Lemony Ricotta Cookies*

You Will Need

​2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (= 1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
8 ounces ricotta, drained
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

Glaze:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup confectioners’ sugar sifted







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​Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies

What To Do

​Preheat oven to 325ºF. 

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Line two cookie pans with parchment paper.

Cream the granulated sugar and butter in an extra large bowl or a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at 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 mixture and beat at low speed until just combined; do not over mix.

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 16 - 20 minutes). For example, bake 8” plus 8” turning pans and switching them from rack level # 3 and 5. Remove, and cool on wire racks.

When 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 more lemon juice or confectioners’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. Place the parchment paper used in baking under wire racks to catch glaze drips.

Source: Adapted from Lidia’a Favorite Recipes by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

*NOTE: Even though these cookies are light and fluffy, when the list of ingredients includes white flour, sugar and butter, you know they won't qualify as a health food. Enjoy them in moderation!