Lemon Almond Ricotta Muffins

 This recipe comes from mysequinedlife.com.

Ingredients

1 3/4 c flour

3/4 sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 c ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1/2 c unsalted butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 3/4 teaspoons lemon zest

1/4 c sliced almonds, roughly chopped

For the glaze:

1/2 c plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease 10 cups of a regular 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk so all of the dry ingredients are evenly mixed together.
3. In a separate bowl, add ricotta cheese, eggs, melted butter, almond extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat the wet ingredients together well until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. The batter will be pretty thick.
4. Scoop batter evenly into the 10 prepared muffin cups. The batter should come up to just below the top of each muffin cup. Evenly scatter sliced almonds over top of the muffins and lightly press them into the surface.
5. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a tester (like a toothpick) inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool in muffin tin for a few minutes, and then loosen the outer edges with a small thin spatula. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Once muffins are completely cool, add all of the glaze ingredients to a bowl and whisk until no lumps remain. I transferred the glaze mixture to a plastic bag, sealed, and snipped the corner off (you can use a piping bag if you have one). Drizzle glaze over top of the muffins and let harden before serving or storing.

Notes

• When combining the wet and dry ingredients, be sure to mix until just combined. I look for right when the dry flour disappears throughout the batter. Over-mixing can lead to an unpleasant and tough muffin texture.
• Nutritional info is an estimate including all of the glaze being drizzled equally over top of the muffins. Depending on your preference, you may use less than the full amount to glaze (or omit it completely), which would decrease the nutritional stats.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 6.8g | Fat: 12.6g | Saturated Fat: 6.9g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 273mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 23.9g | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg