Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

[Linda in MO]

I went to a cookie exchange last night and one lady brought these. The recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis and I thought they were delicious! It's a very soft and cakey lemony cookie. Of course, I love almost anything lemon!
The recipe gets 5 stars from 193 reviews.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Cookies:
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
* 2 cups sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
* 3 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 lemon, zested
Glaze:
* 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
* 3 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 lemon, zested

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:
Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/g...ipe/index.html

[ccooney]

Mmmmm. I do love lemon, and I'm going to a cookie exchange next month. Think I just might have to make some of these...

[AnnCon]

Do you think these cookies stay fresh for more than a few days? Can they be frozen?

[Alleycat]

I have a weakness for lemon cookies.

I've made the Meyer Lemon Cookies (posted in 2007, I think) a few times, but I like that these use a lot less butter (almost 2 sticks less!) for the same yield.

Thanks for sharing!

PS...I just realized these are in Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites. I pulled it off the shelf for Sunday Game of the Week today!

[vabelle35]

I made the Meyer Lemon one in 2007 and they were a hit.

I entered them in the County Fair in 2008 and they took 3rd prize in miscellaneous cookies.

It's become one of my more requested cookies.

[applecrisp]

Linda --

The recipe looks great --- I love lemon flavor.

I was thinking of making them for a party, I wonder how they would stack/travel since I would need to carry them in a Tupperware container. Does the glaze harden?

Thanks for posting.

[vabelle35]

I make the meyer lemons ones and they are very soft and cakey. I would not stack them. The icing also doesn't get hard enough on the ones I make.

[applecrisp]

Thanks Vabelle. I might try them for myself, but I'm going to look for a different recipe for the party I'm going to. I'm going to go with a sturdier cookie that I can pack in a tupperware without issue.

[vabelle35]

I have a cookie for you.

My office goes crazy over this cookie, it's a Tyler Florence recipe. I also entered these in the county fair 2 years ago and they won second prize in dropped cookies.

White Chocolate, Cranberry, and Macadamia Nut Cookies Bon Appétit | December 2006
Tyler Florence

Yield: Makes 36 (large) or 72 (small) cookies

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (about 8 1/2 ounces)
1 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted macadamia nuts (about 4 1/2 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat just until blended. Using spatula, stir in cranberries, white chocolate chips, and nuts.

For large cookies, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 21/2 inches apart. For small cookies, drop dough by level tablespoonfuls onto sheets, spacing 11/2 inches apart.

Bake cookies until just golden, about 18 minutes for large cookies and about 15 minutes for small cookies. Cool on sheets. Do ahead Can be made ahead. Store airtight at room temperature up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.

[vabelle35]

If you want something more seasonal, this is another one that I make a lot this time of year and is a huge hit at work and at the family gatherings and cookie exchanges.


Macadamia Nut White Chip Pumpkin Cookies


Estimated Times:
Preparation - 20 min | Cooking - 11 min | Cooling Time - 15 min cooling | Yields - 4 dozen

Vanilla chips and crunchy macadamia nuts make a supremely rich cookie; pumpkin adds a luscious moistness to these year-round favorites.
Source:


Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Premier White Morsels
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts or walnuts, toasted

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.

COMBINE flour, cinnamon, cloves and baking soda in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts.

DROP by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets; flatten slightly with back of spoon or greased bottom of glass dipped in granulated sugar.

BAKE for 11 to 14 minutes or until centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

[vabelle35]

One more thing and then I promise I'll stop. Can you tell this is my passion?

Are you tied to making a cookie? Because I have to tell you, the best thing you can bring to an adult party is Martha Stewart's bourbon balls. I brought these to a pot luck once and 4 people were standing over the bowl popping them like mints.

And if you make them a week ahead of time, they will be so potent, you can get drunk just opening the container to serve them. LOL

Just keep them in the fridge and sprinkle powdered sugar over them one last time before serving.

What I do is throw it all in the food processor and scoop them out with a mini ice cream scoop and plop them into mini candy (cupcake-like) papers that you can get at Michaels in the Wilton aisle.

Martha Stewart’s Bourbon Balls

2½ cups vanilla wafers
1 cup pecans
2/3 cup good bourbon
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus confectioners’ sugar for coating
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons white corn syrup


Pulverize the wafers in a food processor and put in a bowl. Grind the pecans and add to the wafer crumbs. Blend the remaining ingredients (except coating sugar) 10 seconds and add to the mixture. Mix well.
Roll into balls 1 inch in diameter and roll in confectioners’ sugar.

Store, airtight, at least 24 hours before serving.



From Entertaining by Martha Stewart (Clarkson N. Potter, 1982)

[applecrisp]

Vabelle,

Thanks so much for posting some recipe ideas. Those white choc chip cookies look like a definite possibility. I am not a fan of pumpkin or bourbon --- hey, maybe I should make them since it removes all temptation. But then how would I taste test.

Thanks again.

[vabelle35]

Yeah, it's hard to make something your tastebuds aren't into.

Let me know what you settle on. I'm always looking for cookie recipes.