Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies
Notes
I love ricotta almost anywhere, but in particular to make these moist and delicious cookies. I know my mother will be ready to eat some as well—ricotta is her favorite by far. Adding ricotta to baked goods lightens up the dessert and adds a complexity of the sweet milk curds to the final flavors.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 8 ounces fresh ricotta, drained
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated, plus 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
Cream the sugar and butter in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and crack in the eggs one at a time, beating well in between additions. Plop in the ricotta, vanilla and lemon zest, and beat to combine. Add the flour mix and beat on low until just combined, but do not overmix.
Drop the dough in heaping tablespoons onto the sheet pans. Place in oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through the baking time, until the cookies are puffed, golden and cooked all the way through, about 20 to 22 minutes. Remove and cool on wire racks.
When the cookies are completely cool, make the glaze. In a bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice to make a smooth glaze. Adjust the consistency with a little water or more confectioner’s sugar to make a glaze thick enough to stick to the cookies when dipped. Dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze and let dry on racks.
