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Dried Fruit and Ricotta Muffins

A rich, fruit-and-nut-packed muffin with ricotta and sour cream, and the big bakery dome.

Makes 6 large muffins
Golden dried-fruit-and-nut muffins cooling on a wire rack, with one cut open to show its crumb.

Ingredients

Dry Team

  • 180 g all-purpose flour
  • 180 g King Arthur Golden Wheat Flour
  • 2½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp table salt
  • 225 g dried fruit
  • 115 g chopped nuts
  • Zest of 2 oranges (optional)

Cream Team

  • 90 g softened butter
  • 75 g vegetable oil
  • 100 g white sugar
  • 100 g brown sugar

Wet Team

  • 3 eggs
  • 1½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ⅛ tsp almond extract
  • 100 g sour cream
  • 150 g ricotta

Let’s make it

Method

  1. Set a baking stone on the center rack and heat the oven to 425°F with the stone in place. Butter six jumbo muffin cups, spacing them in a checkerboard pattern so no two filled cups touch.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the dried fruit and chopped nuts.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter with the white and brown sugars until creamy. Beat in the vegetable oil, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, sour cream, and ricotta. Stir in the orange zest, if using.
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold just until no dry pockets remain; avoid overmixing.
  5. Fill each prepared jumbo muffin cup all the way to the top. Set the muffin tin on the baking stone. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for about 25 minutes more, until the muffins are set and a tester comes out clean.
  6. Cool briefly in the pan, then move the muffins to a rack.