Lemon Ricotta Cookies – My New Love

Dating can be so difficult. Does he like me, or doesn’t he? Why doesn’t he call? Should I call him? Why isn’t he emotionally available? As my mom used to say, “Who loves you comes after you.” She was right — and that’s all you need to know about relationships.

Unfortunately, this means I am in love with a cookie.

Some might say this is not an emotionally healthy mindset, but I disagree. Quite frankly, life is much easier with Lemon Ricotta Cookies. There are no guessing games.  If you make this cookie, I guarantee you’ll go after it.

Your friends will come over and ooh and ah over it. It’s tender, moist, versatile, and just the right amount of sweet.  You can put it on a pedestal and it won’t get all weird and uppity on you. It won’t make demands on you, and will stay with you forever (probably on your hips).

Since I’ve been on such a writing tangent, I figured it was time to cough up a few recipes. I’ve owed you this one for a while.  I truly do love it.  I got it from my ex-husbands first ex-wife.  I’d explain, but you’d need a dry erase board and markers standing by just to get the children and step-children straight.

Trust me, Lemon Ricotta Cookies are much easier than ex-husbands or boyfriends, they make you look like a culinary goddess, and never steal the remote.  Sounds like love to me.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies
(This can also be made with oranges — Use the zest of one large orange for the cookie batter and three tablespoons of orange juice for the icing.)
1/4 lb. butter at room temp
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 lb. ricotta (or one 15 oz container if you can’t find a pound container) at room temp (This was supposed to be ½ lb, but I screwed up and put in a pound. It makes them really nice and moist, so I kept it this way.)
1 egg at room temp
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Zest of  three lemons
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Cream sugar and butter. Add egg, ricotta, vanilla and orange or lemon zest. Combine the dry ingredients. The original recipe said to sift flour, baking soda and baking powder (but I did no sifting and they were great).
Add dry ingredients slowly to the mixing bowl with sugar, egg ricotta mixture. Once thoroughly combined, drop by tablespoon onto an un-greased cookie sheet.
Bake 12 to 14 mins. in a 350 degree oven. Move to a cooling rack and ice when cooled. (The original recipe said to ice while warm, but I like them better  and they look prettier if the icing doesn’t seep in too much so I let them cool. If using Non-pareils, sprinkle as you go. The icing hardens quickly so sprinkle soon after iced.

Icing:

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbs butter (melted)
6 tbs whipping cream (Original recipe called for milk, but cream makes it look whiter and prettier)
7 tsp or more of fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Mix well all ingredients with a whisk. Icing should be liquid enough to drip on the cookie and have it drizzle down the sides. Drizzle icing on tops of cooled cookies. Sprinkle with decorative sprinkles immediately. Makes about 50 cookies.