Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies!

Hello Everybody! During the summer season at Cincinnati Opera, we performed Puccini's TOSCA! To keep with the theme, I made some festive Italian Ricotta Cookies! Here's How: 

Lemon Ricotta Cookies: 
Cookie Ingredients: 

DRY:
3 1/2- 4 cups AP Flour (for my recipe, I don't "scrape" off the measuring cup, so it's a little more than 3 1/2 cups
2 t baking SODA
3/4 t salt (again, a little extra won't hurt if you don't have smaller than a tsp measure)
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 t lemon zest
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

WET: 
15 oz ricotta cheese (if you buy 30 oz container, it's about 1 3/4 cup)
1 T vanilla extract
1/2-1 T almond extract

2 eggs, room temperature

Glaze: 

Juice from one lemon 

1 1/3 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
 

Instructions: 
This dough needs to chill for a while, so don't start the oven yet!
While you let the butter and eggs come to room temperature, zest your lemon. I like THIS microplane zester. 
Whisk the flour, SODA, salt in a large bowl and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment, Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest until fluffy.  
Beat in the vanilla, almond and ricotta one at a time until well combined. 
Add in the eggs one at a time. Beating well after each. 

Turn your mixer on "stir" and incorporate the flour mixture about a 1/4 cup at a time. 
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let chill for a minimum of 2 hours (up to a couple days). 

Preheat the oven to 350degF, Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat. 
Scoop out the dough into about Tbs balls (I use a small ice cream scoop.. . ) about 2-3 inches apart.  It's a STICKY dough, but has definitely firmed from chilling. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Maybe a little longer if your cookie size is larger. 
Let sit on pan for a couple minutes and then remove to cool completely. It takes about 30 minutes. 

For the glaze: 
Juice that lemon that we zested a few hours back. 
Incorporate a little at a time into the confectioners sugar until your spreading consistency is desired. If you're adding sprinkles, now's the time! 

And VOILA! Beautiful Lemon Ricotta Cookies! 

"Opera Cookies"

Hello Everybody! Here is my tutorial on how to make what we dubbed as "opera cookies"! They're simple and DELICIOUS! Formally "Chocolate cookies with salted caramel chips"! Here's how! 

Chocolate salted caramel chip "Opera cookies":
Ingredients:
WET:
2 sticks of butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 T water
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 t vanilla extract

DRY:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 cup dark chocolate baking cocoa(you can use 3/4 cup of either or this mixture)

One 12oz package of salted caramel/butterscotch chips (c.2 cups)
Topping of kosher/sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven 350°
Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper, this is my favorite!
In a bowl, Mix together flour, baking soda and cocoa and set aside. 
In a separate bowl or with stand and paddle attachment, cream butter, shortening, water and sugars, add vanilla and  eggs one at a time, combining before each addition. 
Mix 1/4 cup at a time of dry into wet mixture until well combined.
fold  in the chips. 

With small ice cream scooper scoop even sized balls out onto parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. 
Roll in palm of hand for a smooth finish once baked. 
Bake for 9-11 minutes.
Once out of the oven, top with pinch of salt. 
Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Take to Opera Rehearsal!!