Deliciously rich and intensely buttery, these muffins are made to satisfy. Just three ingredients makes a plentiful batch for snacking or they can be served with dinner.
I had considered a lofty baking project for my first post of the New Year, but ultimately decided there will be plenty of time for that later. I’d rather ease into things with something simple and delicious, and this recipe is both.
I found this recipe while digging through a stack of old community cookbooks. I’d never heard of Butter-Me-Nots, and I was intrigued by the incredibly short list of ingredients.
Here they are – all 3 ingredients. Whenever a baking recipe has so few, you can just about bet that one of them is self-rising flour. I keep this type flour on hand because is the absolute best flour for southern style buttermilk biscuits, and I make those weekly.
Whole milk ricotta is the second ingredient, and if you don’t have that on hand you can swap in full fat sour cream (see my recipe notes). Last but certainly not least, a full cup of melted butter goes right into the batter.
These will keep for a few days in a zip-top bag, and they return to their original tenderness when re-heated. I find 10-15 seconds in the microwave does the trick for one large or three mini muffins.
Yields 10 muffins, or 2 1/2 dozen mini muffins
2 cups (240g) self-rising flour (*see note for substitution)
1 cup (9 oz.) whole milk ricotta cheese
1 cup (2 sticks/226g) unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the ricotta cheese and melted butter. Use a large spatula or wooden spoon to stir the ingredients together until a thick, pale batter forms.
For standard size muffins: Using a standard-size trigger ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup measure, portion batter by the level scoopfuls into 10 lightly greased cavities of a muffin tin. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick tester comes out with just a few small crumbs clinging to it. If muffin tops are pale, place under the broiler for 2 minutes. The muffins will be tender while warm, so let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Gently remove with a fork to a wire rack to cool.
For mini muffins: Using a small trigger cookie scoop (4 teaspoon capacity) portion dough into a lghtly greased mini muffin pan (approx. 1 3/4-inch cavities), filling them full to the tops. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the muffins are lightly puffed and golden around the edges. Place under the broiler for 2 minutes if the tops are pale. Let cool slightly in the pans, then remove with a toothpick to a wire rack.
Serve muffins warm. Store muffins in a plastic bag with a twist-tie (or in a zip-top bag). Reheat before serving. About 10 seconds in the microwave for 1 regular muffin or 3 mini muffins will bring them back to their original tenderness.
*Notes:
For homemade self-rising flour, combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Whisk to combine. Use in this recipe as a replacement for self-rising flour.
If you don’t have ricotta on hand, one 8 oz. container of full fat sour cream can be substituted for the 9 oz. of whole milk ricotta.
