Tasty Tools: Giada's Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

A few weeks ago in anticipation of having one of Doug's friends over for dinner, I bought some ricotta cheese to make a lasagna(our dinner guest's request). Unfortunately, something came up and our dinner was postponed. Well, I never got around to making the lasagna and the ricotta just sat in the fridge- expiration date quickly approaching. With the weather finally warming up, both Doug and I really weren't in the mood for lasagna. I started searching online for other ways to use up the ricotta and stumbled upon Giada's recipe for Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze and I was sold. This was the perfect way to use up my ricotta in a recipe that was light and perfect for the weather we were having. The cookies came out delicious...incredibly moist with the perfect amount of lemon flavor.

Finally, this recipe gave me the opportunity to participate in the Tasty Tools blogging event hosted by Joelen at Joelen's Culinary Adventures. With settling into our new apartment, I did not participate in last month's event, but was very excited to partake in this round. This month's Tasty Tools event focused on ice cream and portion scoops. To achieve a gorgeous uniform shape and for ease of clean up, when making cookies, I really love to use my cookie scoop. This recipe was no exception and actually the use of the cookie scoop was ideal as the dough itself was somewhat sticky. The cookie scoop performed excellently though and even Doug was eager to participate. Thanks to Joelen for hosting this great event!

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 part-skim ricotta cheese

juice from 1 lemon

zest from 1 lemon
Glaze:

1/2 cups powdered sugar

juice from 1 lemon

zest from 1 lemon

1 drop yellow food coloring(optional)

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, lemon zest and food coloring in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden