Orange Ricotta Cookies with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

I need a lemon tree. In my house. Or I need to move to Florida and own a beautifully manicured orchard with plethora's of orange and lemon trees. Ooohhh how I would just coddle myself rotten with all different forms of edible citrus-ness.

I think any member of the citrus family carries with it such an exquisiteness. Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, blood oranges, tangerines, clementines.... really, let's not fawn too much over them, but aren't they beautiful? Besides the obvious and wonderful usage of them, they add a little zip to my drinking water, vitamin C to my body, and a fantastic fragrance to anything. Just to start.

I'm on a mission to convert my otherwise-perfect husband to the world of citrus-ness. Bless his heart, he is trying to have as much gusto as I do towards the stuff, but usually his excitement, or lack there of, comes in the form of fake-enthusiasm."oh, lemon ice cream. Again??Oh... super!" (forced smile leads into a long sigh..)

But he liked these cookies a lot. I did too. A fun change from the norm, and a perfect cookie during the Christmas season (for some reason, orange and chocolate have come to remind me deeply of past holidays. You too?!), or a dainty cookie to consume on a cold and snowy Feb. day when deep down I'm longing for those 60 degree weather days to come back into my life. These, will make you feel warm. A hint of cakey, soft orangeness with just the right amount of dark chocolate on top...yeah, that's the stuff.

Thank you, Two Peas and Their Pod for the recipe.

These cookies will spark a very vivid recollection of this cookie recipe- they are extremely similar in taste and texture.

I am just lovin' that Ricotta cheese these days!

Orange Ricotta Cookies with Dark Chocolate

{Two Peas and Their Pod}

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups ricotta cheese (use the real-deal- NOT the part-skim)

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 orange, zested

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons orange juice (fresh preferably)

1 cup chopped dark chocolate, melted ( I splurged on a “Silver” package chocolate chip for this- and it was well worth it!)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until ingredients are combined. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and the sugar. Beat both until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, orange juice, and orange zest. Beat to combine.

Stir in the dry ingredients. Spoon the dough (about 1 tablespoon for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

To glaze the cookies: combine the powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let glaze harden for about five minutes. Drizzle cookies with dark chocolate and let the cookies set up.