot with a bit of buttery spread. I liked mine later, room temperature, with my tea.  The next day my son grabbed some to take on the road to his sled hockey tournament and my daughter spread hers with strawberry jam.  Next time, I'm thinking white whole wheat flour, honey, and tangelos . . .

For other recipes using tangerines, please see my Tangerine/Tangelo Recipes Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. For more muffin recipes, look to the Recipe Index by Category on the right sidebar -----> under Muffins. Wanna know how to Use This Blog? Click here.

Tangerine Ricotta Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 generous cup ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons tangerine zest (from 2 tangerines)
• 1/3 cup freshly, lovingly, painstakingly hand squeezed juice (from 2 tangerines)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil or cooking oil of your choice
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  
2. Spray a regular 12 hole muffin pan with oil.  
3. In a large bowl, mix wet ingredients (sugar goes here too).  If you don't have to squeeze your tangerines section by section because you have a better way, share it with me (please!) in the comments or on my FB page.  Oy, that took forever!  The composting pigs got the squozen sections. I know that's not a word.  
4. Dump the dry ingredients on top.  Stir until just combined. 
5. Scoop** into a prepared muffin pan and bake for 16 minutes.  
6. Cool 3 minutes in the pan, then flip onto a rack and let the kids at 'em.  Serve.

**My scoop holds 3 Tablespoons (1 ½ ounces) by volume, though the muffin batter is mounded in the scoop so I'm pretty sure I'm putting a good 3 ½ to 4 Tablespoons into each muffin well.  The muffin wells in my regular muffin pans each hold 3 ounces by volume.



This post is shared with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Tasty Tuesdays, Fresh Foods Wednesday, What's Cookin' Wednesday, From the Farm Blog Hop