muffins!

Okay, I've made these twice now, to rave reviews both times. Mollie Katzen is like, one of my culinary gods. I've been cooking from her cookbooks for years and always find things that I love. Both of these recipes are from Sunlight Cafe, a breakfast cookbook.

One thing that she recommended (which I did with both recipes), was to substitute up to half of the flour with soy protein powder (not soy flour). It adds more protein and makes denser muffins. I didn't notice any strange texture difference from other muffins when I used it, so I totally recommend it.

chocolate-ricotta muffins

nonstick spray 2 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour 3/4 tsp salt 2 tsp baking powder 6-8 tbsp unsweetened cocoa 1 c. sugar 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 c. ricotta cheese (whole milk is the best, but other kinds work as well) 2 large eggs 1 1/3 c. milk 1 tbsp vanilla extract 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Lightly spray 12 standard muffin cups with non-stick spray. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, cocoa, sugar, and chocolate chips in a medium-sized bowl. Place the ricotta in a second medium-sized bowl, and add the eggs one at a time, beating well with with a medium-sized whisk (ps. I just used a fork) after each addition. Add the milk and vanilla, and whisk until thoroughly blended. Pour the ricotta mixture, along with the melted butter, into the dry ingredients. Using a spoon or a rubber spatula, stir from the bottom of the bowl until the dry ingredients are all moistened. Don't overmix; a few lumps are okay. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. For smaller muffins, fill the cups about four-fifths full. For larger muffins, fill them up to the top. If you have extra batter, spray one or two additional muffin cups with non-stick spray and fill with the remaining batter. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven, then remove the muffins from the pan and place them on a rack to cool. Wait at least 30 minutes before serving.

raspberry-corn muffins

nonstick spray 1 c. unbleached all purpose flour 1 c. cornmeal (fine ground, not polenta) 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp baking soda 2/3 c. sugar 1/2 c. orange juice 1/2 c. buttermilk 1 large egg 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 c. raspberries (fresh or frozen -- undefrosted)

Preheat the oven to 400*F. Lightly spray 8 standard muffin cups with non-stick spray. Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Measure the orange juice and buttermilk into a 2-cup liquid measure. Add the egg and beat gently with a fork until smooth. Slowly pour this mixture, along with the melted butter, into the dry ingredients. Using a spoon or a rubber spatula, stir from the bottom of the bowl. When it is almost all mixed, add the raspberries, then complete the mixing with a few swift strokes until the dry ingredients are all moistened. Don't overmix; a few lumps are okay. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. For smaller muffins, fill the cups about four-fifths full. For larger muffins, fill them up to the top. If you have extra batter, spray one or two additional muffin cups with non-stick spray and fill with the remaining batter. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven, then remove the muffins from the pan and place them on a rack to cool. Wait at least 30 minutes before serving.

So, enjoy! Come back and let me know if you try them, I'd like to hear if you enjoyed them the way I did! ♥