Rockhills Christmas Collective // Laura Eckart

At the Eckert house, these are one of our favorite Christmas cookies. In the photo, they are the ones in the middle with the white icing. They come out soft, and the crunchy icing is a nice contrast.

Ricotta Cookies

441 g, 2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

15 ounces ricotta cheese

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 eggs, large

1 teaspoon salt

560 g, 4 cups flour, all-purpose

2 tablespoons baking powder

coarse colored sugar crystals (we like pastel assorted colored sugar)

royal icing, see below

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in ricotta, vanilla, almond extract, salt, and eggs. In a separate bowl mix flour and baking powder. Add to wet mixture, Add flour, mixing only until blended. Portion with #40 scoop (purple) onto parchment lined baking sheets (12 per sheet) and bake 15 minutes, or until cookies just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets, without removing cookies. (Leaving them stuck down makes icing easier.) Make royal icing, and swirl onto each cookie using an iced tea spoon. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Let dry a while before putting in a container, or they will get damp.

Makes 5 dozen cookies.

Diane's Royal Icing

ingredients:

120 grams egg white, ok to use liquid egg whites from carton

600 grams powdered sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

directions:

Beat egg whites in a clean bowl with hand mixer at high speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar and extract. Beat at high speed until thickened. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

(If you would like to share some Christmas cheer, memories, encouragement, devotion, recipes, etc... with the Rockhills community, please email your entry to advent@rockhills.com)