Waste not, want not

Like every good Italian family, we always have ricotta cheese in our fridge.  Normally we buy the 15 oz. container, but recently we had a large one that needed to be used up before it went bad.  I wasn't in the mood for lasagna, baked ziti, or anything savory...so I opted for these.

They were delicious, but I think adding a LITTLE bit more flour might lessen the gooeyness (is that a word?), which would make them easier to handle.  A few of my friends have already tried this recipe and were happy with the results too.  And, it made a TON of cookies, so be prepared to share!

Ricotta Cookies
from Italian Recipes

15 ounces ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 pound butter
1 3/4 cups white sugar
2 eggs
5 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup colored candy sprinkles


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together butter, sugar, eggs, ricotta cheese and vanilla extract in a bowl. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda, then mix it into the wet ingredients thoroughly to form a creamed mixture. Add some flour to keep it from becoming sticky. 


Shape the dough to form balls the size of a teaspoon. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until they turn light brown. 


Beat the milk, confectioners’ sugar and almond extract in a bowl until smooth. Pour the mixture over warm cookies with a spoon and sprinkle with colored candy sprinkles.