10.19.2010

Cinnamon Ricotta Cookies



Have I mentioned recently that Ricotta Pancakes are fluffy little clouds of goodness?

Oh I have?  Well...what if I said that you can have all of that in a cookie too?  A cookie that is not-too-sweet and fluffy-soft like a down comforter.  In fact I have it on good authority that they have often been referred to as "cookies from heaven", they are that unforgettable.

One may say that that is too good to be true, and normally I would agree.  I mean, how can something be THAT good?  But this time I am telling the truth-no exaggeration, pinkie swear! 

After saying all of this I am pretty sure that it won't be too hard to believe that I had a monster craving for these cookies.  I knew I had to make them, pronto, like do not pass Go-do not collect $200 kind of pronto. 

But there was one thing I wanted to add to them.  I know what you are thinking, why change something that is supposed to be so perfect?  And in the back of my mind I was saying the same thing,  "if it ain't broke don't fix it".  But seeing that it is fall and all I hear about are pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and fall-inspired recipes, how can I ignore that??  I had to personalize them for the fall season.

How so?  Easy.  As much as I love lemons in the summer, I love cinnamon in the fall.  The smell of cinnamon wandering through the house on a cool day/night is heavenly.  As the fall sets in so does my longing for cinnamon.  So the decision was easy, add cinnamon to these lovelies and let perfection get perfected!

So I set out to combine my two cravings and came up with these little bundles of joy.  As I sit here and think about them, I am finding that the warm fuzzy feeling that they create, is coming over me yet again.  Hmmm...might have to bake some up soon...

UPDATE:  A wonderful food blogger that goes by the name Spicie Foodie, find her here, has set up a really cool interactive monthly link up.  Your Best Recipes is a way to share with others the best of the month.  This was the first month, October, and the response is really great.  I encourage you to stop by her page and participate dangit!  And for any readers that are here because of YBR, welcome!  Feel free to comment, linger and follow!  Happy Halloween everyone!!

Cinnamon Ricotta Cookies
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis 

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
Glaze
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • Milk, amounts vary
  • Cinnamon, to taste
  • Vanilla extract, to taste
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Put aside.

In a bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese and continue beating until combined. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the cookie dough (about 2 tablespoons per cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Side note: The bottoms of these cookies brown much faster than the rest of the cookies so do not rely on just looking at the tops to see if they are done, I usually turn over one cookie and see how brown the bottoms are to determine doneness.  If they get a little too dark, don't worry the flavor is not damaged and they will not taste burned.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Glaze:

I winged this glaze so this recipe is not as precise as I usually post on here.  Basically it goes a little something like this...

In a medium sized bowl measure out the powdered sugar.  A little at a time add in milk and stir until you get a pourable consistency.  Add vanilla extract and cinnamon to taste.  I like mine pretty cinnamon-y so I added several teaspoons.  Just keep tasting and adding as you see fit.   Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. 


10.10.2010

Breakfast for Dinner



So to be honest I am not a breakfast person, well not when it comes at 8 in the morning (give or take 2 hours).  My idea of breakfast is making a cup of coffee, which last week consisted of me putting water in the carafe placing it in the coffee maker and turning the switch on...can you imagine if I tried to actually make something?  It could be catastrophic.  So to say mornings and I don't get along is a bit of an understatement.   

"But breakfast is fantastic" you say.  Oh I agree, there is nothing like warm fluffy pancakes, or jam-packed omelets...oh and don't get me started on the fantastic qualities of  bacon, trust me when I say I LOVE bacon!  But if you read the first paragraph, (and if you didn't I will give you a moment to go back and tackle it)....you know that these things would be way too complicated for my morning-impaired mind.

So to solve my little conundrum I frequently enjoy a little thing I like to call breakfast-for-dinner (I know the name is not that original, but it is descriptive!).  This way I get to enjoy all of the breakfast yummy-ness at a more functional time of day. 

