Italian Ricotta Cookies Food

RICOTTA COOKIES II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, cream together butter, sugar, eggs, ricotta cheese, and vanilla extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; blend into the creamed mixture, mixing in additional flour as necessary to form a workable dough. Roll dough into teaspoon-sized balls, and arrange on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned.
• In a medium bowl, beat milk, confectioners' sugar, and almond extract until smooth. Spoon over warm cookies, and sprinkle with colored candy sprinkles.

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Using an electric mixer, cream 2 sticks butter with sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add ricotta, lemon zest and 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and beat well. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula, then beat in flour, baking soda and salt. Cover dough and chill for at least 2 hours and up to a week.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees and line several cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick liners. Shape tablespoons of dough into balls. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake until pale golden on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.
• Melt remaining tablespoon butter. Whisk confectioners' sugar to break up any large lumps, then whisk in melted butter, lemon juice, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and enough milk to make a spreadable icing. Spread icing on cooled cookies, then let set for at least 20 minutes before serving.

RICOTTA CHEESE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bow, with the mixer a low speed, beat the sugar and butter until combined. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Reduce speed to medium and beat in the ricotta, vanilla and eggs.
• Reduce speed to low. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat until dough forms.
• Drop dough by level tablespoons, about 2 inches apart; onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 15 minutes or until cookies are very lightly golden (cookies will be soft). With spatula, remove cookies to wire rack to cool.
• When cookies are cool, prepare icing. In small bowl, stir confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. With small spreader, spread icing on cookies; place a candied cherry piece on top of each cookie or sprinkle with colored sugar or candy sprinkles.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN LEMON AND RICOTTA COOKIES (NO BUTTER)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven at 330 F (170 C)
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl sift the flour and baking powder, mix and set aside.
• In a large bowl add the ricotta, lemon zest and sugar. Smash with a fork and mix with a spatula until you have a smooth mixture.
• Add the egg and lemon juice and mix until well combined.
• Add the flour in 2 doses and blend until your dough is solid (do not overwork the dough, otherwise the cookies will be tough). If the dough is too soft, you can a bit of flour accordingly.
• Form into small balls, about a tablespoon each and place on the baking sheet (about 25 cookies). You can add either add water or dough to your fingers for easier handling.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let them cool completely.
• Once cool sprinkle with powdered sugar.

ORANGE RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream together the ricotta, granulated sugar, butter and egg and in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the flour, baking powder, vanilla and orange zest and mix on low until a smooth dough forms. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough and arrange them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating halfway through, 15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets, 20 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and milk until a smooth glaze forms. Dip the tops of cooled cookies, and let sit until the glaze hardens.
• Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 5 days, or frozen for 3 weeks.

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Cookies:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar medium speed.
• Add eggs and beat those in, as well.
• Add Ricotta cheese and mix until smooth and fully incorporated. Add vanilla extract and orange zest and blend.
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients (one cup at a time) on low speed until a dough is formed.
• Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto an ungreased baking sheet (they will puff up while baking). Bake for 10-12 minutes (this will depend on size of cookies and your oven so keep an eye on them). Cookies will just be started to get lightly golden around the bottom edges. You want them to remain soft and not get too over-baked.
• Remove from baking sheet and place on a cooling rack to cool completely before putting on the glaze.
• Spoon glaze onto cookies, add sprinkles of your choosing before glaze dries, and allow it to fully set before storing.
• Glaze:
• Mix together melted butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth and no lumps remain. Add additional splashes of milk or cream to get the desired consistency. You don't want it to be so thick that it's not spreadable, but also not too runny.

NONNA'S ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES RECIPE - (4.2/5)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat sugar, and margarine or butter until blended. Increase speed to high; beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. At medium speed, beat in ricotta, vanilla, and eggs until well combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; beat until dough forms. Drop dough by level tablespoons, about 2-inches apart, onto ungreased large cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes or until cookies are very lightly golden (cookies will be soft). With flat spatula, remove cookies to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. When cookies are cool, prepare icing: In small bowl, stir confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. With small metal spatula or knife, spread icing on cookies; sprinkle with red or green sugar crystals. Set cookies aside to allow icing to dry completely, about 1 hour. These cookies can also be made with almond flavoring or a flavoring of choice.

LEMON RICOTTA COOKIES WITH LEMON GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cookies:
• 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, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and 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 and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.
• Glaze:
• Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-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 a decorative container.

