Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Lemon Ricotta Cookies & Baskets of Love

I got the following recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod who got it from Giada. Maria & her husband were recently married & together they really enjoy cooking, including homemade pastas & baked goods. They're inspiring! I made this recipe particularly because I shy away from baked goods with citrus in it, not sure why. But I wanted to venture outside my norm in case I was missing anything & sure enough, I would have missed out big time.

These were absolutely amazing. I included them in a basket to our friends who had a baby & also brought some to my parents as well as my in laws. I got an email from Terry's parents raving about them and my mom called me at 7:50am yesterday to let me know how much they loved them. These cookies are so light & refreshing, with a unique texture thanks to the ricotta cheese. I can't wait to make 'em again!!


Cookies:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-oz) container whole milk ricotta cheese
3 tblsp lemon juice
1 lemon, zested (see here for lemon zesting)

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tblsp lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside. In a large bowl combine the butter & sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter & sugar until light & fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice & 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 & let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze: Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice & lemon zest in a small bowl & stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon onto each cookie & use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Makes about 36 cookies (needed 3 baking sheets).

My Thoughts:

I added a bit of milk to the glaze which thinned it out & allowed the glaze to drip down the sides of the cookie which I liked. I wouldn't have wanted them more lemony so I will probably do the same next time as well. Just taste it & judge for yourself.

Click Here for a Printable Recipe

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I also wanted to show you the basket I brought to our friends. It was a dark basket, only one I could find, so I put some ribbon & a bow on it. I included a Real Simple magazine, blue M&M's, some washclothes, cookies, Asian Slaw, Hot Cocoa & the tray of Swiss Mushroom Chicken Bake.



28 comments:

sassy stephanie said...

Man I love cookies. I made a batch Friday of oatmeal and they were gone by Sunday. oops

So, you realize if I ever come that way, I WILL be expecting a huge event in my honor with all of your goodies??!!

Maria said...

I am so glad you gave lemon a try!! These cookies are the best! Glad you and your friends/fam enjoyed them! Your basket is so cute too! You are a sweetheart!

The Nice One said...

That looks like a great new recipe I must try!!!!

scargosun said...

ooo! I wanna try!

Unknown said...

These sound so great! I am THRILLED that today is my grocery store day : ). Hopefully I will have enough time to make them tonight before bed! Now I have something to look forward to all day! Thanks for sharing!

Pam said...

These cookies look fantastic. I really love lemon desserts so this is my kind of cookie.

What a sweet gesture to make a basket of goodies for your friends - I am sure they appreciated it.

tiarastantrums said...

those look so yummy - I make that glaze for everything!! so delicious!

That basket - so sweet!!!!!!

Jen said...

those are one of my favorite cookie recipes. I love how light they are. You can almost eat 12 not feel guilty. Almost.

Katie said...

Thanks for visiting. 9/21 one of the best day of our lives, wasn't it? I need some help cooking that is for sure! I will have to read your blog for tip.
In Christ,
Katie

FROGGITY! said...

Oh you've done it again! That looks AWESOME. I do believe I will have to make another grocery trip for ingredients. My little lady loves lemon cookies! Hehe, and so do I!

Anonymous said...

Excellent cookie recipe and the gift basket is a great idea! Thanks for stopping by my blog!

The Blonde Duck said...

Aww! I love to see recipes shared!

Kiera said...

Those cookies sound so good. I love lemony baked goods!

I'm so impressed with you. I know I say that a lot but you never cease amaze me. Taking a basket full of goodies to friends? How thoughtful!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm not a big citrus dessert person either. But I trust you since you're like me in that area! They do look REALLY delicious!

Lump said...

I think I need to take a cooking class soon! :)

Kelly said...

I think I need to make this recipe!
I love the baskets..so cute!

Unknown said...

Way to do somthing nice for someone. I'm sure it made their day.

Joan said...

Hi there, thanks so much for stopping by my page. I am honored. I hope to keep up with creative blogs like yours! I love the cookies and the gift basket! Those are the best gifts. I think those cookies and a great bottle of wine would be a great gift everyone would love.
Joan

carrhop said...

Sounds like a fab cookie recipe--that Giada--if she wasn't such a good cook, I'd be really upset about that tiny perfect body of hers....

Your basket for your friends looks AMAZING!!! How awesome! All the food looks great--but the presentation is just spectacular!!!

Blessings!

Kacey said...

Check you out being all crafty fabulous! What a great presentation for all of your lovely and YUMMY gifts. Great job!

Stella's World said...

I'm not avoiding you- I just feel guilty about not posting pictures of stuff I know you'll love!

Melissa Lester said...

Yum, yum. I am so hungry right now viewing this post, but I'm trying to diet. I'm glad I can't smell those cookies because I'm sure I couldn't resist. They do look so good, though, and what a sweet presentation.

Yellow Beads said...

Oh, I need some sugar right now, and have no sweets in the house--thanks for the reminder, ha

Tam said...

LOVE THE TRAY! Thanks for sharing this idea and HMMM I too shy away from LEMON all together...LOL but this is worth a try because YOU said SO!!!!

Kiera said...

Another question...am I supposed to drip the glaze on the cooled cookie and then let it sit for 2 hours or am I supposed to make the glaze ahead of time so it can set for two hours and then drip on the cookie? Are you trying to tell me that after I have slaved away on these cookies for hours I'm supposed to just let them sit for 2 more hours looking all delicious and NOT EAT THEM?? What kind of torturous recipe is this??

Deanna said...

Those cookies sound really good. I am a sucker for anything lemon.

What a cute, cute gift. I should start looking for some trays/baskets. We have a ton of babies arriving in the next few months.

Jessica said...

I will definitely be making these..I love love cookies. They sound delish!!!!

Angela said...

Yum! And your basket is lovely!! Great job!