Giada's Nonna's Lemon Almond Ricotta Muffins

My sister Maria shares some great muffin recipes with me, and this Lemon Almond Ricotta Muffin one is no exception. I actually had saved this recipe myself before she told me that she makes them, but I hadn't tried them until recently. I love almond and lemon flavored baked goods, so I think these are amazing. I always keep a few fresh muffins out and individually wrap and freeze most of them to enjoy other days. Give them a try!

Nonna's Lemon Almond Ricotta Muffins

Recipe courtesy Giada de Laurentiis

 

These muffins are perfectly light and fluffy, with subtle flavors from almond and lemon. They make the house smell amazing, and it’s such a great bite with morning coffee.

 

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar or more as needed for sprinkling

½ 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

½ teaspoon almond extract

1/3 cup thinly sliced almonds

 

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350°. 

 

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 or at room temperature.

 

Yield: 12 muffins.

Blueberry Muffins

I love muffins, and blueberry muffins are my absolute favorite. Add in some lemon zest and I'm in heaven. I have been craving blueberry muffins the past few days but I haven't made them in so long that I couldn't remember which recipe I like the best, so yesterday I asked my sister Maria what recipe she is using these days. She bakes a lot and muffins are one of her specialties. She sent me an easy Blueberry Muffin recipe that has simple ingredients and doesn't require using a mixer. Since we are in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic and avoiding going anywhere that is not completely necessary, I haven't been to Costco or the grocery store in a while. I've been using Peapod but they've been out of frozen blueberries. Last night my husband had to make a quick trip to the grocery store to get some bread and a few other things we were running low on, and picked up a small package of blueberries - just enough for this recipe. I'm glad I got the chance to try this recipe today. Not only was it super easy to make, but these muffins are incredibly delicious and they were exactly what I was craving!

Blueberry Muffins

Recipe courtesy “Beneath the Crust” Blog

1¾ cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons butter (¾ stick)

½ cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel (I never measure — just grab a lemon & zest rigorously. No way you’ll ever get too much zest from just one lemon) or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, don’t thaw)
 

Preheat oven to 400°. Prep your muffin tin, either greasing each cup or lining with paper muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture is pebbly with some larger chunks of butter the size of torn bread chunks. Not working the butter in too finely is key for making these more crumbly and scone-like. (I prefer to cut the butter into small cubes, dump it in, then use my hands to smoosh it into the flour mixture, but two knives, a pastry cutter, or even a stand mixer would work just fine).

In a liquid measuring cup, measure out the milk. Add the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla. Blend well (I use a fork).

Add milk mixture to dry ingredients. Mix (using a wooden spoon, sturdy spatula, or stand mixer) just until the flour is moistened.*

Stir in blueberries. Gently.

Dollop batter into muffin tin using two spoons. The batter will be stiff and should fill each cup about ½ to ¾ full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until fragrant and a delicious golden brown. Enjoy!

Yield: 12 muffins.

NOTE: *I find muffins do better without over mixing. A little bit of flour mixture at the bottom of the bowl is okay. The blueberries help bring everything together, and you can just distribute the leftover sugar mixture as you’re filling your muffin tin. It incorporates into the muffins just fine.

Fresh out of the oven!

Updated photos from August 2021:

Lemon Burst Cookies

A few years ago my cousin Michael and his wife Tina gave out homemade Lemon Burst Cookies as favors for their wedding. Since then, these cookies have been made for a few family parties and they are always a hit. They are so delicious and are the perfect cookie for the spring and summer months. If you like lemon-flavored desserts, give this recipe a try!

I like to use fresh lemon juice instead of lemon extract so I added that to the original recipe. I used a small cookie scoop and got exactly 40 cookies out of 1 recipe. These are so good!

Lemon Burst Cookies

 

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

Zest from 1½ lemons

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon lemon extract or 1-2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

½ cup powdered sugar (for rolling)

 

Preheat oven to 350°F.

 

Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.

 

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour and baking powder). Add zest and whisk it in.

 

In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

 

Add eggs, one at a time and mix well.

 

Add vanilla and lemon extract or lemon juice. Mix again.

 

With mixer on low speed, mix in dry only until just combined.

 

Roll the dough into balls and roll in powdered sugar.

 

Place on baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between them.

 

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until puffed and bottoms are just golden brown.

 

Cool on sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack.

 

Makes about 40 cookies.

Cookies made by my sister Regina

Cookies made by Tina

Photos by JoJo

Lemon Buttermilk Bars

I've had two lemon bar recipes that I've been wanting to try and finally made one today. This was a recipe that I found on Williams-Sonoma's website. I decided to try this one first instead of Paula Deen's recipe because it made a smaller batch, although I could have just made half of her recipe and put it in an 8x8 pan. I will have to try hers another day. If you like lemon bars, I would recommend trying a recipe rather than making them from a box mix. They are so easy to make and taste a lot better homemade!

The crust took no time to mix. I sifted all of the flour used in this recipe just to make sure I wouldn't have any lumps. I used a spatula to spread the crust in the pan first, and then evened it out with my fingers. While the crust was baking, I made the filling.

I never have buttermilk on hand so I substituted a vinegar/milk mixture that I made - 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar and the rest of the 1/2 cup measuring cup filled with milk. After letting the dish cool, I cut them into 16 small bars and sprinkled confectioners' sugar on top. It was that simple!

If you like lemon desserts, you will love this recipe!

Lemon Buttermilk Bars

Recipe courtesy “Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast: Baking” Cookbook

Buttermilk adds a pleasing tang to these dessert bars, which derive their lemony taste from grated lemon zest and fresh juice.

6 Tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup plus 2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

½ cup buttermilk

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Mix the dough and bake the crust
Preheat an oven to 350°. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and the ¼ cup granulated sugar on medium speed until creamy. Reduce the speed to low, add the 2/3 cup flour and the salt and beat until blended. Spoon the dough into the prepared pan and press evenly into the pan bottom. Bake until the crust is golden, 15 to 18 minutes.

Make the filling
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and the remaining 2/3 cup granulated sugar on medium speed until blended. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons flour, the lemon zest, lemon juice and buttermilk and beat until smooth. Pour the filling over the baked crust, spreading evenly.

Bake the filling
Bake until the top of the filling is set and barely browned at the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into 8 bars, dust with confectioners’ sugar shaken through a sieve and serve.

Makes 8 bars.

NOTE: If you do not have buttermilk, pour 1½ teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice into a ½ cup measuring cup and then fill the remainder of the cup with milk. Let sit 5 minutes.

Crust dough

Spread dough in an 8x8 pan

Bake until crust is golden

Lemon filling

Pour lemon filling over baked crust

Right out of the oven!

Let cool completely on a wire wrack

Cut bars

Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and enjoy!

Photos by JoJo

Honey Madeleines

I also had a chance to use my new madeleine pans today. I found a Honey Madeleine recipe on Williams-Sonoma website and since I was testing out both the pans and the recipe, I only made one batch (which gave me 20 madeleines). I was pretty happy with both, and will definitely be testing out more recipes in these pans soon!

Nonstick Madeleine Pan (photo from Williams-Sonoma

Honey Madeleines

Recipe courtesy Williams-Sonoma website

6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for brushing

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs

½ cup sugar

1 Tablespoon honey

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until it starts to brown and gives off a nutty aroma, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small heatproof bowl and let cool.

Sift together the flour and baking powder; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on high speed until pale yellow and thick, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and honey and beat until thick, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture, then the lemon zest, vanilla and melted butter and beat until well blended. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand for 1 hour.

Preheat an oven to 375ºF. Butter and flour a madeleine pan.

Whisk the batter briefly. Fill each prepared madeleine well three-fourths full of batter. Bake until the madeleines are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Immediately invert the pan onto a wire rack and remove the madeleines, using a toothpick to gently loosen them, if needed. Let the pan cool completely, then repeat with more butter, flour and the remaining batter.

Makes about 24 madeleines.

Madeleine batter

Batter filled 3/4 of the way

I love how these pans look!

Photos by JoJo

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Chicken Piccata

Last Friday I was looking online for a simple chicken dish to make. I wanted some kind of chicken in wine sauce, and wanted to use what I had at home so I could just start cooking once I got home from work. I found some chicken piccata recipes but didn't have any chicken stock at home. Then I found Ina Garten's recipe and it was just what I was looking for. It doesn't even have capers (which was fine with me, even though I did have some at home) like most chicken piccata recipes. I made angel hair spaghetti and spinach to go with the chicken. It was delicious, I highly recommend trying it! The original recipe (and video) can be found on The Food Network.

A few notes on this: The recipe calls for one chicken breast split in two and pounded thin. I used two split chicken breasts and kept the rest of the recipe as is. I probably should have pounded the chicken a little thinner, because it took longer than 2 minutes to cook without it still being raw in the middle. That is the only thing I'll change the next time I make this.

A little lesson on where the word "piccata" comes from can be found here - just thought it was interesting!

Chicken Picatta

Recipe courtesy Ina Garten

2 split (1 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 extra-large egg

½ Tablespoon water

¾ cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

Good olive oil

3 Tablepsoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved

½ cup dry white wine

Sliced lemon, for serving

Chopped parsley leaves, for serving

Preheat oven to 400˚. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to ¼-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the egg and ½ tablespoon of water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first into the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the sauté pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves and serve 1 chicken breast on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Makes 2 servings.

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