I met Jerry through Twitter a couple of years ago now when I entered a contest his company, Zeppolis, hosted. Since then I’ve watched his catering company grow (and have waited patiently for the day he opens his own restaurant doors!).
Considering how busy this time of year is for Zeppolis, I’m always grateful that Jerry takes the time to share a cookie recipe with me. And never one to disappoint, he has given the Cookie Recipe Advent Calendar another wonderfully Italian recipe to try.
guest post by Jerry from Zeppolis
Jerry’s previous kitchen frolic cookie recipe advent calendar posts:
– 2012: pizzelles
– 2013: nonna’s almond cookies
Italian Ricotta Cookies are a tradition in our family dating back a couple of generations. I have very fond memories of making these for the first time with my mother who learned how to make them from my paternal grandmother. They’re hugely popular at Christmas time. You can choose to make them any size you want but for the purpose of this recipe we went a little smaller. The recipe yielded 9 dozen cookies enough to feed our large Italian family.
This recipe calls for pure vanilla extract. You can use a substitute but they won’t quite come out the same way. You can also choose to add some squeezed lemon juice into the bowl while mixing. Just a little. You don’t have to but I do and it works fine for me. The beauty of baking is that you discover new tricks and ways to perfect your recipe every time you bake.
Hope you enjoy this recipe. It’s more fun to bake with someone you love. The holidays is about being together and enjoying one’s company. Happy Holidays from our family to yours.
Bet you can’t eat just one!
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup of butter, softened at room temp
- 2 cups of fresh ricotta cheese
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- Red and green sugar sprinkles (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat sugar and butter until blended.
- Increase speed to high; beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. At medium speed, beat in ricotta, vanilla, and eggs until well combined.
- Reduce speed to low. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; beat until dough forms.
- Drop dough by level tablespoons, about 2 inches apart, onto large cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes or until cookies are very lightly golden (cookies will be soft). Remove cooks to cool. Repeat process with remaining dough.
- When cookies are cool, prepare icing: In small bowl, stir confectioner’s sugar and milk until smooth. With small spatula, spread icing on cookies. set cookies aside to allow icing to dry completely, about 1 hour.
- Although not necessary you can add sprinkles to the cookies to give them a festive vibe. I have children so I included some cookies with sprinkles.
Jerry Buccilli is the owner and operator of Zeppolis – Italian Comfort Food, a small catering company based out of Niagara Falls, Ont. Follow him on twitter (@zeppolis) or on facebook (/zeppolis). Visit our website www.zeppolis.ca
Check out the rest of the Cookie Recipe Advent Calendar here!
The content, recipe and all photos used in this blog post belong to Jerry / Zeppolis and were used with his permission. Please do not reprint any of the content in this post without his express permission.
