Our readers might recall these light, chocolaty muffins from our bestselling Coffeehouse Mystery A Brew to a Kill.
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As the story opens, coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi hires a sweet-natured dietitian to help lighten some of the higher calorie items on her menu. When Lilly is brutally struck by a hit-and-run driver, Clare’s outrage propels her into tracking down the culprit; and once again, Clare is sleuthing her way in and out of trouble.
For today's recipe, I'm duplicating one of Lilly's coffeehouse menu makeovers. May you eat it with joy and in good health!
Cleo Coyle's
Chocolate Ricotta Muffins
Cleo Coyle's
Chocolate Ricotta Muffins
With a mocha variation
To download this recipe in a free PDF
document that you can print, save,
or share, click here.
document that you can print, save,
or share, click here.
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| Click for the free recipe PDF. |
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Cleo Coyle has a partner in
crime-writing—her husband.
Learn about their books
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These little cakes are packed with big chocolate flavor! They’re also one of our favorite guilt-free coffee break snacks. The reason is our secret ingredient: ricotta cheese.
You will not taste the cheese in these muffins. You will only taste the chocolate. What the ricotta brings to these muffins is a beautiful creamy moistness, along with protein and nutrition (but without the added calories of more butter or oil).
Natural cocoa powder adds flavor but also structure to the muffins, which allowed me to reduce the amount of refined white flour in the recipe. To make these muffins even healthier, you can swap in white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, which brings more dietary fiber to your snack table.
Finally, while chocoholics might throw a fistful of chips into this batter, we enjoy these tender, chocolaty muffins as is or with a dollop of Chocolate "Buttercream" Frosting, made without butter or cream. How would a culinary sleuth like our beloved coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi make that frosting? With a mystery ingredient, of course! To see that recipe, click here.
☕
And now for the recipe...
And now for the recipe...
Cleo Coyle's
Chocolate Ricotta Muffins
Makes 6 large muffins or 8 small
Chocolate Ricotta Muffins
Makes 6 large muffins or 8 small
Ingredients
1 large egg
½ cup ricotta (whole or part-skim)
½ cup light buttermilk (see note on substitution*)
3 T. oil (canola, vegetable, or coconut, but not olive)
¼ cup granulated white sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup + 1 T. natural, unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 pinches of table salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup + 1 T. all-purpose flour
*Buttermilk substitute: For best results, use light buttermilk in this recipe. Otherwise, to make a substitute, measure out 1T of lemon juice or white vinegar into a 1 cup container. Fill the rest of the cup with whole or 2% milk. Stir and allow the mix to sit on the counter for 10 minutes before using.
Variation:
For Mocha Muffins, add 1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso where indicated in Step 1. Instant espresso is freeze-dried espresso and not ground espresso roast beans. I use this brand (Medaglia D’oro), but you can certainly use any you like.
1 large egg
½ cup ricotta (whole or part-skim)
½ cup light buttermilk (see note on substitution*)
3 T. oil (canola, vegetable, or coconut, but not olive)
¼ cup granulated white sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup + 1 T. natural, unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 pinches of table salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup + 1 T. all-purpose flour
*Buttermilk substitute: For best results, use light buttermilk in this recipe. Otherwise, to make a substitute, measure out 1T of lemon juice or white vinegar into a 1 cup container. Fill the rest of the cup with whole or 2% milk. Stir and allow the mix to sit on the counter for 10 minutes before using.
Variation:
For Mocha Muffins, add 1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso where indicated in Step 1. Instant espresso is freeze-dried espresso and not ground espresso roast beans. I use this brand (Medaglia D’oro), but you can certainly use any you like.
Chocoholics: Feel free to fold in semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips before baking (1/3 to 1/2 cup, according to your own taste). You can even “go nuts” and add finely chopped hazelnuts or walnuts.
DIRECTIONS:
DIRECTIONS:
Step 1 – Make muffin batter with one-bowl mixing method: Using a hand whisk or electric mixer, beat the egg until slightly frothy. Measure in the ricotta, light buttermilk, oil, white and light brown sugars, cocoa, vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, and baking soda (if making mocha muffin, add your 1-1/2 teaspoons of instant espresso now). Whisk well until fully blended. Measure in the flour. Mix only enough to make a smooth batter. Do not over-mix at this stage or you’ll develop the gluten in the flour and your muffins will be tough instead of tender.
Step 2 – Spray the papers: Line muffin cups with paper holders and spray the papers with non-stick spray. This is a low-fat recipe, so if you do not spray the papers, the muffins will stick.
Step 3 – Bake: This recipe makes about 1-3/4 cups of muffin batter. You can make six large muffins or eight small ones. Divide the batter among your muffin cups. Bake in a well-preheated oven at 375° F. for about 20 minutes, depending on your oven. Do not over-bake. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into a test muffin comes out clean (with no batter clinging to it).
TIP: Muffins will be fragile when they first come out of the hot oven. Allow them to cool in the pan for about ten minutes and transfer to a rack. If muffin edges are sticking to the paper, simply allow them to cool a bit more.
OPTIONAL FROSTING
Try finishing the cooled muffins with a dollop of Chocolate “Buttercream” Frosting (without butter or cream). What is the mystery ingredient in this chocolate frosting? (Followers of this blog already know. :))
Get this dairy-free chocolate
frosting recipe by clicking
the link above or clicking here.
F o o d i e
P h o t o s
P h o t o s
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| Click for the free recipe PDF. |
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Eat (and read) with joy!
~ Cleo Coyle
5 Best of Year Lists!
👇
5 Best of Year Lists!
☕
Now in paperback!
Now in paperback!
Amazon * B&N
*
IndieBound * BAM
"A gripping and entertaining mystery"
--Library Journal (Starred Review)
*
"Penetrating insights" --Kirkus Reviews
*
"Sure to delight" --Publishers Weekly
🍴
Our culinary mystery includes
25 delicious recipes! To get the
Free Recipe Guide, click here.
Click for Free Recipe Guide
to Shot in the Dark.
"A gripping and entertaining mystery"
--Library Journal (Starred Review)
*
"Penetrating insights" --Kirkus Reviews
*
"Sure to delight" --Publishers Weekly
🍴
Our culinary mystery includes
25 delicious recipes! To get the
Free Recipe Guide, click here.
25 delicious recipes! To get the
Free Recipe Guide, click here.
|
| Click for Free Recipe Guide to Shot in the Dark. |
A "Best Book of 2018!"
*
~ Suspense Magazine
"He is hardboiled in the tradition
of Philip Marlowe, and she is a genteel
Miss Marple; yet the two opposites
make an explosive combination..."
—Midwest Book Review
"He is hardboiled in the tradition
of Philip Marlowe, and she is a genteel
Miss Marple; yet the two opposites
make an explosive combination..."
—Midwest Book Review
of Philip Marlowe, and she is a genteel
Miss Marple; yet the two opposites
make an explosive combination..."
—Midwest Book Review