Ricotta Honey Oatmeal Muffins.

These are light, springy muffins that go perfectly with tea or coffee for breakfast and brunch.  They reminded me of what graham crackers would taste like in muffin form, I suppose from the honey-oat combination, and they were delicious.

I hate to keep bringing up the weather but I wish it would just make up its mind already!  This past week had days near 60, but today it's been snowy and rainy.  But these muffins, warm from the oven, delivered just the right amount of comfort to help remind me that warmth will be here soon enough.  And only two weeks from now I'll be on my way to warm(er) North Carolina anyway :)

The original recipe for these gives 18 as the yield - I got 12 and I always get more cupcakes or muffins out of a recipe!  I also left out the orange zest because I didn't have any on hand, but feel free to add the zest of any citrus as well as any dried fruit or nut you'd like.

Ricotta Honey Oatmeal Muffins
Adapted from Food.com
1 large egg
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup honey
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup self-rising flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line with papers and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and ricotta cheese.  In another bowl, whisk the softened butter with the honey  until creamy, then stir in the ricotta mixture, oatmeal, baking soda and flour and stir until everything is just combined.  Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let cool on a wire rack, then store airtight up to 3 days.