Tonight was a breakfast-for-dinner night.  I had some leftover ricotta from the cookies I made last week (post to come soon for those, they were fantastic!) so my first thought was ricotta pancakes.  This was my first attempt at these lovely little bundles of fluffiness and it is safe to say that it will NOT be my last.  I paired them with a simple strawberry sauce and the combination was wonderful, light and perfect for dinner. 

So I strongly urge you to have breakfast-for-dinner this week and put these on the menu, you won't be disappointed.



Ricotta Pancakes
adapted from: the kitchn
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3 eggs, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I love vanilla so I added a splash more)
If your ricotta is a bit runny, or you suspect that it may have a lot of moisture, place it in a fine mesh strainer about 30 minutes before you start, to drain off the excess liquid.

Combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium sized bowl. In seperate bowl combine ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla.

Wet ingredients - dry ingredients

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  In the meantime, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Gently fold in the egg whites one half at a time.

Eggs whites beating away

Heat a griddle, or large pan over medium-high heat, and brush the surface with butter or vegetable oil. Using a 1/3 cup measure (smaller or larger cups can be used depending on how big you desire your pancakes to be) pour batter onto the griddle/pan. Cook pancakes till they are golden brown, 3-4 minutes each side.


Strawberry Sauce*
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 cup water, the colder the better
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 ½ - 3 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen)
In a small bowl dissolve cornstarch in the cold water.  Rinse and hull strawberries if using fresh, for frozen berries thaw and drain.   Depending on your preference you can slice the strawberries or place them in a food processor to puree them.  In a large sauce pan combine all the ingredients.  Cook over a medium heat until thickened.  If you run your finger across the back of the spoon (be careful it will be HOT!) and it leaves a path then it is thick enough.  Serve warm.


*This sauce is great and has a million uses, I have used it as a cake filling and over ice cream.  The possibilities are many!

10.08.2010

A Crave Worthy Soup




It has been way, way, WAY too long since I have posted something new and for this I apologize (sorry!).  But I am happy to say that that is in the past!  Can I get a woohoo?

I have been using this time off wisely...scheming, planning, and dreaming of new recipes to bring you and I have to say (patting myself on the back) that there are some good recipes to come.

Now on to the good stuff...

The weather is getting cooler and fall is creeping in, so the idea of a warm cozy soup sounds so inviting.  There are a million wonderful choices but for me there really is only one...Italian Wedding Soup.  I can't say what in particular makes this soup such a delight.  Maybe it's the meatballs or perhaps the spinach...ohhh what about the ribbon of egg running through the broth? 

Perhaps I am getting carried away (ha I think not!)

Whatever it is, it is the only soup that I actually crave!  Normally I am not a huge fan of soup, I just want more, BUT after a steamy bowl of wedding soup and a nice crusty bread...I am left wanting nothing else...I take that back, I want another bowl.  

Best thing about it?  It is super easy!  I usually make the meatballs the same day but it would be a perfect use for those frozen meatballs you may have in the freezer.   If you are in a hurry (a last minute quick dinner perhaps?) I have used slices of Italian sausage, which was super tasty and added a bit of spice. 

Italian Wedding Soup
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Meatballs
  • 1 small onion finely diced
  • 1/3 cup Italian parsley
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • handful of bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 8 oz. ground beef
  • 8 oz. ground pork
  • pepper to taste
Soup
  • 12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 lb. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
  • salt and pepper to taste
 For the meatballs, stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir in the cheese, beef and pork.  Shape meatballs about 1-1 1/2 in. in diameter.  In a sauce pan add a Tablespoon or so of olive oil over medium-low heat.  Gently fry the meatballs until slightly brown.  Remove meatballs and set aside on plate.

First 6 ingredients

For the soup, bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the browned meatballs and spinach, simmer until meatballs are cooked all the way through 5-10 minutes.  Whisk the eggs and cheese in a small bowl.  Stir the soup, while stirring slowly pour the egg mixture into the soup.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.