Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of YUMMY food! Well tomorrow is our last football game and I was in charge of desserts! So here is the first dessert I made from Giada's Kitchen Cookbook with a tiny twist of my own flare. These are more cakey than crispy and they puff up as they bake. They are absolutely beautiful! They make me want to go to an elegant tea party at The Plaza Hotel. The lemon glaze add a tart and tangy sort of crunch to it. Divine!

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze
(makes approximately 31 rather large cookies)

Ingredients: 

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp.
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15 oz.) container of whole milk ricotta cheese
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze:

• 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and then set aside. (I used my Kitchen Aid mixer for this next part--it is much easier) In a large bowl, use an electric stand mixer beat the butter and suagar until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice and beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough onto the baking sheets using a about 2 tablespoons (heaping full) for each cookie. Bake for about 15 minutes until slightly golden on the edges. Take out of oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.

While the cookies cool combine the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice in a small bowl and stir until smooth. I noticed that if left alone for awhile, the top will dry so make sure you stir it again to get the top film that formed back to a liquid-y consistency. Now spoon about 1 teaspoon of the glaze onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly throughout. Then let the cookies harden for about 3 hours. Make sure you pack them in an airtight container and they will stay fresh!

Everyone have a great night tonight--I will be posting an easy recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup mini cupcakes tomorrow morning!