Photo credit: Taara Parthasarathy
Total Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Yield: About 20 cookies
Allergen Information
Free of: Peanuts, tree nuts, egg, sesame, soy, fish, shellfish
Contains: Milk and wheat, but if you are allergic to the above, I have provided a list of ingredient substitutions below.
Ingredients
1 cup and 2 tbsp ricotta cheese
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
Zest of 1 whole lemon (Meyer lemons make it even more special!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Additional sugar as sprinkles (optional)
Ingredient Substitutions
Ricotta Substitutes:
Ricotta itself is a substitute for eggs because my brother is allergic to eggs. However, if this recipe is for an individual without an egg allergy, feel free to use eggs.
Eggs: If there’s no egg allergy, substitute 1 egg for 2 tbsp of ricotta.
Vegan Ricotta: Perfect for those who are vegan or allergic to both dairy and eggs. I've heard great reviews about Kite Hill!
Applesauce: Use ¼ cup per egg for a similar yield. This is a great substitute for eggs if you are vegan or allergic to both eggs and dairy!
Mashed Banana: Another fantastic vegan option; use ¼ cup per egg for a similar yield.
Silken Tofu: Blend 1 cup for every cup and 2 tbsp of ricotta. This is a powerfully protein-rich substitute for eggs! (Note: Skip if allergic to soy.)
Flour Substitutes:
Oat Flour: 1:1 ratio to retain the soft-baked quality.
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: 1:1 ratio; great blend for gluten-free diets. Typically a blend of oat flour, tapioca flour, and potato starch. This particular flour blend is found in one of my family's favorite cookies of all time: MadeGood soft-baked mini cookies!
Almond Flour: 1:1 ratio; enhances sweetness and softness. I am allergic to nuts, so I don’t use this, but it works well in cookies.
Coconut Flour: Use at a 1:4 ratio for a similar result.
Recipe Instructions
Mix Dry Ingredients: In one bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Mix Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, combine the ricotta, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Combine: Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, whisking until a homogenous dough forms.
Chill: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat Oven: About 45 minutes into chilling, preheat the oven to 325°F.
Shape & Bake: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Shape the dough into small rounds, pressing them to ½ inch thickness. Sprinkle additional sugar on top if desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
Cool & Enjoy: Let the cookies cool before enjoying. Makes about 20 cookies.
Notes to Readers
Tips
Cross-contamination/cross-contact has been at fault for most of my allergic reactions. Because this recipe has many opportunities for ingredient substitutions, if you are making several batches of baked goods with varying ingredients, be sure to thoroughly clean your utensils and countertops or use completely new ones in between batches. This way, ingredients from different batches won’t come into contact with each other, and you can lower the probability of allergic reactions much better!
About the Recipe
This recipe is dedicated to my brother. He and I both have sweet teeth - and also allergies to several common ingredients in baked goods. My brother has always had a longstanding love for cookies in particular, but is severely allergic to eggs. Because of our allergies, my family began making our own cookies at home - with a challenge to avoid eggs, sesame, tree nuts, and peanuts - especially eggs. Also, we are vegetarian by choice. We all eventually decided on ricotta, and it lent a wonderfully soft, chewy, and satisfying texture to the cookies! Since then, my brother and I have continued to use ricotta as a main ingredient when making cookies of all types. However, if you have a milk allergy, a great place to look would be the substitute section! 👆🏽
About the Chef
I was diagnosed with anaphylactic food allergies to peanuts, several tree nuts, soy, and sesame before the age of 1, and I later outgrew soy at about 5 years old. In the past, I used to feel very diffident about my allergies, thinking I wasn’t able to freely eat whatever I wanted to. But now, I have realized that they have actually helped me become more health-conscious about what I am putting into myself. And with a magic superpower called cooking, I can now make and eat anything I can imagine, while being aware of my allergies and health! Cooking is a vital life skill. I wanted to spread the message by joining Just Allergy Things as well as Allergy Aware Cooks that people with food allergies should not focus on the downsides of having dietary restrictions - they should focus on the opportunities and possibilities allergies have to offer. This is where your creativity comes into play!
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