Baking Night: Parmesan and Prosciutto Mini Muffins

Rachel and I have begun a weekly tradition of Baking Night. Depending on when the kiddos go down we can end up baking into the wee hours but it's been loads of fun. Granted the late night makes mistakes more likely but so far everything's been edible. We started out with some sweets - we made a killer chocolate cake that also freezes really well. Freezing was an attempt to keep us from eating it all at once, but it turns out that frozen chocolate cake is also really delicious. We've started shipping out the baked goods.

This past week we did a Weight Watcher Muffin recipe. Rachel had a really cute pan from IKEA that we had to use which made them really tall and skinny. I wasn't able to eat it due to dairy affecting Ida, but they smelled amazing and both Rachel and Mike claimed they tasted just as good. So here you go:

Parmesan and Prosciutto Muffins: (our version should be titled Pepper Jack and Ham Muffins)

4 spray(s) cooking spray

2/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour

2/3 cup(s) whole wheat flour

1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (we didn't have this so we used pepper jack)

4 tsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

2 large egg white(s), at room temperature (we used one whole egg)

4 oz Casa Italia Prosciutto, or other proscuitto crudo, thinly sliced, minced (we didn't have this so we used 2 slices of leftover bacon and ham)

1/2 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese (didn't have this so we used neufchatel cream cheese)

1/2 cup(s) low-fat milk

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

(I also think a bunch of chives or sliced green onions would add nice flavor and color.)

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Spray two 12 indentation mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
  
  
• In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, cheese, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper.
  
  
• In a second bowl, whisk together egg whites, prosciutto, ricotta, milk and melted butter until the mixture is fairly smooth.
  
  
• Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients; stir with a wooden spoon just until there are no pockets of dry flour in the mixture. Spoon into prepared muffin tins, about 1 1/2 tablespoons per indentation.
  
  
• Bake until browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 12 to 14 minutes. Cool in tins for a couple of minutes before turning muffins out and cooling them on a wire rack. Yields 1 muffin per serving.