Lemon Ricotta Cookies: or, Why Citrus Belongs in Everything

Friends, Romans, Countrymen

Let me start by apologizing for my absence. Holiday season in the bakery has me pulling overtime and up at hours that don't even qualify as morning yet. So, sorry, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

I am sure, in my absence, you found yourself wondering what my favorite Italian cheese is. (Or at least this is what I imagine.) The answer to your burning question? Simple, versatile ricotta. It is one of a number of reasons I will never be able to suck it up and become a vegan.

I also imagine you wondering what my favorite fruit is. The answer to that question is, naturally, anything citrus. Tangerines, clementines, lemons, limes, grapefruit---I have even tried tangelos. The natural tangy sweetness of citrus makes me salivate. Pity my keyboard.


So why not combine these two beautiful things into a cookie? I can think of no earthly reason NOT to.

Cue photo:

Om nom nom nom

You'll have to wait for a picture of the finished product. I'm sneaky that way.

Here's what you need:

2 1/2 C. APF 
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt 
1/2 C. unsalted butter, softened 
2 C. sugar 
2 eggs
1 container ricotta cheese 
6 T lemon juice, separated 
zest of two lemons, separated 
1 1/2 C. powdered sugar 

Preheat your oven to 375F.

Combine the first three ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until mixed.

Using a stand mixer, cream the softened butter and the sugar together until light, fluffy and utterly delicious looking. Fight the urge to consume this mixture. That would be gross.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture until it's thoroughly combined.

Wet ingredients all mixed up, pancake batter-like

Now mix in the deliciousness--your ricotta, three tablespoons of  lemon juice and one lemon's worth of zest--until your looks something like thick pancake batter. Dump in your dry ingredient mixture and mix.

BB WARNING: I know you want to, but don't eat raw cookie dough. That can lead to yucky things like salmonella.

Line your cookie trays with parchment paper and scoop your dough onto the trays. Each cookie is approximately two tablespoons of dough. Bake them for about 15 minutes.

The cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven. Allow them to sit on the pan for 20 minutes. I recommend using multiple baking sheets for this project if you can, lest it take a very long time. When they cool they have an almost pillowy texture.

Clouds of cheesy, lemony goodness

When the cookies are cooled thoroughly, it's time to make the glaze. Combine the powdered sugar, the rest of the lemon juice and the rest of the zest until it makes a thin, milky glaze. Spoon about a half teaspoon of glaze onto each cookie, spreading with the back of a spoon.

Let the cookies rest again until the glaze has hardened somewhat. Packing them up before then could get the glaze everywhere. And that would just be messy.

I happened to have some pale yellow sugar pearls hanging around the house, so I put some of them on top to make them prettier.

From what I'm told, this cookie was a hit when Mr. Beta took them to work. Even dieting women gobbled them up. That's appreciation right there.

I'm dying to try this with other kinds of citrus--particularly blood orange. Tell me if you try out your own variations!

Enjoy, loves.

Spay and neuter your pets,

BB