Ciambelline di Ricotta - Ricotta Ring Cookies
These ciambelline di ricotta (little rings with ricotta) are soft and have a tender crumb. These are the not overly sweet cookies you want to enjoy with your coffee in the morning or afternoon snack!
Servings 12 cookies
Calories 169kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup ricotta cheese strained
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1 lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 1¼- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar for serving
Instructions
- Place the ricotta in a fine meshed sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth over a bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour (up to 2 hours) to drain excess liquid.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place drained ricotta, sugar and egg in a medium sized bowl. Whisk together until smooth.
- Whisk in the melted butter until smooth.
- Stir in the grated zest of 1 lemon.
- Stir together 1 1/4 cups flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Use a wooden spoon to combine the dry ingredients with the ricotta mixture until you have a shaggy dough.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and, using a light hand, knead until you have a smooth dough. Shape into a ball. If necessary, add a spoonful of flour at a time as needed to form a dough that is not sticky.
- Do not knead the dough vigourously as it will become increasingly moist and sticky and you want to avoid adding too much flour.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, approximately 45 grams each. You may eyeball it rather than use a kitchen scale.
- Roll each piece of dough on your lightly floured work surface into a 6 inch rope. Pinch the ends together lightly, they will not unravel during baking, and place on the prepared baking sheets.
- Continue with the remaining pieces of dough.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown both on top and underneath. .
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool before dusting with powdered sugar and serving
Notes
Substitutions and Variations
-Although I have yet to try this variation, I am tempted to stir in 1 tsp of anise seeds to this dough!
-Try adding 1 tsp. vanilla extract to the dough. Storage These cookies are best enjoyed the day they are made. However, leftovers will keep in a well sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days. To Freeze If 12 cookies is too much for you to handle at once, you can freeze a few well wrapped in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
-Try adding 1 tsp. vanilla extract to the dough. Storage These cookies are best enjoyed the day they are made. However, leftovers will keep in a well sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days. To Freeze If 12 cookies is too much for you to handle at once, you can freeze a few well wrapped in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 39mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 173IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1mg