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat sugar and butter until blended. Increase speed to high; beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. At medium speed, beat in ricotta, vanilla, and eggs until well combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; beat until dough forms. Drop dough by level tablespoons, about 2 inches apart, onto ungreased large cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes or until cookies are very lightly golden (cookies will be soft). Bake all your cookies. Icing: In small bowl, stir powdered sugar and milk until smooth. With small teaspoon, spread icing on cookies. Decorate with Christmas sprinkles. Set cookies aside to allow icing to dry completely. Storage Suggestions: Store the cookies in an airtight container. The cookies do not need to be refrigerated. For best results frost them the night before serving.

ITALIAN LEMON-RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Combine flour and baking soda. Beat butter, granulated sugar, dry pudding mix and lemon zest in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add ricotta and eggs; mix well. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing well after each addition.
• Roll dough into 82 (1-inch) balls. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets.
• Bake 12 to 14 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 5 min. on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice in medium bowl until blended. Dip tops of cookies halfway into glaze; return, dipped sides up, to wire racks. Immediately top with some of the sprinkles. Repeat with remaining cookies. Let stand until glaze is firm.

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix together the butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, ricotta cheese, vanilla, salt, baking powder, baking soda and mix for an additional minute until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until a dough forms. Portion out the dough using a medium (2 tablespoon) cookie scoop. Roll into balls and place on prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are lightly golden.
• Transfer to a wire rack.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, almond extract, and milk, together until smooth. Spoon the glaze over warm cookies or alternately, dip the cookies into the gaze, and sprinkle with colored candy sprinkles.

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. 2
• . Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
• . Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until light in color and fluffy. You should be able to see the change in color and texture happen and know it's ready. 4.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined between each addition. 5.
• Add the vanilla extract and ricotta and mix until well combined. 6.
• Slowly add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over mix. 7.
• If you'd like to chill the cookie dough (which makes it a easier to work with), cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours or up to two days. You don't have to chill the dough though. It doesn't really change the outcome. 8.
• Drop tablespoon sized balls (no larger or they will spread too much) of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet and gently shape into a ball shape. 9.
• Bake for 9-12 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly golden. 10
• Cool cookies on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. 11
• To make the icing, whisk the powdered sugar, milk, butter and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. 12
• Turn the cookies upside down, one at a time, and dip the tops of them into the icing. 13
• Turn the cookies over and add sprinkles. Allow to dry. The icing will crust over, but doesn't dry hard. 14
• Store the cookies in an airtight container. The sprinkles will likely bleed after sitting overnight, so if you want the presentation to be nice, I'd suggest adding the icing and sprinkles shortly before serving. The icing also starts to wrinkle after a day or two. Cookies are best for about 4-5 days.

ITALIAN ORANGE RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C). Line one or two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and ricotta. Add vanilla; mix well. Gradually add the sugar, mixing well to combine. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; mix until combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
• Drop dough in rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets. You want the dough really cold when it goes into the oven so that the cookies don't spread, so if the dough seems a bit soft, put the baking sheets back in the refrigerator (or even in the freezer) for about 10 minutes before baking. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the bottom of the cookies are golden brown (the tops will still be pale). Cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

ITALIAN RICOTTA CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and cream.
• Add eggs and incorporate.
• Add vanilla.
• Add ricotta cheese
• Mix together dry ingredients with a whisk.
• Add dry ingredients to ricotta mixture. Mix well.
• Roll or scoop into tablespoon-sized ball. You can make the cookies smaller. I like this larger size.
• Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until the bottoms of cookie are golden brown.
• Allow to cool for a few minutes. Remove to a rack.
• Place a piece of parchment paper under rack.
• Glaze cookies. Add sprinkles. Order Here

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment whip together butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest until pale and fluffy (scrape down sides and bottom of bowl occasionally throughout entire mixing process).
• Mix in ricotta and vanilla extract then blend in eggs one at a time.
• Set mixer on low speed and slowly add in flour mixture and mix until combined.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees during last 20 minutes of dough chilling.
• Scoop chilled dough out 1 Tbsp at a time (and no larger!) and shape into balls (if it's too sticky just drop onto sheet using two spoons), drop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake in preheated oven 12 - 14 minutes until underside of cookies are golden.
• Cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once cool dip tops of cookies in glaze and return to wire rack, immediately add sprinkles if using. Allow glaze to set at room temperature.
• Store in an airtight container in a single layer.
• In a mixing bowl whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, lemon juice or almond extract, vanilla.
• Add ½ cup of milk until smooth, adding in more milk 1 a little bit at a time to thin as you desire.

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Mix in ricotta and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda, then gradually add to the creamed mixture.
• Scoop out rounded teaspoonfuls of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
• In a large bowl, cream butter, powdered sugar, almond extract and enough milk to reach your desired consistency.
• Frost cooled cookies and immediately decorate with sprinkles or colored sugar. Store in the refrigerator.

