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.