Thursday, December 1, 2011

Lemon Ricotta Cookies


This is a Nordstrom cafe recipe.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Cookies

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
15 oz. whole-milk Ricotta cheese
1/2 t. lemon extract OR 1 t. lemon and/or tangerine baking oil
3 T. freshly grated lemon zest
1 T. lemon juice
1 2/3 c. AP flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt

Glaze
6 T. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
3 c. confectioners' sugar
3-4 T. lemon juice
Decorating sugar, silver dragees small silver balls), optional

Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine butter and sugar in bowl cream together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, Ricotta, lemon extract (or baking oil), zest and juice; blend well. Add 1 cup flour, baking powder and salt; blend to combine. Add remaining flour in two parts, blending to combine between each, until a dough forms.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoon 2 inches apart on baking sheets (cookies will spread). Bake until cookies edges are very light golden, about 12-15 minutes. Let cookies rest on baking sheet for a few minutes and transfer to wire cooling rack.

While cookies cool, prepare glaze by creaming together butter and sugar. Continue to mix, gradually adding juice until desired consistency. Decorate cooled cookies, adding dragees or decorating sugar, if desired, before icing sets.

7 comments:

  1. These are so delicious that they are almost addictive. They are not, however, as big as the ones Nordstrom sells in their cafes. Those are both higher and wider. I can get wider cookies by using larger amounts of dough, but even adding 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder didn't make them higher. Suggestions?

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    1. I must have tried these at the same time you did, and my response is the same. I'm thinking maybe more ricotta and less butter?

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  2. More ricotta. Makes them fluffy kinda like a mix between biscuit, muffin and cookie. Whip butter til it doubles then add your sugar zest juice eggs ricotta flour baking powder salt. Green scoop.

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  3. i found your recipe by searching for nordstrom lemon ricotta cookies and i have to add that i remember the cook at the cafe told me you should let the dough sit in the fridge over night before you bake them. maybe that makes them fluffier?

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  4. Speaking as one who makes these at Nordstrom, I can help. First, your ingredient list is off. For that amount of butter, you need 2 1/2 cups of flour and 1 TABLEspoon baking powder. If you have kosher salt, use 1 tablespoon of that as well. For the glaze use 8 tablespoons of butter for the amount of powdered sugar listed.
    Also these are baked from FROZEN at 300 for 20-24 minutes, rotating once. That way the edges set before the middle thaws, setting the shape and keeping them puffy.
    Good luck!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for clarifying! Another blog initially had the baking power and salt at T then changed to t so I'm going by what yours says. Very helpful!

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  5. If anyone is still following this, I just made these cookies. Everything went perfectly, but I feel like they never finished baking, meaning it took a lot longer than 24 minutes. Also, they were very soft and storing them was difficult. The flavor was delicious I just wish they would have been more cake-like...any thoughts/comments/suggestions?

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