Every year members of our Italian Club (SOFIA–Society of Fairfield Italian Americans) bake authentic Italian cookies for the local All Things Italian Street Festival in Fairfield, Iowa. Enjoy making these two recipes of Ricotta Cheese Italian cookies and a gluten-free recipe for Amaretti Macaroon Italian cookies.
This activity for me is part of my commitment to live la dolce vita, the sweet life, every day.
Buon appetito!
Italian Cookie Recipes
Ricotta Cheese Italian Cookies
Ricotta Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound butter
- 1 3/4 cups white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Icing:
- 5 tablespoons milk
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Lemon zest (1/2 lemon) 1/4 cup and squeeze some fresh lemon colored candy sprinkles. You can find naturally colored sprinkles also.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, cream together butter, sugar, eggs, ricotta cheese, and vanilla extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; blend into the creamed mixture, mixing in additional flour as necessary to form a workable dough. Roll dough into teaspoon-sized balls, and arrange on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned.
Icing: In a medium bowl, beat milk, confectioners’ sugar, and almond extract until smooth. Spoon over warm cookies, and sprinkle with colored candy sprinkles (optional).
Amaretti Macaroons
Amaretti Macaroons Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups almonds
- 1 C sugar 2 egg whites, room temperature
- 1/8 tsp salt 2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Sugar for sprinkling (optional)
Preheat oven to 300 F
You can leave the skins on the almonds. Grind finely in food processor a little at a time. Put into mixing bowl, add sugar, mmix with a fork, and set aside. With an electric mixer or a whisk, beat egg whites for 5 minutes or until stiff, adding the salt halfway through. With a rubber spatula, fold in the nut and sugar mixture and the almond and vanilla extracts. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Drop dough by teaspoonful 1 1/2 inches apart. Set aside for at least 15 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar, if desired. Bake in middle of oven for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. Do not remove from parchment until partially cooled or they could break. Cool thoroughly on a rack. Makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies These are not fancy looking cookies but very tasty and are excellent for dipping into your cup of coffee or tea.
Buon appetito!
Learn more about traveling to Italy on Lenora’s Italy Retreats For Women
Find out more about Lenora’s Sweet Life Workshops and Sweet Life Happiness Coaching.
You are welcome to reprint, copy, or distribute Lenora Boyle’s article, provided author credit is included.