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I love chocolate chip cookies as much as the next guy, but my absolute favorite cookies of all time have got to be lemon cookies. From crumbly Meyer lemon snowball cookies to a nice lemon shortbread, there’s just something about the lemon in them that contrasts perfectly with the sweetness. With these lemon ricotta cookies you not only get the sweetness to offset the tart lemon, you also get the creaminess of ricotta cheese.
The ricotta also creates the texture delicate of these cookies, something which has to be tried to be described. Needless to say that if you make these cookies you’ll need to try a lot of them as they are irresistibly delicious.
To make this recipe you’ll sift together the dry ingredients for the cooke dough and set them aside. Then cream together the butter and sugar, adding in the eggs one at a time afterwards.
Then the next step is to add the flavoring. These cookies have a strong (but not overwhelming) lemon flavor due to the lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract in the cookie dough. When you layer different types of the same flavoring in one dish you create a deeper and more complex flavor. The same goes for garlic: I’ll often add in fresh garlic, dried garlic, and then sometimes some black garlic or garlic paste as well.
Since the different types of lemon flavors react differently to heat, creating a layered flavor profile ensures that there is a distinct lemon taste in every single bite.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and drop by spoonfuls onto a lined or greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes and allow to pre-cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
Once cooled make up your icing. This easy formula is simply powdered sugar, lemon juice, and a little but of water. Apply in a drizzle using a fork or if you have a nozzle-top bottle lying around you can transfer the icing to the bottle for a more precise application.
These lemon ricotta cookies are a fun twist on the classic lemon cookie and make a mouthwatering departure from the old stand-by of chocolate chip cookies. If you love lemon like I do then these rich cookies are a must-bake recipe!
Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Allergens: Gluten
Diet: Vegetarian
For the dough:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 15-oz tub ricotta cheese
- zest of one lemon
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
For the icing:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- zest of one lemon
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp water
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl cream together granulated sugar and butter. Once combined add in eggs one at a time, stirring in between each addition.
- Add ricotta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract to the butter and sugar mixture. Stir well to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet 1/ 3 at a time. Stirring between each addition.
- Drop dough by by rounded spoonfuls (using 2 spoons) onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes.
- Place cookies on a cooling rack when they are done baking. Once cooled combine powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and water to make the icing. If the mixture is too stiff add some more water. If it’s too runny add a bit more powdered sugar.
- Drizzle icing over cookies using a fork or pour the icing into a clean nozzle top bottle for precise application of the glaze.
Recipe adapted from Christina’s Cucina.