These irresistible lemon ricotta cookies are one of the easiest cookies to make. Without resting time you simply form the dough and cut it with a cookie cutter!
In a large bowl combine ricotta and mascarpone cheese previously drained from excess water.
Add eggs, sugar, a pinch of salt and lemon zest from 3 lemons. Mix well until combined.Add lemon juice and mix again.
Add half of all the flour and all the baking powder and mix until combined. Pay attention to not overmix nor knead the dough.
Once you get a smooth mix add the remaining flour and baking soda.Using a silicone spatula fold the flour in the dough until you get a rough dough then transfer it to a work surface.
Using a dough scraper finish forming the dough.It should not be perfectly smooth as we’ll smooth it out further with a rolling pin. Most important is that there are no dry chunks of flour left.
Cut out the cookies
Very lightly flour the work surface and the rolling pin.Roll the dough until it’s ½ inch ( 13 millimiters) thick.
Using a 2 - 2 ½ inch (5-6 cm) cookie cutter cut out cookies. Each cookie should weight about 1 ounce or 30 grams.
Put all the dough scraps together and knead very briefly just until they come together. Roll again on a lightly floured surface and cut out the cookies.Repeat the process until you’ve finished all the dough.
Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper slightly distanced apart (the cookies will puff up in the oven).
Bake
Bake cookies in a preheated to 350F (175C) oven for 12-15 minutes.
Once cookies are out of the oven let them cool completely.
Glaze and decorate
Mix confectioneers' sugar with lemon juice and mascarpone cheese until you get a thick glaze (should not be runny!)Start with minimum amount of lemon juice.Add lemon juice if the glaze is too thick or more powdered sugar if the glaze is too runny.
Once cookies are completely cool, spoon the glaze on each cookie.Keep in mind that if the glaze is of the right consistency, it will naturally spread over the cookie after a minute or so.The glaze should not drip immediately - if this happens the glaze needs more powdered sugar.
Cover the cookies with the glaze in small batches (7-10 cookies).Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles immediately once you’re done with the batch.If the glaze starts to dry the sprinkles will not stick to the glaze anymore.