Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

I’ll admit it.  I’m not normally one to choose lemon drinks or desserts.  Give me a rich chocolate dessert everyday of the week.  But these lemon ricotta cookies with lemon glaze?  Gamechangers.

These cookies are light and fluffy and almost the same texture as a cupcake top.  The bottoms get the most beautiful golden color.  The cookies aren’t super sweet, but the glaze is.  But with just a touch of glaze on the cookies, it all works out.  These are a perfect little afternoon nibble.

These soft, fluffy lemon ricotta cookies with sweet tart lemon glaze are perfection.  Even the chocoholics in your life are sure to love them!

Lemon-Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

from Giada deLaurentiis, Giada’s Kitchen-New Italian Favorites

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 c. sugar

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking pwder

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 (15 oz.) container part-skim ricotta cheese

3 TBSP lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

For the glaze:

1 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar

3 TBSP lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375º F.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Add eggs, 1 at a time, to the butter mixture, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients.
3. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.  Using a standard-sized cookie scoop, spoon the dough onto the baking sheets.  (If you don’t have a cookie scoop, spoon the dough into 2 TBSP portions.)  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.
4. While the cookies are cooling, make the glaze by Combining all three ingredients in a small bowl and stirring 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 cookies into a well-sealed container, where they will keep for three days.

yield: 3 1/2 dozen.