Just Desserts: Lemon Ricotta Cookies With Lemon Glaze

We had some leftover lemons from our lemon squares and decided to venture into the other citrusy desserts. A search on the Food Network yielded a great lemon ricotta cookie recipe from Giada De Laurentiis

The cookies are cake-like, with a moist center and crispy edges. The lemon glaze gives it a nice zesty finish and an extra savory flavor. The original recipe calls for big drop cookies, about two tablespoons, but we opted for a healthy tablespoon instead because we love bite sized cookies.  

We didn't change too much from the original recipe; what we did below was make it a bit easier for beginner bakers or just those with small spaces. We baked two cookie sheets simultaneously in the oven; be careful with the sheet on the bottom rack. This may bake faster than the top rack and you should take it out about 3 minutes before the top rack. 

Prep time: 20 minutes

Bake time: 30 minutes
Cooling time: 20 minutes 

Ingredients:

Cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• dash of salt
• 8 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 15 oz. container whole milk ricotta cheese
• Juice of 1 lemon, about 3 tablespoons 
• 1 lemon, zested (if you don't have a microfine grater, try using the smallest grade grater you have)

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and set aside. 

Combine the softened butter and sugar in a fairly large bowl. We recommend using an electric mixer (but if you don't have one, softening the butter is key). With the mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, until it looks like freshly fallen snow. Mix in the eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated.

Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest; hand mix to combine. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients, about 1/3 at a time. Mix until fully combined. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line 2 baking sheets with either a silicon mat or parchment paper. Spoon a healthy tablespoon for each cookie, keeping about 1.5 inches between cookies. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

While the cookies are resting, create your glaze. Mix all the ingredients together and stir until you work out all the powdered sugar lumps. Drop 1/2 teaspoon of glaze in the middle of the cookie and use the back of a spoon to spread the glaze. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then if desired, add another layer of glaze.

Let the cookies cool and the glaze harden for at least 90 minutes before removing from the cookie sheets. 

No-bake Pralines

A trip to NOLA isn't complete without a visit to Southern Candymakers on Decatur St. We had our first, right off the stove pralines from them in 2009 and have always made it a stop when in the city. 

This praline recipe is from The Kitchn and helped us satisfy cravings when not in the Big Easy. Since this is our first foray into candy making, we followed it closely, but included some tips for first timers below. 

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups  white sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup whole milk (but it seems 2% is fine)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped

Absolutely essential equipment:

• Candy thermometer, because 220°F looks like 240°F and you don't want underdone candy
• Silicon spatula for stirring
• Deep pot for the mixture
• Parchment paper, foil or a silicon mat to cool the pralines

Place a long sheet of parchment paper where you want the pralines to set. A silicon mat works too. Have a ladle in the same area, and an extra spoon in case you need to scrape the candy from the ladle. 

You'll need a fairly deep pot for the candy and a silicon spatula to stir. The candy stuck too much to wooden spoons!

Combine all the ingredients in the pot and heat over medium-high heat, stirring to ensure the butter melts. Once the mixture starts to boil, stir constantly. You'll notice the mixture become cloudy and it will start to thicken. After about 5 minutes, check the temperature with a candy thermometer. The candy will be ready at 240°F.

When the mixture reaches 240, take it off the heat, but keep stirring. Using your ladle, drop small to medium spoonfuls of the candy on the parchment. Cool the pralines for at least 10 minutes then enjoy! These will keep for 5-7 days in an airtight container, but are the most delicious as soon as they cool!

Experiment Update: Vanilla Extract

We wish there was a way to hold a taste test with you all! For the past few weeks, we've baked cookies (White Chocolate and Almond cookies to be exact) and banana bread with the newly made extract. The difference in flavor between our homemade version and store bought was quite shocking.

Both products had a more noticeable and crisper vanilla taste, which in turn enhanced the other ingredients; almost as if you could taste the individual morsels in the baked good. However, because the taste was stronger, half the amount should yield a less prominent taste.

For fun, below are all the pictures of the six week experiment and one we took today.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

August 20, 2012

White Chocolate and Almond Cookies

Sometimes the best recipes are right under your nose. A simple and delicious recipe for white chocolate chip cookies sits on the back of the Toll House package. We added some almonds for an extra bit of crunch.


Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 8 minutes per cookie sheet


Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup white chocolate morsels
• 1 cup almond slivers

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat in the egg, then slowly add the flour mixture. Add in the chocolate morsels and almond slivers. Drop by rounded tablespoons on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes.

Refrigerator Walnut Cookies

Cookie recipes never cease to make me feel like queen of the kitchen. This is one of the rare recipes where the results are not a direct result of hours of preparation, and as a bonus, is a family favorite. Any type of nut would work with the recipe. These cookies can be prepared the night before, and actually taste better the day after.

Prep: 10 minutes (plus 30+ minutes for chilling)

Bake time: 10 to 13 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flou
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup chopped nuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Cream together butter and brown sugar    
3. Add the egg and vanilla
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture (will be crumbly)
5. Add the walnuts
6. Chill the dough for 25 minutes. Once chilled form into log, about 10 inches long
7. Chill for an additional 30 minutes, or overnight, in wax paper
8. When ready to bake, cut into thin slices, no more than a quarter inch
9. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 10-13 minutes, or until slightly browned
10. Cool on wire rack

Late to the Christmas Party: Christmas Cookies

Experimented for the first time with cookie cutters over the holiday season, and I must say there's a lot more than meets the eye. While I do call these Christmas cookies, this recipe is great to use for any shaped cookie cutters and makes about 12-18 cookies, depending on the size of the cookie cutters.

A word to the wise on cutters: try to go for simpler shapes. The more complicated ones with intricate designs tend to not come out as planned.

Icing: This is enough for 15 to 18 cookies. Liquid or paste dyes will work.

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 egg whites
• 3 or 4 drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Food coloring

Mix the sugar, egg white, and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. It should have the consistency of heavy cream (you may need to add a bit more sugar). Add desired food coloring.

Sugar Cookies:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, nutmeg or any other flavoring
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg, milk and flavoring. Sift flour. Mix baking powder with 1 cup flour, combine mixtures, then add the rest of the flour. Chill for at least 39 minutes. When rolling the cookies, generously flour the board and rolling pin. Roll to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, chopped nuts. Bake in a moderately hot oven, 375 degree F., 8 to 10 minutes.

Just Desserts: Sugar Cookies

There's nothing like a sugar cookie. It can be really plain, or you can jazz it up with sprinkles or icing. Instead of butter, these cookies use vegetable oil.

Sugar Cookies (makes 30-40 2.5 inch cookies)

• 2.5 cups all purpose flour
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Extra sugar for sprinkling

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and pre-heat the oven to 375.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

Combine and blend the sugar and vegetable oil. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Add the vanilla.

Mix in the flour mixture with the sugar mixture, making sure they are well combined.

Form the dough into .5 inch drops with tablespoons and place them on the cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle the drops with sugar. You have the option here to make cinnamon sugar and use that instead of plain sugar. The brown cookies below are sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.



Bake the cookies for about 11 minutes, until they are brown around the edges.

Once I ran out of vegetable oil and made these cookies with olive oil. They were like grown up sugar cookies and tasted great with coffee or tea. Give it a try.