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium sized bowl or in the bowl of a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the 1/2 cup butter with 1 cup sugar until a thick paste forms. Add in the egg, 1 cup ricotta, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
• In a small bowl or on a piece of parchment paper combine the 2 cups flour with 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix to combine. Add the dry mixture into the ricotta mixture and mix until a thick dough forms.
• Chill the cookie dough in the bowl for 1-2 hours in the fridge. Then scoop out the dough using a small cookie scoop or a large tablespoon kitchen spoon. Shape into a ball and place on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 mins until the bottom of the cookies are golden brown.
• In a small bowl combine the 1 cup confectioners sugar and 2 tbsp milk or cream. Whisk until the lumps disappear and a thin glaze forms. When the cookies are cool, dunk the cookies in the glaze or spoon or drizzle it all over the cookies. Quickly sprinkle the cookies with sprinkles or citrus zest. Let the glaze harden.

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl with an electric mixer or a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugar until smooth.
• Add the egg, ricotta cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract and almond extract. Mix until all of the ingredients are combined and smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in 3 increments. Be sure to mix together in between each increment. Just mix until combined- do not over-mix.
• Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats. Using a mini ice cream to scoop the cookie dough balls or measure out 2 tablespoons of dough. Place cookies on the baking sheet 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes. The cookies will not turn golden brown but the bottoms will.
• Let the cookies cool for a few minutes and place them on a cooling rack.
• When the cookies are completely cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and extracts until smooth. Spoon the glaze on top of each cookie and top with sprinkles (optional). Let the cookies set for a few minutes and enjoy!

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Using an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed, cream together softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl for around 2 minutes, or until slightly fluffy and smooth. Pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add the egg and beat in until combined. Add the ricotta cheese (drained of excess moisture if your ricotta is on the watery side, see note), lemon juice and zest, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix well until all of the ingredients are evenly combined.
• To a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk thoroughly. Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients in 3 increments, beating until just mixed in each time. Take care not to overmix.
• Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight.
• Once the cookie dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Using a 1-1/2 Tablespoon capacity cookie scoop, scoop cookies and very briefly roll them between your palms to form a sphere. Place cookies about 2 inches apart on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Keep the remaining cookie dough in the refrigerator if you're baking them in multiple batches.
• Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the bottoms are just browning and the tops are fairly firm and spring back when lightly pressed. Let cookies cool on the baking sheets for 15-20 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once the cookies are completely cooled, add confectioners' sugar, milk, and almond extract to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Spoon glaze over each cookie, then top with nonpareils.
• Let the glaze harden completely before serving/storing in an air-tight container with parchment or wax paper between layers to prevent sticking.

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies:
• In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment whip together butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest until pale and fluffy (scrape down sides and bottom of bowl occasionally throughout entire mixing process).
• Mix in ricotta and vanilla extract then blend in eggs one at a time. Set mixer on low speed and slowly add in flour mixture and mix just until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 2 hours or up to 2 days. Preheat oven to 350 degrees during last 20 minutes of dough chilling.
• Scoop chilled dough out 1 Tbsp at a time and shape into balls (if it's too sticky just drop onto sheet using two spoons), drop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (I don't recommend using dark non-stick pans for this recipe since the bottoms will already become pretty golden. Dark pans brown more than uncoated pans do).
• Bake in preheated oven 12 - 14 minutes until underside of cookies are golden. Cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once cool dip tops of cookies in glaze and return to wire rack, immediately add sprinkles if using. Allow glaze to set at room temperature. Store in an airtight container in a single layer.
• For the glaze:
• In a mixing bowl whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, lemon juice or almond extract, vanilla and 4 Tbsp milk until smooth, adding in more milk 1 tsp at a time to thin as needed (you don't want it to be very thin, it should be quite a bit thicker than a doughnut glaze).

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• 4 TBSP milk
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Directions
• Preheat oven to 350
• Line baking sheets with silicon mats and set aside
• In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. (about 3 minutes)
• Add ricotta, eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.
• Add all the dry ingredients and blend together.
• Roll or scoop the dough out in one TBSP balls
• Bake for about 10 minutes.
• While the cookies cool, mix the icing.
• Dip the cooled cookie tops in the icing (will be a bit runny) and top with sprinkles if desired.
• Let icing dry completely before storing an airtight container.

