Came out of the gate strong on Friday. I got out of work an hour early so I made good use of my time.
Two new cookie recipes to try! One from An Italian In My Kitchen. The other from thekithchen.com.
From An Italian In My Kitchen, we have - Baked Sweet Ricotta Ravioli. I can not tell you how excited I am about this recipe. I made the recipe for the brown sugar dough and I loved it. The cookie is perfectly flaky. I made 1/2 a batch of the cookie recipe but yes we will be making this again.
Baked Sweet Ricotta Ravioli
Make the Pastry Crust
Make the Pastry Crust as per instructions, use half the dough for this recipe, (the other half can be frozen).
Brown Sugar Pastry Crust Ingredients-
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
pinch salt
1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter (cold)
1 egg
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Method-
You can make this dough either by hand or with a food processor.
In a medium bowl or in the food processor container whisk together the flour, brown sugar, salt and baking powder.
Either cut in butter by hand with a pastry blender or pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a medium bowl beat together the egg, cold water and vinegar.
Add to flour mixture and mix until almost combined. Transfer to a flat surface and gently knead into a ball.
Wrap in plastic and chill.
Make the filling-
Pre-heat oven to 350F (180 C), line one or two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Ricotta Filling Ingredients-
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Method-
Drain your ricotta cheese either with a sieve or cheesecloth for at least an hour.
If the cheese is extremely watery then leave it in the sieve in a covered bowl for 24 hours.
In a medium bowl mix together the ricotta and sugar until creamy, then gently stir in the mini chocolate chips and zest.
Roll out half the dough to a ⅛ inch thickness, cut out round with a medium-size round cookie cutter, place a teaspoonful of filling on one side of the round cover with the unfilled side.
Seal the edges well first with wet fingers then with the tongs of a fork, place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until golden.
Let cool, dust with powdered sugar.
Next, we have the Lemon Crumb Bars. The bars require just one bowl - yes, you read that right, one bowl! The beauty of these bars lies in their simplicity. The crust and crumble topping come together in a flash using pantry staples like flour, oats, and brown sugar.
Lemon Crumb Bars
Ingredients-
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark or light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled or quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large or 3 medium lemons
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Method-
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
Line the bottom and sides of an 8x8-inch baking pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper, positioning them perpendicular to each other and making sure they are long enough to hang over all four sides by at least 1 inch to form a sling.
Cut 1 stick unsalted butter into 8 pieces and place in a large microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave in 20-second bursts until mostly melted, 40 to 60 seconds total. (Alternatively, melt the butter on the stovetop, then pour into a large bowl.)
Add 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and stir to combine.
Add 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled or quick-cooking oats and 1 cup all-purpose flour, and stir with a flexible spatula until no dry spots remain.
Reserve 1 cup of the mixture for topping.
Transfer the remaining crumble mixture into the baking pan.
Pat into an even layer.
Bake until fragrant and lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the lemon filling.
Wipe out the crumble bowl (no need to wash).
Finely grate the zest of 2 large or 3 medium lemons (about 2 tablespoons) into the bowl.
Juice the zested lemons until you have 1/2 cup, then add to the bowl.
Add 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and whisk until smooth.
Pour the filling over the hot crust.
Sprinkle the reserved crumble mixture evenly over the filling.
Return the baking pan to the oven and bake until the edges are lightly browned and set, 22 to 24 minutes.
Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
If the filling is softer than desired, refrigerate for 30 minutes once completely cooled to firm up.
Grasping the excess parchment paper, lift the slab out of the pan and place on a cutting board.
Cut into 12 pieces.
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