with a twist of lemon

Citrus desserts aren't necessarily my favorite because I will always pick something chocolate instead. But on a hot day, like when your neighborhood is having an outdoor block party, the idea of chocolate melting all over the place isn't appealing anymore.  

So I made these and one of my neighbors actually asked me if I was Italian because apparently only Italians use Ricotta, and only they can bake the best Ricotta cookies. We all had a good laugh at the thought of my pale, pink skin having any Italian heritage. 

These cake-like cookies are tangy, soft and sweet. They're actually a pretty plain cookie without the glaze and the lemon flavor is much more subtle, so the glaze is what really brings out the lemon-iness.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Recipe from here

Makes 48 cookies

Recipe Notes-

- These cookies are a cake-like texture and really spread out, so making them on the smaller side is safer (I used a regular-sized cookie scoop). Also, keeping the dough cold prevents them from flattening out too much.

- These make a ton of cookies. I brought two batches (24) to my neighborhood BBQ, refrigerated the rest of the dough, and then baked it all off the next day. They're best eaten the day of, so if you're not willing to make all of it that day then keep it in the fridge and make it over a few days. 

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 stick (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 (15 oz.) container whole-milk ricotta cheese

3 Tbs. lemon juice

1 lemon zest

For the glaze:

1 ½ cups confectioners sugar

3 tbs. lemon juice

1 lemon zest

Directions:

For the cookies:

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F and prepare multiple baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat.

2. In a stand mixer, with paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat to combine, scraping down the sides as needed.

3. Lightly mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until gently mixed. Cover the bowl of dough and place in the fridge for at least an hour.

4. Spoon the cold dough (about 2 Tbs. for each cookie) onto baking sheets (I used a regular-sized cookie scoop). Bake for 15 minutes, until edges are slightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 20 minutes.

For the glaze:

5. Combine the confectioners sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth (if the mixture is too liquid-y, add a little more confectioners sugar to thicken. If it’s too thick, add a ½ teaspoon of water at a time to thin it). Spoon about ½-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for a couple hours, or put in the fridge to harden faster.