These Lemon Ricotta Cookies are light and fluffy like a cake. The lemon glaze compliments and enriches the lemon flavor. Delightfull!  

Several years ago Giada De Laurentiis was visiting San Jose while promoting her newest cookbook “Giada’s Kitchen”. Back then, our older son was maybe 7-8 months old and I was on my way to meet with some friends, almost all of them new moms, too. We met through our husbands, who were all working at Yahoo! at that time and graciously agreed to watch the boys (yes, we all had boys). So, as I was on my way to meet my friends, I drove by Sur La Table where Giada was signing her books. I thought I could jump out, meet Giada, buy her signed book and be back on my way within 10-15 minutes tops. Well, that wasn’t going to happen! There was a HUGE line of people wanting to get a signed copy of the cookbook. I had to choose, friends or book. So, I drove away. A few weeks later I bought the book at my local Costco, sans the autograph.

I’ve had the book for a while now (over 8 years) but I’ve only tried a handful of her recipes. Only very recently I made her Lemon Ricotta Cookies. Probably to use up some of the Meyer lemons my mini tree has produced this year. These cookies taste fantastic! They are fluffy and soft, more like a cake than a cookie. The lemon zest and juice go into the batter and the glaze as well. If you love lemon flavor these cookies will become your new favorites.

These cookies are pretty straightforward to make. Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, beat butter with sugar, until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at the time, and beat until mixed together. Next, add ricotta cheese, lemon zest and juice. Mix well. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.

Line 2 baking pans with silicone mats or parchment paper. Using a small ice cream scoop (amount equal to about 2 tablespoons), place the dollops of batter on the baking pan leaving some room around. Bake the cookies, one baking pan at the time, for about 15 minutes, until golden on the edges. Let them cool for another 15-20 minutes before glazing.

To make the glaze, combine 1.5 cups of powdered sugar, zest of 1 lemon and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. My Meyer lemons have a quite orange zest as you can see on the picture above. Whisk vigorously.

When the cookies have cooled, transfer them to a cooling rack with a baking sheet underneath to catch any glaze drippings. Glaze the cookies using the back of a spoon.

Leave the cookies out for about 2 hours to let the glaze harden. I don’t recommend storing them layered since they stick together and the glaze gets ruined.

Makes: about 40 cookies      Prep time: 20 minutes       Ready in: 1 hr

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 oz, 113.4 g) at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese, whole-milk preferably
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
2. Using a mixer, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 egg at a time and beat until incorporated. Mix in ricotta cheese, lemon zest and juice. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the cheese mixture and stir well.
3. Place about 2 tablespoons of batter per cookie onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden on the edges. Let the cookies cool down for 15-20 minutes.
4. Make the glaze by whisking the ingredients together. Glaze the cookies by placing about 1 teaspoon of glaze onto each cookie and spread it using the back of the spoon. Leave the cookies out to let the glaze harden for about 2 hours before storing.

Enjoy!

Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis’ “Giada’s Kitchen”.