Lemon Ricotta Cookies

I know, I know … another dessert. In the past few weeks, it’s been one after the other, mostly because I haven’t been home long enough to actually cook real meals.

Not that anyone should be complaining. It is backyard barbecue season after all, and there’s no quicker way to a party host’s heart than by bringing a sweet treat. I’ve got a million ideas here (for appetizers and drinks too!), and trust me, I’ll be adding these lemon ricotta cookies to the list.

Using ricotta makes these cookies soft and cake-like, as perfect for afternoon tea as they are for a cookout. The lemon is pretty subtle here (even though I bumped it up a bit from the original recipe), so if you’d like a ton of lemon flavor, I’d add a bit more lemon juice. They’re barely sweet, so you can add more sugar too (though I like my desserts on the less sweet side). The batter is a bit of a mess to work with, since it’s very wet, but the cookies bake up like a dream.

Now that I’ll finally be in the city for the occasional weekend, I need to start cooking some real food. I mean, I’ve got one hell of a sugar crash coming my way …

Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis
Makes 20 2-inch cookies

– 4 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

– 1 cup sugar

– 1 egg

– 1/2 of a 15-ounce container whole milk ricotta cheese

– 2 tablespoons lemon juice

– 1 lemon, zested

– 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

– 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

– 1/2 teaspoon salt

1) Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.

2) In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar using an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, beating until just incorporated. Add the ricotta, lemon juice and zest. Beat to combine.

3) Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until just combined (the batter will be very wet).

4) Spoon the dough (1 tablespoon per cookie) onto the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway, until the cookies are slightly golden at the edges and springy to the touch. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.