BURGER OF THE MONTH: GREEN EGGS & LAMB BURGERS

Steps:

• Step 1For the green harissa, in a dry small skillet, stir the seeds over medium heat until toasted, about 1 minute or so. Transfer to a food processor and pulse to coarsely grind. Add the jalapeños, scallions, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice; season with salt. With the machine running, stream in the EVOO to form a sauce; transfer to a bowl.Step 2In a medium bowl, season the lamb with salt and pepper. Mix in 1 tbsp. EVOO, the red harissa, garlic, and spices. Form into 4 patties (thinner in the centers for even cooking).Step 3Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Cook the patties for 7 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally; transfer to a plate.Step 4In a small bowl, season the yogurt. Mix in the dill.Step 5In a nonstick skillet, heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium. Crack in the eggs and cook until fried, over easy or medium.Step 6Build the burgers by stacking the bun bottoms, the dill-yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, lamb patties, eggs, green harissa, and bun tops.

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper
• Using a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, kosher salt
• Using a standing mixer, beat the butter, sugar, lemon zest, eggs, and vanilla until combined, creamy and smooth
• Beat in the ricotta cheese until combined
• Gradually beat in the dry ingredients until combined and a soft dough forms
• Using a small cookie scoop, scoop some dough onto the cookie sheets about 2 in apart
• Once trays have a minimum of 12 cookies, place in the oven and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly brown
• Remove and place on the counter to cool
• Once cookies are cooled, place onto a wire rack
• Repeat steps until all the dough are baked

RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the flour with baking soda, and salt. Stir until well combined and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, using a hand held mixer or a stand mixer, beat the butter with sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the ricotta cheese.
• Add in the egg and the vanilla extract, and beat again until the egg is fully incorporated.
• Add zest of half a lemon, and about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into the batter and mix again.
• Now it's time to add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and whisk or mix until just combined. I like to use the same hand mixer and do this on the lowest speed possible.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/160°C fan oven, and line a baking tray with parchment paper or use a silicone mat.
• Using a small cookie scoop (1 tablespoon), scoop out dough balls and place on the baking tray 1.5-2 inches apart.
• Bake for 12-14 minutes. The cookies are done with they're puffed, and golden brown at the bottom. Allow them to cool down on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the glaze.

ALMOND RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 180C. Line a cookie tray with Silpat or parchment paper.
• Sift together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt ( if using) in a bowl.
• In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Add the egg. Beat well.
• Now add in the ricotta, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix until well combined.
• If the dough seems too soft, cover and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes until firm.
• Scoop out the dough, using a tablespoon. Roll the dough balls and place on the tray.
• Bake at 180 C for 12-14 minutes until very light golden in color.
• Transfer to a cooling rack, let the cookies cool completely. Serve as is or glaze the cookies with almond glaze and add sprinkles.
• Allow the glaze to set, about 5-10 minutes.

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES RECIPE

Steps:

• Cookies:
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt for 20 seconds. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until pale and fluffy.
• Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl occasionally throughout the entire mixing process.
• Mix in the ricotta and vanilla extract, then blend in eggs one at a time.
• Set the mixer on low speed, then slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until combined.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then chill for 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F during the last 20 minutes of the dough chilling.
• Scoop the chilled dough out 1 tablespoon at a time, then shape them into balls.
• Drop the balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Bake in the oven for 12 to 14 minutes until the underside of the cookies are golden.
• Cool on the baking sheet several minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Glaze:
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, lemon juice or almond extract, vanilla, and 4 tablespoon milk until smooth. Add in more milk 1 teaspoon at a time to thin as needed.
• Dip the tops of cookies in glaze, then return them to the wire rack.
• Add the sprinkles at once, then allow the glaze to set at room temperature.
• Serve, and enjoy!

ITALIAN RICOTTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add ricotta and eggs, one at a time, mixing just until well blended. Add vanilla and almond extracts. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add dry ingredients to butter and sugar mixture and blend just until combined-do not overmix. Cover and chill dough in fridge 15 to 30 minutes. While dough is chilling, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and place in fridge or freezer. When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 350°; remove dough and chilled baking sheets from fridge. Using your hands, shape dough into balls (about 1 tablespoon) and place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and place cookies about two inches apart. Bake cookies 11-14 minutes, rotating baking sheets after 6 minutes. Cookies will start to turn golden around the edges but still pale in the center. Place cookies on cooling racks. While cookies are cooling, and if making glaze, add lemon zest and juice to a medium bowl. Whisk in powdered sugar; if glaze is too thick, add in 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon milk, whisking to blend. If too thin, add in more powdered sugar. Drizzle or spread glaze over cookies and sprinkle with colored sparkling sugar. Let cookies and glaze set another ten minutes before serving.*To make vanilla sugar, scrape the beans one vanilla pod and mix into 2 cups granulated sugar.