Italian lemon ricotta cookies

    For the cookie batter:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch kosher salt
       Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
 Sift together your flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl, and set aside.

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
2 large eggs
8 oz. fresh whole-milk ricotta, drained
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon zest
       Cream the sugar and butter in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, and crack in the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions. Plop in the ricotta, vanilla, and lemon zest, and beat to combine. Add the flour mix, and beat on low until just combined, but do not overmix. (You don’t want your dough to get any more dense than absolutely necessary.)
Makes 40-45 cookies

 For the icing:
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

 Drop the dough in heaping tablespoons onto the baking sheets. Place in oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through the baking time, until the cookies are puffed, golden, and cooked all the way through, about 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool on wire racks.

 When the cookies are completely cool, make the glaze. In a bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice to make a smooth glaze. Adjust the consistency with a little water or more sugar to make the glaze thick enough to stick to the cookies when dipped.