All That's Left Are The Crumbs: Italian Ricotta Cookies ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

July 19, 2016

Italian Ricotta Cookies ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

This month it is all about cheese for the members of the #CreativeCookieExchange. When I first saw this my first thought was, wow, this is going to be fun. I love the variety of themes that we are presented with as it usually means you will be stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new.

At first I was tempted to go the savory route, but then I saw a recipe for ricotta cookies and could not resist staying on the sweet side. My rational was that we have an amazing group here in the #CreativeCookieExchange so I can satisfy my sweet tooth, and then work my way through the list of cookies made by everyone else, betting that there would be both sweet and savory on the list - I encourage you to do the same as there are some amazing recipes listed below.

These Italian Ricotta Cookies are so easy to make, and the recipe makes a lot of cookies so it is time well spent. I'm pretty sure I ended up with almost 80, but there was some quality control going on so not all of them made it to the glazing stage and counting. I would describe this cookies as little pillows of vanilla softness, and one of my daughters said they tasted like the petite vanilla bean scones from Starbucks, only softer. A few made their way to work on Monday morning - always the hardest day of the week - and one of my co-workers called them antidepressant cookies as they made another long week of work seem bearable.

The original recipe advised to spoon the glaze over the top, which I did try as you can see from the photos, but I found that I was loosing to much glaze so I held the cookie upside down and dipped it in the the bowl of glaze, let the excess run off, and then turned the cookie the right way up and placed it on the tray to set. This was much easier, and it also made the glaze last a lot longer so all the cookies could be glazed.

This is definitely a recipe that I will continue to make. You could also leave out the vanilla beans from the glaze and use sprinkles instead making them perfect for Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, or Christmas, but don't wait for a special occasion - make them soon! You will thank me after one bite.

If you would like to know more about #CreativeCookieExchange and see what the other bakers made for the Cheese! theme please scroll down below the recipe. Thanks to Laura from The Spiced Life, who is our host, fearless leader, and in the middle of moving and Renee from Magnolia Days for doing the links this month - much appreciated!

Italian Ricotta Cookies
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients
Cookies ~

225g, softened
400g sugar
2 eggs
425g Ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Seeds of one vanilla bean pod
600g all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Glaze ~

175g powdered sugar
50ml milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Seeds of one vanilla bean pod

Preparation
Cookies ~

Preheat oven to 180℃.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, add butter and sugar and mix until light and fluffy.
At medium speed, beat in ricotta, vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds, and eggs until well combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour with baking powder and salt.
Reduce speed and gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until a dough is formed.
Drop the dough by level tablespoons (I used an ice cream scoop which made it very easy) onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 12 -15 minutes or until cookies just be start to get golden around the bottom edges.
Remove from baking sheet and place on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath.
Dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze, and allow most of the excess to drip back into the bowl, then place the cookie back on the rack to allow it to fully dry before storing.

Glaze ~

Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and vanilla seeds in a small bowl until smooth.

Recipe from both Lovely Little Kitchen and Cooking with Nonna
For US measurements please click here

Cheese makes everything better--even cookies!

Sweet or savory, you can find them here! You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made ~