Day 29 - Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

     Another recipe from the Food Network:    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lemon-ricotta-cookies-with-lemon-glaze-recipe/index.html
These were the cookies I saw yesterday while searching for a cookie recipe, but came across the Flu-Fighters and decided to make those instead.  These are from Giada De Laurentiis.  I love her.  She is so petite and pretty and she knows her stuff.  And she's Italian, too.  I love Italy and everything Italian.  If there's one place in the world I'd love to visit, it's Italy.  I don't have an ounce of Italian in me, but I overcook so much food on occasion that you'd think I was.
     As you know, I'm also partial to lemons and anything lemon flavored.  I think it started when I was young and would get the lemon-filled donut when we'd go to Dunkin' Donuts.  Oh, how I love those!  Then, if you're from Rhode Island, there's Del's (frozen) Lemonade which is absolutely the best thing to have on a hot summer day, especially at the beach.  Now in 2011, they also have different flavors of Del's, like Watermelon, Cherry, Blueberry, and others, but if you're as old as me (not that old, born in the late 60's - and I'm already telling you my weight, so something's gotta be kept a secret!), the original flavor was lemon and Del's isn't Del's unless it's lemon.  My kids, of course, think otherwise.
   These cookies were easy to make (not nearly as many ingredients as yesterday).  They contain flour, sugar, lemon juice,  lemon zest, eggs, unsalted butter, ricotta cheese, baking powder, and salt.

Butter and sugar.

Butter and sugar, eggs.

Eggs, butter, and sugar, lemon zest, ricotta cheese, lemon juice.

Dry ingredients added.

Onto the cookie sheet.

They were just a little time consuming because I used one cookie sheet to make sure I wouldn't have any too dark, and then they had to sit for 20 minutes on the sheet after they came out of the oven to cool before being frosted. 

Being cooled.

So that's where the time went.  However, I have never had so much trouble zesting a stupid lemon.  I was becoming extremely aggravated with the thing.  I had zested half of it and then all of a sudden it was like it surrounded itself with this invisible shield and I couldn't get anything more to come off it.  I pushed, I scraped, I pressed really hard, but nothing was coming off.  FINE!  You're going to succumb to your death anyway because I'm going to need your juice, so you might as well just surrender and give me ALL of it.  Hmmmm....still nothing.  Stupid lemon.

     They were big cookies, too.  Directions said to drop about 2 tablespoons for each cookie - I did about 1½ or so.  Because they are light and have the specks of lemon zest in the glaze, I think these are an awesome spring cookie and would be great to have out at your Easter gatherings.  The rating:  3½ rolling pins.  The family liked them and I did as well.  They were light and lemony, and soft, but not too soft.
     Happy baking!