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Italian Christmas Cookies

Name: Italian Christmas Cookies
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 7 dozen.
Cuisine: Europe, Italian
Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened; 2 cups sugar; 3 large eggs, room temperature; 1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 4 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon baking soda; FROSTING:; 1/4 cup butter, softened; 3 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3 to 4 tablespoons 2% milk; Colored sprinkles

A single batch of these ricotta cheese cookies is never enough. I usually make one to give away and two more to keep at home. The ricotta cheese makes the morsels extra moist. —Doris Marshall, Strasburg, Pennsylvania

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
FROSTING:
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoons 2% milk
Colored sprinkles

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in ricotta and vanilla. Combine flour, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture.
Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and enough milk to reach spreading consistency. Frost cooled cookies and immediately decorate with sprinkles. Store in the refrigerator.

Test Kitchen Tips

For extra texture and flavor, top cookies with chopped nuts.

Unless otherwise specified, Taste of Home recipes are tested with lightly salted butter. Unsalted, or sweet, butter is sometimes used to achieve a buttery flavor, such as in shortbread cookies or buttercream frosting. In these recipes, added salt would detract from the buttery taste desired.

If you forgot to set your butter out to soften, here's how to do it quickly.

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 92 calories, 3g fat (2g saturated fat), 16mg cholesterol, 74mg sodium, 14g carbohydrate (9g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.

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