Gluten Free Tuscan Lemon Muffins

When I saw the original version of these Tuscan lemon muffins by Cooking Light I knew I had to adapt them to be gluten free.

These muffins caught my attention because they contain ricotta cheese which makes them different than your basic lemon muffin. I have used ricotta cheese a lot in cooking, but I don’t remember ever using them in a muffin before, so I was curious how it would work, especially in gluten free cooking.

I was also wondering how it would compare to using sour cream in a recipe. I often use sour cream in gluten free baking, and wondered if the ricotta cheese would work similarly.

I knew from looking at the recipe these were going to be more of a dessert like muffin. Now my kids did eat these for breakfast, but we also ate them for dessert. They really could go either way.

Since I knew they were going to be a richer dessert type muffin, I decided to use my favorite gluten free flours for cakes and desserts. Rice flour, sweet rice flour, and cornstarch.

The cornstarch helps give them a lighter texture.

And if you have never tried sweet rice flour in your gluten free baking I highly recommend it. Sweet rice flour is one of the reasons that I do not like premade gluten free flour blends. I have been amazed at the difference in adding sweet rice flour to cakes, cookies, and muffins. If I make a gluten free dessert and the texture is not quite right, I almost always get better results by tweaking the flours and using part sweet rice flour. It helps bind the ingredients together and really does make a difference.

Now for the recipe.

I loved these muffins. I will be making these again. My family loved the way they turned out and they were gone in no time. I loved the texture the ricotta cheese gave them. And I will be experimenting more with ricotta cheese in my gluten free baking.

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Yield: 12 muffins

Gluten Free Tuscan Lemon Muffins

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Rich and delicious gluten free lemon muffins

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 17 minutes

Total Time 27 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a bowl combine rice flour, sweet rice flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In other bowl combine ricotta cheese, water, oil, lemon juice, and egg. Stir to combine.
4. Add wet mixture to flour mixture stirring just until combined.
5. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners or grease well.
6. Scoop batter into muffin cups.
7. Bake at 375 for 15-17 minutes.
8. Cool on wire rack.
9. Store in an air tight container.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 207Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 169mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 4g

Nutritional values are approximate and aren't always accurate.