Pinterest. Some days I love it (inspirational, beautiful, breath-taking pictures!), some days, well … it’s like a good book – once you start, very hard to stop. But some good has definitely come from my Pinterest-ing: this recipe for Lemon Ricotta Cheese Cookies di Chef Luca for example!
Full disclosure: I am not a tech-savvy person. I never have been, and before I started this blog, I was perfectly content with not knowing anything about anything social media-related. I wasn’t on Facebook, I never spoke about twitting on Tweeter, and I didn’t even have any idea that sites like Pinterest, Instagram, Reddit, etc. existed at all!
One of the greatest challenges I faced when beginning my blog, as a matter of fact, was learning the ins and outs of all these websites. Thank goodness for my kids, who guided me so much at the beginning! The things they had to deal with, though… Do you guys want to laugh? Even after running this blog for about 2 years, I still get my own special form of “Facebook anxiety” each time I share a post on there… Like, “Okay, will this button post my new status, or will it delete my entire Facebook page? I mean, sure, every time I’ve clicked it before, I’ve gotten to post my new status… but maybe this time I’ll accidentally nuke everything??? Somehow??”
I don’t know – social media doesn’t come naturally to me. And so when I discovered Pinterest, it took me a long time to learn to use it to my advantage, and not get completely distracted and discouraged and overwhelmed by it.
Pinterest calls itself “The visual bookmarking tool that helps you discover and save creative ideas”. For all the uninitiated people like me, what this basically means is that Pinterest lets you browse a bunch of content (mostly images, sometimes the articles associated with the images, too), and “pin” that content to your own individual “boards”. It’s generally used as a planning tool (for trips, weddings, parties, etc.), or as a means to get inspired (for recipes, DIY projects, redecorating, etc.).
Now… there is a lot of stuff on Pinterest. According to this resource in fact, Pinterest has more than 100 million monthly active users!!!! And so, unsurprisingly, when I first opened Pinterest up, I just felt like I was being bombarded with STUFF from all angles, and that I just didn’t know where to look. All the pictures looked so colorful and interesting! All the recipes looked so easy! All the food looked so good! At the beginning, I allowed myself to get so distracted by all the beautifully appealing stuff Pinterest threw at me that it was really difficult to remember what I was doing there in the first place. It took a lot of focus and a lot of organization, but I think I’ve finally mastered the art of Pinterest-ing…
What I do is this… I try to keep my personal tastes and values at the forefront of my mind while browsing (e.g., I’m a dietitian, so even if something looks super awesome in the picture, if it’s deep-fried and uses 2 cups of butter, I try to give it a pass)… I also keep lots of different boards, so that I can keep all the stuff I pin well-organized (e.g., I don’t have a “Dessert” board – I have a “Cookie” board, a “Biscotti” board, a “Cake”board, etc.)… and finally – when something truly catches my eye on Pinterest, I print the recipe out right off and try it as soon as possible – within the next few days, if I can!
I’ve found that it’s just so easy to pin stuff endlessly and forget about it immediately. For myself, actually trying out the recipes I see while I am still excited about them is the easiest way to combat this. Anyway, that’s what I do to keep Pinterest productive for me, and not just a distraction.
But now… onto the Lemon Ricotta Cheese Cookies di Chef Luca!
Origin of the recipe for Lemon Ricotta Cheese Cookies:
As I mentioned, this recipe for Ricotta Cheese Cookies was one I found on Pinterest. I was browsing some cookie boards (PS: Can you imagine my shock upon discovering that “cookie boards” were a thing that exist? What a time to be alive!) when it caught my eye. Immediately I went through a mental checklist:
- Pictures: Amazing, beautiful, appetizing.
- Recipe: Reasonable, not too sweet or rich (my inner dietitian was pleased!)
- And my excitement level: Amazingly, the recipe incorporated some flavors and ingredients that I cannot get enough of (ricotta cheese…. swoon).
An immediate hit!!!
I should not have been surprised. This recipe for Lemon Ricotta Cheese Cookies comes from chef Luca Montersino, after all. Chef Luca creates and adopts most of his pastry recipes to have a healthy spin. These ricotta cookies, for instance, have no eggs, no butter, minimal sweetness. Perfect!
I’ve always loved ricotta cookies… I have a niece who makes some wonderful ricotta cookies; they are always part of her Christmas cookie platter and are always one of the first cookies to disappear. (I do plan on sharing her recipe with all of you, hopefully up just in time for Christmas). So I of course couldn’t pass this recipe up when I happened upon it!
These ricotta cookies are a little unique in that they need to be rolled out in an 8-inch strand, and twisted in on themselves. To make them extra tasty, you can even try making your own homemade ricotta cheese.
You will notice that a simple glaze adorns the tops. The cookies are really not sweet at all, and so this little sweetness is truly appropriate for a breakfast cookie.
Just for fun, I added some cocoa powder to half the batter and rolled them in to braids… For some more fun, I rolled the tops in some ground up nuts. To give them a festive spin, try rolling them in different colored sparkles! Have some fun with them. 🙂
And so there you have it, I just had to share this recipe for these Lemon Ricotta Cheese Cookies di Chef Luca with all of you. What about you – do you use Pinterest? How do you keep your Pinterest-ing productive? What was the best recipe you found off of Pinterest? Excited to hear about all your experiences! 🙂
Lemon Ricotta Cheese Cookies di Chef Luca
Ingredients
- 180 grams all purpose flour 1½ cup
- 120 grams granulated sugar scant 2/3 cup
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 250 grams ricotta about 1 cup and 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- zest of 1 whole lemon
Glaze
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325℉. Position rack to middle.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Incorporate the ricotta, lemon juice and zest.
- Divide dough into 12 equal pieces (approximately 45g each).
- Roll out each piece in a 7-8 inch strand.
- Form into a twist by "folding" over the strand and then twisting it once.
- Brush tops of cookies with milk.
- Sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.
- Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks for dropping by.
Ciao for now,
Maria 🙂
Eva says
Made these tonight and they came out really good replaced the lemon juice with limoncello and also doubled the recipe. Thank you these are perfect for the Easter table. Nothing says Easter like ricotta and lemon combo.
Maria says
Fantastic substitution! Yes, I agree… there will be a lot of baking with ricotta in the upcoming week. Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
Emma says
Hi Maria!
Thanks for the great easy recipe!
Just baked a batch of these biscotti! Whilst they are delicious, is it correct they have a almost chewy outer and a moist center?
Also is there any need to knead the dough lightly or roll each piece on a lightly floured board? I found the dough quite sticky and had to do so. Do you store them in an airtight container at room temp?
Thanks heaps!
Maria says
You are most welcomed Emma 🙂 Yes, I would say chewy on the outside but a soft tender crumb… the ricotta would be responsible for a moister center. I do not knead the dough nor do I use flour. The only suggestion I have might be to look at the moisture content of the ricotta… perhaps drain some of the liquid. They will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days; I will also keep them in the freezer since they are so quick to thaw… Thanks so much for taking the time to comment ♥
Emma says
Thank you Maria! Great tips! I will try to source a better ricotta that has less water content! Love freezable treats haha! Much appreciated x
Maria says
My pleasure Emma 🙂