Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Can you tell I like baking? I like this recipe because it uses ricotta cheese. I modified this recipe from a basic muffin recipe I found; instead of using sour cream, I used ricotta because that's all I had. The substitution made for a denser muffin, which is ok with me. If you like yours a little fluffier, don't use ricotta or sour cream. Use 2 sticks of butter instead or use plain yogurt (not non-fat):

Lemon Poppy Seed Ricotta Muffins

1 ½ c AP flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 stick (1/2 c) butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
Zest of one lemon
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup ricotta cheese

In a small mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and powder, salt and poppy seeds.
In another mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, egg, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Once creamed, add fresh lemon juice and ricotta cheese and mix well to blend.
Add the dry ingredients and stir till combined.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out the muffin mix into a muffin tin.
Bake for 20 minutes.


Note: these are not very sweet. If you like your muffins sweeter, use a little more sugar, or make a lemon glaze to top your muffin. A glaze can be made with 1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar and 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice.