Lemon ricotta cookies with lemon glaze

These cookies knocked me out.  The first bite caused me to step back and bend over like a sprinter at the end of a race, moaning.  They could very well become my cookie of the year (a contest I've just now invented; retroactive favorite cookies of 2007 and 2008 are here and here).  No cookie has any business being this good, and come to think of it, these aren't cookies as much as they are cakies.

They are from Giada's Kitchen by Giada de Laurentiis.  I bought this cookbook last fall, and I've got to say that it wasn't the huge hit her other cookbooks were for me.  Had Giada reached the bottom of her Italian barrel?  It was loaded with recipes I wasn't all that interested in making, like Amaretto sour with Prosecco and veal chop saltimbocca.  I tried several of the recipes that did interest me, but they were pretty fussy for after-work cooking.  But I've decided to give the book a second chance now that I have more time to fuss. 

The thing I like about Giada's recipes is that her oven and my oven are completely in sync.  If she says to bake something for 15 minutes, that's exactly how long it takes for me.  Her desserts are mostly-hit-but-sometimes-miss, but it's not her fault; I just can't get into the plainness of some Italian cakes that look like this.  I need a little more showbiz.

Anyway.  These Proustian cookies, which are near the back of the book with no photo, have made Giada's Kitchen officially worth buying. 

INGREDIENTS

Cookies:

• 2 1/2 C flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 2 C granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15 oz) container whole-milk ricotta cheese <-- I tried using Meijer's deli ricotta, but it was not as smooth as the brand I usually buy; I imagine the cookies will be even more out of control when I go back to the old standby next time.
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 C powdered sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375.

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, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest.  Beat to combine.  Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line two 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. 

Note 1:  Giada claims that you'll get 44 cookies out of this recipe, but I only made something like 34.  My idea of two tablespoons is clearly a bit larger than it ought to be.  Plus, I eated let's say one cookie's-worth of raw cookie dough; I admit I have a problem.  I was able to get 9 cookies on each pan (I was worried that they would spread, and they kind of do), so if you're like me you will need to repeat this step for two more pans.  The problem with this is the 20 minute rest-on-the-baking-sheet time.  Who has four baking pans, and who has counter space for four cooling pans?  You're going to have to move some cookies around once they've cooled for a few minutes.  I took all of my cookies from Pan A and added them to the ones on Pan B, thus freeing up Pan A for more cookies.  This kind of pan management was a pain in the ass, but ultimately entirely worth it.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth.  Spoon about 1 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 an airtight container.

Note 2:  You must glaze the cookies: non-negotiable.  Feel free to start eating the cookies the instant you glaze them.  You can let them harden for two hours, sure, but even when the glaze is dripping down your hand, they're so scrumptious you might cry.  Jeff discovered that if you put the cookie in your mouth glazed-side-down, the lemoniness is truly explosive.  The cookie is much more mellow when you eat it glazed-side-up. 

Note 3:  The stuffed sheep shown above is a souvenir from our honeymoon in Ireland.  I had to have it.  These fat sheep dotted the landscape of southwestern Ireland like the cutest maggots imaginable, and I started to call them chubs (chubbs if they were extra fat). 

That would be a chubb.

Comments

[Tassoula]

Just baked these. Serious fabulousness!

[Candy]

I made these today and thought they were fabulous. Love your writing style!

[Kelly]

Thank you very much, Candy! I know, I can't get over how fantastic these are. Summery too!

[Hila]

Did you ever try these with part-skim ricotta? And what is your favorite brand of Ricotta (inactive link)? BTW - Loved the little sheep from the Irland. It seems pretty happy in his new home with his two cookies :)