A friend gave me a bag of fresh lemons and this was the recipe I first thought of. these cookies really melt in your mouth and are so delicious. Adding the glaze makes them into a a different kind of cookie, more moist with an intense lemon flavor. Another approach might be dusting with powdered sugar mixed with lemon zest.
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter (softened)
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs (at room temperature)
1 15-ounce container of whole milk ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (about 1 lemon, zested)
For the glaze:
1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (about 1 lemon, zested)
Instructions:
For the cookies
Line 2 baking sheets (or cookie sheets) with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using an electric mixer combine the butter and the sugar. Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing between additions until well incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine.
In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift in the dry ingredients into the bowl of the wet ingredients. Tightly cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Scoop the dough (about 1 heaping tablespoon for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until cooked through but still pale (do not overbake!). Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
For the glaze:
combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Dip each cooled cookie in the small bowl of lemon glaze. You can also spoon the glaze on top of the cookie with the back of a spoon.
Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours at room temperature.
These definitely need to be refrigerated and kept in a airtight container.
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