i think by now the secret is out of the bag. i love to bake. i am always looking for some new and different dessert to make. when i came across these cookies, they sounded weird but in my experience those are usually the recipes that turn out really well.
i had never baked anything with ricotta. truthfully i was a little wary - it just seemed strange - cheese in a cookie.
calling these cookies is a little deceiving. they are more like little cake cookies. they have a crumb like a cake but they are the shape of a cookie. the lemon flavor needed to be punched up so i doubled the amount of zest and i am really glad i did. the lemon flavor was bright and vivid as it should be since it is really the only flavor in these cookies. there is no ricotta flavor rather it - i believe - is what creates the fabulous moist texture. the glaze adds the perfect amount of sweetness and is definitely needed because the cookies alone are not sweet enough.
my first experience with baking with ricotta was a success. i will fear the cheese in baked goods no more.
lemon ricotta cookies with lemon glaze
adapted from giada delaurentiis
Ingredients
Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 large lemons, zested
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 large lemons, zested
Directions
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. Drizzle the glaze onto the cookies.
Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours.
other lemon desserts
lemon curd desserts
grapefruit "lemon" bars
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these cookies are INCREDIBLE! i am not exaggerating - they are
perfection. the crispy cookie and the white chocolate would be amazing
on their own but the addition of the sea salt - oh my! the salty crunch
on top makes these cookies one of the best i have ever made.Session dataSession data 
these peanut butter and jelly bars fit the bill perfectly. not only are
they simple to make - you can easily double the recipe for a large
crowd. i need my peanut butter to be chunky - the smooth stuff just
doesn't feel like peanut butter to me - so i substituted chunky for
smooth. any kind of berry jam will work great and for those of you
grape jelly fans - that would work as well. i added a bit on honey to
the batter and honey roasted peanuts to the top because i think peanut
butter and honey are naturals together. 
the mixed apple pie was probably one of my favorite pies i have
made because each apple was so different - different flavor and
texture. they combined perfectly. the all butter pastry crust was flaky
and i had a lot of fun making up the top crust. i have done lattice - i
have done full crust - i have done crumble topping. i wanted something
special this time. i took the top crust and cut out circles with a
biscuit cutter and overlapped the circles. it looked like a flower. i
will be using that one again - it makes a traditional pie new again. 
