GLUTEN FREE RICOTTA CHEESE COOKIES RECIPE

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     I had some ricotta cheese left over from making gluten free lasagna so I decided to make some Ricotta Cheese Cookies.  These are soft cake-like lemon scented cookies that you can eat with or without lemon glaze.   The glaze is very tasty, but it does make for a sweeter cookie, so I glazed half of the cookies and left the rest plain. 
     I do not remember where I originally got this recipe.  I used to make them with regular flour and now that I do not eat regular flour I converted the recipe into a gluten free version.  
     These Italian cookies can be made with different flavors.  Many people use orange zest and juice in place of lemon and some will add chocolate chips. Some people use only the vanilla extract (& no lemon or orange zest), others use only anise or almond extracts. Recipes also vary with the amount of ricotta cheese that is added.  You can go wild and vary the recipe to your liking.

GLUTEN FREE RICOTTA CHEESE COOKIES

Makes 40 cookies

Ingredients
Cookies

1 cup	Sugar
1 stick	Unsalted Butter
1 tsp.	Vanilla extract
1 large	Egg
1 large	Yolk
Zest	1 Lemon (divided in half - reserve half for the glaze)
1 Tbs.	Lemon Juice - freshly squeezed.
1 cup	Sorghum Flour
1/2 cup	Chickpea Flour
1/2 cup	Tapioca Flour
1/2 tsp.	Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp.	Sea Salt
1 tsp.	Baking Soda
8 oz.	Ricotta Cheese

Glaze
(Enough to cover half the cookies double if you want to glaze all the cookies)

1 cup	Confectioners sugar (Sift the sugar first and then measure it out.)
1 Tbs.	Lemon Juice
Zest	Lemon - use the other half of the zest reserved from making the cookies
2-3 tsp.	Milk, water or lemon juice (I used coconut milk)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare baking sheets by lining them with a silpat pad or parchment paper.
2. With a mixer or by hand cream the butter and sugar together.
3. Add the eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat in well.

   

   The eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and zest combined with the creamed butter and sugar.

4. In a separate bowl add the flours, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt and mix well.  Add the flour mixture all at once to the butter and egg mixture.  Mix until well combined.

   

   Flour and butter egg mixtures combined.
   Ricotta cheese ready to be blended into the dough.

5. Add the ricotta cheese and mix well.

   

   Completed dough after the ricotta cheese was mixed in.

6. With a scoop that measures 1 1/2-inches across or with a tablespoon, scoop out dough and place onto the prepared baking sheets.  These cookies spread out a lot, so be sure to leave 3-4 inches between the mounds of dough.

   

   Dough scooped out onto the prepared baking sheet.
   The dough was a little too close and the cookies almost ran together.
   I only put 12 scoops of dough on the next pan.
7. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned.  The time will vary according to your oven, so it would be wise to check the cookies after 12 minutes to see if they are done yet or still need more time.

   

   Baked cookies.
   Note that the dough could have been a bit further apart.

8. Cool on racks.
9. To prepare glaze: mix the sugar, 1 Tbs. lemon juice and zest with a small whisk or fork.  Add additional juice, water or milk, 1 tsp. at a time until all the glaze is smooth and slightly runny.

   

   Dipping the top of a cookie into the glaze.

10. Dip the cooled cookies into the glaze, or brush the tops with it.  I set a rack in a baking pan and then placed the glazed cookies on the rack to set.  The excess glaze will drip off through the rack and be caught in the baking pan.

    

    Glazed cookies drying on a rack.
    Note that the excess glaze has dripped onto the pan below the rack.

11. The glaze will take about 2 hours to set.  Once set you can store the cookies between sheets of wax paper in a tin.  If the container is too airtight the glaze will soften and get runny so plastic tubs will not work well.  The unglazed cookies can be stored in airtight containers.

    

    Unglazed cookie on left and glazed cookie on right.
    They are both delicious.

GLUTEN FREE RICOTTA CHEESE COOKIES Makes 40 cookies Ingredients Cookies 1 cup Sugar 1 stick Unsalted Butter 1 tsp. Vanilla extract 1 large Egg 1 large Yolk Zest 1 Lemon (divided in half - reserve half for the glaze) 1 Tbs. Lemon Juice - freshly squeezed. 1 cup Sorghum Flour 1/2 cup Chickpea Flour 1/2 cup Tapioca Flour 1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt 1 tsp. Baking Soda 8 oz. Ricotta Cheese Glaze (Enough to cover half the cookies double if you want to glaze all the cookies) 1 cup Confectioners sugar (Sift the sugar first and then measure it out.) 1 Tbs. Lemon Juice Zest Lemon - use the other half of the zest reserved from making the cookies 2-3 tsp. Milk, water or lemon juice (I used coconut milk) Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheets by lining them with a silpat pad or parchment paper. With a mixer or by hand cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat in well. In a separate bowl add the flours, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt and mix well. Add the flour mixture all at once to the butter and egg mixture. Mix until well combined. Add the ricotta cheese and mix well. With a scoop that measures 1 1/2-inches across or with a tablespoon, scoop out dough and place onto the prepared baking sheets. These cookies spread out a lot, so be sure to leave 3-4 inches between the mounds of dough. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. The time will vary according to your oven, so it would be wise to check the cookies after 12 minutes to see if they are done yet or still need more time. Cool on racks. To prepare glaze mix the sugar, 1 Tbs. lemon juice and zest with a small whisk or fork. Add additional juice, water or milk, 1 tsp. at a time until all the glaze is smooth and slightly runny. Dip the cooled cookies into the glaze, or brush the tops with it. I set a rack in a baking pan and then placed the glazed cookies on the rack to set. The excess glaze will drip off through the rack and be caught in the baking pan. The glaze will take about 2 hours to set. Once set you can store the cookies between sheets of wax paper in a tin. If the container is too airtight the glaze will soften and get runny so plastic tubs will not work well. The unglazed cookies can be stored in airtight containers.