Lemon and Ricotta Cookies

Cookies are one of the foods that can be enjoyed anytime....start your day with them or end it enjoying them with a glass of milk. I bet you will sleep better with sweet dreams, literally :D

I am always very keen to incorporate cheese in my cookies, especially creamy ones like ricotta and cream cheese. So when I came across this recipe for Lemon and Ricotta cookies in The Hummingbird Bakery book, I immediately decided to try it. I anyways had some left over ricotta in my freezer that I was looking to use up. Btw, did I mention how much I like this book? This is one of those few books wherein the recipes hardly need to be altered, the baked goods come out almost perfect!

With their tangy lemon taste, these cookies are more of a summery treat and the addition of ricotta makes the texture soft and a little richer. You can replace the lemon with orange if you like. These are also very quick and easy to make as you don't need to chill the dough, just make, bake and eat! Ensure that you do not over bake the cookies else they will become hard.

Recipe Source: the hummingbird bakery Home Sweet Home

Makes about 18 cookies.

Ingredients:
For the Cookies
210 grams / 7.5 ounces / 1 plus 1/2 cups all purpose or plain flour.
1/2 teaspoon baking powder.
1/2 teaspoon salt.
60 grams / 2 ounces / 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened.
200 grams /7 ounces / 1 cup caster or superfine sugar.
1 large egg at room temperature.
100 grams / 3.5 ounces / scant 1/2 cup ricotta cheese.
1 plus 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice.
grated zest of 1 lemon.

For the Glaze
120 grams / 4 ounces / 1 cup icing or powdered sugar.
1 plus 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice.
grated zest of 1 lemon.

Method:
For the Cookies
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C / 325 degrees F. Line two to three baking trays with parchment.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt using a hand held whisk. Using a hand held electric whisk or a free standing electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and mix well. Scrape the sides of the bowl in regular intervals.

Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined.

Spoon the dough onto the prepared baking trays, about two tablespoons per cookie. Bake for approximately 15 mins or until golden brown in color.

Keep the trays on a wire rack to cool for 5 mins. Remove the cookies from the trays and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Glaze
Put the icing sugar, lemon juice and zest in a medium bowl and mix together until smooth. Spoon about one and a half teaspoon of glaze on top of each cookie and use the back of a spoon to spread the glaze. Allow the glaze to set and harden before serving.

Storage Suggestions: Cookies can be stored at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 3 days.

Happy Baking!!!