Tasty Treat Thursday: Ricotta Cheese Cookies

I am half Italian. 50%. I felt that I had a pretty good handle on Italian cooking and cuisine. Until recently...

I came across this Italian cookie recipe in a church cookbook (given to me by my MIL, who just joined this church). I found the title and ingredients odd, and couldn't imagine them to be tasty. One of the main ingredients is Ricotta Cheese, which took me off guard. The recipe kept nagging at me, and I started to wonder if maybe I had written it off too easily. I had some Ricotta Cheese left over from making a batch of Baked Ziti, so I figured, "What the heck, I'll give it a try. If I don't like them, I can give them away to people..."

I would soon eat my words. These are the most amazing, moist, delicious cake-like cookies I've ever had in my life. I still can't get over how good they are. The taste is unlike anything I've had before. The recipe yielded an ungodly amount of cookies, and yet they were gone in record time. Everyone who tried them were pleasantly surprised by how good they were.

These cookies pair GREAT with tea or coffee. I can't wait to make them around Christmas time - since they are glazed, it is easy to sprinkle them with red and green jimmies for holiday flare!

Tasty Treat Thursday

Ricotta Cheese Cookies

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• 2 C. Sugar
• 1 C. butter/margarine
• 15 oz. Ricotta Cheese
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 4 C. flour
• 2 TBS baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

• 1 - 1/2 C. confectioners sugar
• 3 TBS milk

Beat sugar and butter on low speed until blended, then high speed until fluffy (about 5 minutes). Mix ricotta, vanilla, and eggs at medium speed. Add flour, baking powder, and salt at low speed. Drop by tablespoon 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350º 15 minutes, or until golden.

For icing, mix confectioner's sugar and milk until thin. Spread icing on cookies while still warm, and sprinkle with jimmies/sprinkles (optional).

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If you try the recipe, let me know what you think!

I'm looking for more Tasty Treat recipes, especially ones that are good in the summer! Email me your recipes and I will share them with the community!