Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Italian Ricotta Cookies, Gluten Free Version


 
I used to do a lot of baking, especially at Christmas time. My mother, my aunt and I would make all of our favorite cookies and combine them to give to friends for gifts. After my kids were born I just didn't have the time anymore. And after I was diagnosed with Celiac, the thought of filling my kitchen with flour and risking getting sick from the contamination just was not worth it.







Today, I was craving Christmas cookies. One of my favorites was the Italian "knot" cookie, which is a plain vanilla flavored cookie topped with either anise or lemon flavored icing. My version added ricotta cheese which didn't change the flavor but gave them a lighter, fluffier texture. So, I thought I would experiment and see how they would come out using my old recipe but substituting gluten free flour and xanthan gum.  In this recipe I used King Arthur gluten free flour.  I made my icing with powdered sugar, a little milk and Sambucca for the anise flavor. You could also substitute lemon juice if you prefer a lemon icing.The resulting cookie was just like I remembered! Light and fluffy like the ones with wheat flour. My daughters eyes lit up when she saw them and she agreed they tasted just like the ones I used to make! Buon Natale!



Ricotta Cookies

Makes about 48 cookies
Printable Recipe

4 cups gluten free flour
1 tsp xanthan gum (Omit if you are using a gluten free flour blend that already includes it)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup softened butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsps. vanilla
1-15oz container ricotta

Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp. milk
Anisette or Sambucca liquor

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. Beat together butter and sugar with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, ricotta and vanilla and mix well. Add dry ingredients and stir until combined. Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a ball and drop onto  the cookie sheet. The dough is sticky. Bake 10-15 minutes until cooked thru. (The tops do not get very brown)

Cool completely on wire racks. To make the glaze: Combine the milk and powdered sugar and add the liquor a few drops at a time, mixing until the glaze is smooth and thick enough to stay on the cookie. Dip each cooled cookie into the glaze just enough to cover the tops. Let glaze dry at lease an hour before storing.



12 comments:

  1. Hi Sil! I searched and found a recipe to substitute for my beloved Ricotta Cookies (Polly-o recipe) and found yours! Can't wait to try it and plan to bring them to my mom's 95th birthday party on Sunday! Great page you have! Best wishes to the family.
    Anne

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    1. Thanks Anne! I hope you enjoy them and wish your Mom a very happy birthday! Glad you found my site, are you eating gluten free now?

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  2. Hi Silvana - this being my first gluten free Christmas, I had to find a new list of Christmas cookies to bake. I made a batch of these this morning and they turned out delicious!! Everyone loves them! So, looks like I have a new holiday cookie to add to my Christmas cookie repertoire. Thanks!!

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    1. Thank you, Linda! I'm glad you enjoyed them. These are easy to make too!

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  3. I went gluten free this year after 3 debilitating years with IBS and I was pretty sure my Christmas cookie days were over :( I was skeptical so I did a trial batch yesterday. I was pretty sure that they were going to come out too chewy or crumbly, but they were perfect. Actually, they were phenomenal. Didn't miss the gluten at all. Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Thank you,Dana! I also thought my baking days were over,. When I was first diagnosed over 10 years ago, the choices were limited and everything was chewy and crumbly. But now the flour blends have really improved so making our favorites is easy!

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  4. I've never tried the recipe without the xanthan gum. It makes up for the binding and elasticity you lose without gluten. But now I use gluten free flour blends that already have the xanthan gum in them.

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  5. I just discovered your website and couldn't be happier..I'm going to try baking these, for sure.

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