Giada De Laurentiis Just Shared Her Nonna's Lemon Almond Ricotta Muffins, and They're Perfect for Spring

Most folks have one or two classic family recipes that remind them of time spent in the kitchen with loved ones, and Giada De Laurentiis is no exception. The former Food Network star took to Instagram this week to share the one recipe that always brings back memories of a day in the kitchen with her grandmother, Nonna Luna—and it's fairly simple to make.

Nonna's Lemon Almond Ricotta Muffins come together in about 30 minutes, and they're exactly the kind of fluffy, citrusy treat that can make any spring day feel a little sunnier. A few folks in the comments even said they make them each Easter—and don't expect to have any leftovers. And while we're sure these muffins are a great addition to a spring holiday menu, the recipe is so easy, you could make a batch on a weeknight without breaking a sweat.

To copy these golden muffins, you'll need to gather some all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, lemon zest, ricotta cheese, an egg, fresh lemon juice, almond extract and some thinly sliced almonds. (And for easier cleanup, you'll probably want to pick up some muffin tin liners while you're out, too.) The lemon and almond in this recipe are the heavy-hitters when it comes to flavor, but Giada says the inclusion of ricotta makes the muffins light and moist.

You'll just need a 12-cup muffin tin and two mixing bowls, one medium and one large, for this recipe, which starts when you combine all of the dry ingredients in the medium bowl, whisking until everything is fully incorporated. In the larger bowl, combine the sugar, butter and lemon zest with an electric mixer until the mixture gets light and fluffy. Next, you'll want to beat in the ricotta before adding the egg, lemon juice and almond extract and beating again. Finally, mix in the dry ingredients just until they're incorporated and there are no more white streaks of flour in your batter—overworking it could result in a tough muffin.

Divvy up the batter into muffin cups, sprinkle each one with almonds and a pinch of sugar, then bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. The muffins will still be pale, but they should have a richer golden hue, as well. When they're done, you can enjoy them warm with your tea or coffee, or let them cool and store them in an airtight container for later. You could even add then to a Mother's Day lineup of yummy breakfast treats, serving them alongside Banana-Bran Muffins and Chocolate Muffins.

And these muffins are so sweet and adorable, they'd be right at home in a dessert spread after dinner with pals. You could even go for a ricotta theme with some of our favorite treat recipes, like Peach-Ricotta Pound Cake or Lemon-Raspberry Ricotta Pound Cake.

Folks who've made these muffins themselves are pretty big fans, with one recipe reviewer saying the batch "disappeared in one evening." Another reviewer said that the recipe is "super easy to make and growing up with an Italian grandmother, there is something déjà vu about them." Whether you make a batch for the office, share them with friends and family or keep them to yourself, you'll know you have a grandma-approved recipe on your hands—and sometimes, that's the best review you can get.