Creamy ricotta gives these lemony cookies a soft, cakey texture. To get the most defined crackled tops, be sure to generously coat the cookies with icing sugar before baking.
- Prep time 30 minutes
- Total time 1 hour & 15 minutes
Ingredients
Method
In large bowl, beat butter with 1 cup of the granulated sugar until fluffy; beat in egg, ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla, beating well after each addition. Using food colouring, tint to pale yellow, beating to combine. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder; stir into sugar mixture just until combined.
Place remaining granulated sugar and the icing sugar in separate shallow bowls. Roll dough by heaping 1 tbsp into balls. Roll 1 ball in granulated sugar to coat; roll in icing sugar to coat. Repeat with remaining balls.
Arrange, 2 inches (5 cm) apart, on parchment paper–lined rimless baking sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in 350°F (180°C) oven until bottoms are golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on pans for 2 minutes; transfer directly to racks to cool completely. (Make-ahead: Store in single layer in airtight container for up to 2 days. Or freeze in single layer on baking sheets until firm, about 1 hour; freeze in airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Thaw at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.)
Tip from The Test Kitchen: Use a toothpick to add the food colouring one drop at a time, beating well after each addition.
Makes about 36 cookies.
Nutritional facts per cookie: about
- Sodium 52 mg
- Sugars 8 g
- Protein 2 g
- Calories 89.0
- Total fat 3 g
- Potassium 15 mg
- Cholesterol 14 mg
- Saturated fat 2 g
- Total carbohydrate 13 g
%RDI
- Iron 3.0
- Folate 5.0
- Calcium 1.0
- Vitamin A 4.0
- Vitamin C 2.0
