Strawberry Ricotta Muffins

I made these guys for breakfast one morning. Though slightly time consuming due to roasting the strawberries the aroma that will fill your house is well worth the wait! The reason the strawberries are roasted is so that they become slightly "dehydrated."

See, strawberries are a very juicy ingredient. Any baker knows that trying to actually bake with them can be tricky as the liquid that eventually releases itself into any batter ends up changing the dynamics of the batter because of it. So, the work-around is to roast the strawberries. By roasting the strawberries they release their juices in the roasting pan, not your batter, and as a result their sweetness is concentrated and their shape will hold in whatever you are making. And oh man, the smell. The smell! So amazing. It brought me back to being at home when my mom would make her homemade preserves. It's an intensly sweet aroma that's just the prequel to what's to come.

These muffins are extremely light and fluffy and most definitely moist. They hold up for days as well!


Ingredients:

• 2 cups medium strawberries
• 3/4 cup ricotta
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 10 Tbsp. butter melted and cooled, divided
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp.baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently wash, hull, and cut strawberries into quarters. Place berries on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Bake until strawberries are partially dried, about 45 minutes. Let cool.
2. Increase oven to 400 degrees. Brush a 12-mold muffin tin with 2 Tbsp. melted butter. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, whisk together ricotta, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in remaining butter.
4. In a large bowl, use your fingertips to rub together sugar and lime zest until sugar is moist. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Use a spatula to gently but quickly fold ricotta mixture into dry ingredients. Don’t overwork it. The batter will be thick and heavy, much thicker than most batters so don't be alarmed! Stir in strawberries and spoon batter evenly into muffin tins. Bake until tops of muffins are golden and springy to the touch, about 20-25 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins

Buon Appetito!
- Lindsay