(makes 2 dozen medium-sized muffins)

Pull it all together before starting.

1 ½ sticks, soft butter

1 ½ C sugar

Zest of 1 small lemon

3 eggs, room temperature

1 ½ t vanilla

¼ C half and half

1 C ricotta cheese, whole milk

2 ½ C flour

2 t baking powder

½ t salt

½ t soda

2 C fresh blueberries

Add butter, sugar and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using paddle attachment, cream mixture. Combine eggs, vanilla and half and half in a pourable container. With mixer running, add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Combine dry flour, baking powder, salt and soda in a mixing bowl and whisk to blend. With mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry mix and the ricotta cheese to the egg/butter mix. Begin with the dry mix and end with the dry mix. Use lowest speed and minimize your paddle use. You can finish folding by hand. Add blueberries 1 C at a time and carefully fold into the batter without bursting the berries. A gentle touch can pull this off. Reserve a few berries for poking into the tops. Portion batter into a muffin tin sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Place reserved berries on top of each muffin submerging them just into the batter. Sprinkle raw sugar on top of each and place into a preheated 375 degree oven. Bake 12 minutes, rotate and bake an additional 12 minutes more or until the muffins are just set. Remove tin from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before removing muffins to a cooling rack. These are incredible. So moist. So full of berries. Enjoy.

mini loaves work too