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Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

More cakey than crispy, these ladylike little tea cakes puff up as they bake, almost like little muffin tops. The lemon glaze on top adds a tart, crunchy layer.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 44 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 temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 375°F.

    Step 2

    In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

    Step 3

    In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice and beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

    Step 4

    Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough onto the baking sheets using about 2 tablespoons for each cookie. 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.

    Step 5

    While they cool, combine the confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of the glaze onto each cooled cookie and use the back of the spoon to spread it to the edges. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies in an airtight container.

Reprinted with permission from Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2008 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.
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