Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Raspberry Cane Sugar

These light and airy cookies are delicately flavored and the perfect accompaniment for your afternoon tea.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Raspberry Cane Sugar

I was provided a sample of the Raspberry Cane Sugar from s.a.l.t. sisters at no cost to me. I did not accept monetary compensation for this post; however, this post does contain affiliate product links. Clicking on the links may result in my being paid a commission based on product sales. Regardless of commission, all opinions expressed in this post are my own. For more information, please review our site policies.

Every now and then, one of my friends will post a picture on my Facebook wall with a comment similar to "I saw this and I thought of you". More often than not, the picture is of an owl. While I think it's pretty hilarious that some of my friends view me as the Owl Lady, it's also pretty special that they take the time to let me know that they're thinking of me.

My obsession with owls manifested in college, and ever since then, I've been slowly building my owl collection (see here and here) so I can have small reminders of my life-changing decision to join a sorority during my junior year.

s.a.l.t. sisters' Raspberry Cane Sugar

Another reminder of my sorority days? The colors of red and yellow (or, as we say, "cardinal and straw").

So, when the folks at s.a.l.t. sisters sent me some of their flavor-infused raw cane sugars to try, I immediately started thinking of yellow desserts I could make that would pair well with their red Raspberry Cane Sugar.

Lemon Ricotta Cookie Dough

s.a.l.t. sisters' Raspberry Cane Sugar

My thoughts naturally zeroed in on desserts that were lemon-based since I already knew that I liked the combination of lemon and raspberry. But because I didn't want the lemon to completely overwhelm the Raspberry Cane Sugar, I shied away from lemon bars and lemon custards in favor of a more delicately-flavored option -- Lemon Ricotta Cookies.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Raspberry Cane Sugar

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Raspberry Cane Sugar

My version of Lemon Ricotta Cookies is based on this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis. Rather than covering the cookies with a lemon glaze after baking, I skipped the glaze altogether.

Instead, I added a layer of sweetness by sprinkling some of the Raspberry Cane Sugar onto the scoops of cookie dough before sliding the baking sheets into the oven.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Raspberry Cane Sugar

When the cookies came out of the oven, they were light and airy, the perfect "cardinal and straw" accompaniment to an afternoon cup of tea. In fact, the cookies are rather addictive when they're still warm, so you might want to make a whole pot of tea instead of just one cup.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Raspberry Cane Sugar

Yield: About 4 dozen cookies | Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, room-temperature
• 1 15-ounce container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 lemon, zested
• Raspberry Cane Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Place the softened butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer. Beat the butter and sugar on a medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs to the butter mixture, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated.
5. Turn the stand-mixer off and then add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine.
6. Lower the speed and slowly add the dry ingredients. Beat until just combined.
7. Line baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper. Scoop dough, about 1 rounded tablespoon for each cookie, onto the baking sheets. 
8. Sprinkle each cookie with Raspberry Cane Sugar. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges.
9. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an air-tight container.

Recipe by Michelle Rittler | Taste As You Go // Adapted from Food Network

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