Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Yesterday was a definite "break and bake" day, I was studying for a test all afternoon and had a long week at school.  These cookies have been on my "to make" list and I have been talking about making them for about two weeks now.  Let me tell you, they did not disappoint! When I tried the first one, I thought "these are some of the best cookies to come from my kitchen!"  How can I describe them to you to make you think "WOW, I'm going to bake these RIGHT NOW!!!"

These cookies are moist, fluffy, cake-like and soft with a perfect balance of lemon zest and sweetness.  They are on my top five favorite list and a great cookie for spring.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! 

Lemon Ricotta Cookies:

1 stick butter, softened (unsalted)

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 15 oz carton ricotta cheese

2 lemons (zest and juice)

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Lemon Glaze:

1 lemon (zest and juice)
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Dough:  Cream together butter and sugar (about 3 minutes) Add eggs one at a time and mix well.  Add ricotta, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Mix these ingredients (about 2 minutes) then stir in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt).

Bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spoon dough onto greased cookie sheets (about 1 T. or use a cookie scoop).  Bake for about 12 minutes or until the cookies are set. Remove onto cooling racks.  Let cookies cool about 15 minutes.

Glaze: Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, and powdered sugar in a small bowl and stir until smooth.  Spread the glaze on top of each cookie.  The glaze will take about 2 hours to set, but feel free to try one now :) 

Confession: While the cookies above look beautiful, there were a few (probably 5 out of the whole batch) that spread out a lot and were not like the others... I think as I was baking the temperature of my dough changed and was a little warmer by the time I was finished baking.  Next time I think I will keep the dough in the refrigerator while I am baking... I will let you know how this goes.  (It wasn't so bad that I would not make them again though, they still tasted good, just didn't hold their shape.)  If you have any other ideas of what happened, throw them this way!

I'm back to studying and enjoy the cookies!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

A classic favorite!  This recipe is quite good, especially if you want an original chocolate chip cookie.  I think they would also make great ice cream cookies (reminds me of my Ozark days! :)  They have a "secret" ingredient in them... vanilla pudding.  The pudding really creates a smooth texture in the cookie.  Hope you enjoy!

1 cup butter (softened)
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
3.4 oz package of vanilla pudding mix
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions: Combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, and cream together.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Make sure it's smooth!  Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) and add to the wet ingredients.  Add the chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 10-11 minutes until the cookies are just set (I know it's a pretty exact time.)  They may seem a little underdone at this time but when the cookies cool they will be really soft and chewy.  Let cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheets then remove to cooling racks.