I seemed to have a lot of ricotta and lemons lying around and I've always loved the combination of the two. And muffins are a big hit in our house and pretty quick to whip up, so I went on a search for something to bring all these together.
I found this recipe for Giada DeLaurentiis that she bakes in a muffin tin but has the texture of a biscuit. I made some tweaks to fit the ingredients I had and it was delicious.
Keep in mind that the batter is much thicker than one for muffins and it won't rise as much as a muffin while it bakes, so you can fill the tin up almost to the top.
These taste heavenly warm, with some butter or jam.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plus 1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
zest from two lemons
1 cup ricotta (if you don't have quite enough, you can use some plain yogurt in place)
1 large egg
freshly squeezed lemon juice from one lemon
splash of vanilla
Directions:
1. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt in a medium bowl to blend.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar, butter and lemon zest in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta. Next beat in the egg, lemon juice and vanilla.
4. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended (the batter will be thick and fluffy).
5. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tsp of sugar.
6. Bake until the muffins become pale golden on top, about 20 minutes.
7. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Showing posts with label biscuits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biscuits. Show all posts
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Monday, December 26, 2016
Crackers & Dip - a great appetizer for a holiday get-together!
Around the holidays, it is inevitable that I will make my spinach dip at least once. Several years ago I made these cheesy crackers and they were hit. They do take some time and as it happened, I hadn't made them since. Feeling ambitious this year I decided to make them again and once again they were a huge hit.
Cheesy Spinach Dip
Ingredients:
2 250g cream cheese bricks, cubed
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Asiago cheese
1/3 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp thyme
2 300g package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
salt to taste
Directions:
1. Spray a medium-sized saucepan with cooking spray. Combine cream cheese and milk over medium heat, stirring frequently to melt the cream cheese (adjust heat as necessary).
2. When the cream cheese is almost melted, add the onion, garlic powder, paprika and thyme; stir to combine. When the cream cheese is completely melted, add spinach, Parmesan and Asiago cheeses. Stir to combine. As the mixture starts to bubble, lower the heat. Continue to heat through, about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom.
3. At this point you can transfer it to a serving dish and serve it warm with various crackers. If you are making it ahead, transfer it to an oven-proof dish (like corning ware) with a lid. Let it cool before refrigerating until you need it. To reheat, place in oven with lid at 350F for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through. Stir and serve.
Tex-Mex Cheese Crisps
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups flour
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (chilled) butter, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
200 g cheddar cheese, grated (about 1.5 cups - but weight to be precise!)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 415F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
2. Sift the flour, chilli powder, garlic powder, paprika and salt into a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
3. Add the egg and cheese and stir until the mixture comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and gather together into a ball. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to 3 mm (1/8") thickness. Cut into shapes with a 6 cm cookie cutter (for Christmas I used candy canes and Christmas trees!).
4. Place on the trays, allowing room for spreading. Bake for 12 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Leave on the trays for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Source: Ultimate Kitchen Companion
I call these crackers because they are crunchy, but they are also biscuit-like in that they are so flaky. These were a huge hit again this year - people couldn't get enough (with and without the spinach dip!)
Cheesy Spinach Dip
Ingredients:
2 250g cream cheese bricks, cubed
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Asiago cheese
1/3 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp thyme
2 300g package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
salt to taste
Directions:
1. Spray a medium-sized saucepan with cooking spray. Combine cream cheese and milk over medium heat, stirring frequently to melt the cream cheese (adjust heat as necessary).
2. When the cream cheese is almost melted, add the onion, garlic powder, paprika and thyme; stir to combine. When the cream cheese is completely melted, add spinach, Parmesan and Asiago cheeses. Stir to combine. As the mixture starts to bubble, lower the heat. Continue to heat through, about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom.
3. At this point you can transfer it to a serving dish and serve it warm with various crackers. If you are making it ahead, transfer it to an oven-proof dish (like corning ware) with a lid. Let it cool before refrigerating until you need it. To reheat, place in oven with lid at 350F for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through. Stir and serve.
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| This yummy and cheesy spinach dip can easily be halved for smaller crowds! |
Tex-Mex Cheese Crisps
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups flour
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (chilled) butter, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
200 g cheddar cheese, grated (about 1.5 cups - but weight to be precise!)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 415F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
2. Sift the flour, chilli powder, garlic powder, paprika and salt into a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
3. Add the egg and cheese and stir until the mixture comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and gather together into a ball. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to 3 mm (1/8") thickness. Cut into shapes with a 6 cm cookie cutter (for Christmas I used candy canes and Christmas trees!).
4. Place on the trays, allowing room for spreading. Bake for 12 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Leave on the trays for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Source: Ultimate Kitchen Companion
I call these crackers because they are crunchy, but they are also biscuit-like in that they are so flaky. These were a huge hit again this year - people couldn't get enough (with and without the spinach dip!)
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