Cookies!!!!! I Make 'Em Good!

[elysium1996]

The two cookies above are Italian cookies. The one in the center is called a pizzelle, it is made with a pizzelle iron kind of like a waffle cone maker. If you want the recipe for this let me know or where you can a pizzlle iron.

The other one is called a Ricotta Cookie, the recipe is as follows: (updated with the info I used in the The Dessert Plate bake off where I tied for 1st place)

Ricotta Cookies

Makes about 80 cookies

Ingredients:

1c ricotta cheese

2 sticks + 2 tbsp butter

2 c sugar

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

4 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla (or 2 for vanilla flavored)

1 tsp of anise or lemon extract

Icing:

2 egg whites

1 tsp of vanilla

1 c powdered sugar

colored sugar or sprinkles

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add in cheese, eggs, anise and vanilla, mix till creamy and smooth.
• Add in dry ingredients, mix till thoroughly blended.
• Cover and refrigerate dough for ½ hour.
• Drop by spoonful, or roll by hand into walnut-sized balls.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes (careful, you can over bake. Bottoms should be almost golden.)
• Cool thoroughly.
• Beat egg whites till semi-stiff, add vanilla and sugar.
• Frost tops of cookies, sprinkle with decorative sugar or fun sprinkles. Let dry and store in container.

Notes: Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated overnight. If you use anise oil, 1/2 or 1 tsp is plenty. I like to make the frosting vanilla flavored but you can make it lemon flavored along with the cookies being lemon flavored.  Careful not to over or under bake. Under bake and they will stick to each other, over bake and they will be too hard.

Story: This recipe is from my step mother-in-law, Joan Ferrone.  They remind me of an Italian cookie my grandmother Mary used to make. You can substitute any flavor you want in them if you do not like anise, like lemon or vanilla.  Go on, I don’t mind! Funny story, about these cookies is that I made them for a friend’s baby shower in February and I couldn’t step five feet without someone saying how much they loved these cookies.  They were like addicts that day! They were a real hit!!!  And trust me, you can never eat just one.  They have fast become my family’s new favorite cookie and they are very easy to make.  This cookie is soft and moist and also delicious to eat without the frosting.  Mangia!

(By the way Megan (owner of the Dessert Plate), if you do make these cookies I am sure you may have a way better icing recipe then I use. I just sort of make it up as I go trying to come up with something that is not too runny. I sometimes succeed!)

BTW I am contemplating Cookie pr0n. Anyone want to help me write that ;>)  Blame
iolsai