Lemons are the perfect spring ingredient for cookies. The taste is bright and fresh, just like a great sunny spring day. Looking in my refrigerator, I had a couple of nice-looking lemons. These lemons were begging me to create a new lemon cookie. My thought was, of course, to have lemon juice and lemon zest, but I was looking for something different to add.
Doing a Google search for lemon anything, I came across lemon chips. This was new to me, and I really wanted to know more. It turns out it is a site called Nuts.com, and they have Lemon Chips. They were a bright yellow color which was perfect. The picture sold me, and I ordered a bag.
These lemon chips have a hint of white chocolate and are flavored with lemon. They are delicious. I now have three different lemon tastes for my cookie. Wanting something that would keep the cookies moist, I opted for ricotta instead of mascarpone or cream cheese. This is a soft and creamy lemon ricotta cookie with a hazelnut crunch.
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Ingredients for Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Butter unsalted
- Sugar white
- Ricotta cheese
- Vanilla Extract
- Lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Egg
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher Salt
- Lemon chips
- Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts Skins or No Skins
Of course, I wanted a little crunch with all this cookie's softness, so I chose hazelnuts which are not a nut I get to use very often, but they go great with my ingredients for this cookie.
Finding hazelnuts can sometimes be a little hard, but they have them at Whole Foods Market in the bulk foods department. I also found them online at Nuts.com Blanched Hazelnuts. I also found them online at Nutstop.com. So don't be afraid if the description says blanched; it just means they used blanching to get the skins off.
You can buy them with the skins on and take the skins off yourself, but it is much easier to buy them already with the skins off. If all you can find it with the skins on here is direction on Cook's website for The easiest Way to Skin Hazelnuts.
Making Ricotta with Lemon and Hazelnut Cookies
Satisfy your sweet tooth with these heavenly lemon hazelnut ricotta cookies! These cookies are soft and creamy from the ricotta with the zesty fresh lemon and chips. Add the nutty flavor of the hazelnuts for an elevated ricotta cookie.
Prepping Ingredients
Weigh or measure the sugar into a bowl and set it aside. In another bowl weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and salt running a whisk though to blend.
Next if the hazelnuts that you purchased were not chopped grab a cutting board and rough chop the number of hazelnuts that is needed for the recipe.
Next, zest your lemons before cutting them in half so you can juice them. Now it is time to mix the cookie dough.
Mixing and Chilling Ricotta Cookies
This is a pretty straightforward cookie dough. So, grab your mixer, and let's get started!
To ensure the butter is soft, I mix the butter before adding the sugar. Mix for a good minute so it is spread evenly around the bowl. Next, add the sugar and beat on medium mixer speed for 3 minutes.
Scrape down the bowl and add the ricotta cheese. Mix for about a minute. Now, add the vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest and blend.
Break the egg into a small bowl to ensure there are no eggshells before adding it to the rest of the cookie batter. Mix until the egg is incorporated. Turn the mixer down and gradually add the flour mixture.
Scrape down the bowl and add the lemon chips and chopped hazelnuts. It only takes about 10 seconds to mix these through.
I take a spatula and scrape the bottom cookie dough up to the top to make sure the chips and nuts are blended throughout the cookie dough.
Cover lightly with plastic wrap and put the bowl into the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
Scoop and Bake Ricotta Lemon Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and prepare two cookie sheet pans by lining them with parchment paper. Using a medium cookie scooper add 12 scoops to a cookie sheet pan. Space them evenly on the pan.
Bake for 12-14 minutes at 350°F (175°C or 180°C). Move them to a cooling rack once they are out of the oven.
FAQ's
Ricotta cheese adds moistness and richness to the cookie. It has a mild and creamy flavor and gives the baked cookie dough a nice texture. Cheese has become a very popular ingredient that is added to cookie recipes.
Of course, you might want to try almonds, walnuts, or pecans. A different nut might change the flavor slightly, but I love all nuts.
In an airtight container, you can keep them for five days. You can also freeze them for up to a month. But I like to eat them fresh before they lose their texture and flavor, like most cookies.
Other Lemon Cookies and Bars
Recipe
Ricotta with Lemon and Hazelnut Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar white
- 8 ounce (8 ounce) Ricotta cheese
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tablespoon (2 Tablespoon) Lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoon (2 Tablespoon) Lemon zest
- 1 (1) Egg room temperature
- 2 ¼ cup (281.25 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- 1 cup (212 g) Lemon chips
- ½ cup (60 g) Hazelnuts chopped
Instructions
- Take the lemons and zest. Cut the lemons and juice them into a separate bowl. Weigh or measure the sugar and set it aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and salt, running a whisk through to blend. Rough chop the hazelnuts so you have enough for the recipe.
- Add the sugar and butter to a mixer bowl and beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides, then add the Ricotta and blend for a minute. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, and mix. Crack the egg into a small bowl to ensure there are no eggshells before adding it to the cookie dough. Stop and scrape down the side and across the bottom to incorporate all the wet ingredients.
- Turn the mixer on low and gradually add the flour mixture till incorporated. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides to get all the flour and then add the lemon chips and hazelnuts to the bowl. I only turn the mixer on for about 30 seconds. Take the bowl off the stand and make sure the lemon chips and hazelnuts are distributed evenly throughout the cookie dough by turning the cookie dough over a couple of times using s spatula. Cover lightly and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C), and line two cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Add 12 scoops to a cookie sheet pan using a medium cookie scoop. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Leave them on the cookie sheet pan for a minute or two before moving them to a cooling rack. This recipe makes 2-½ dozen. Do not store in sealed containers; ricotta needs to breathe.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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