Do not despair, my loyal followers, I’m back.  I’m sorry for not giving you a sugar fix last weekend, but in all honesty I did try.  I had this whole grand plan in place.  I was going to post a picture like this:

of my mom and me in Chicago at that awesome bean thing.  I was going to write:

“Happy Memorial Day! SMiLes by Meg will return next weekend!”

and then, so you didn’t feel completely deprived, I was going to assure you of my sweets consumption and the quality of my future posts by giving you this picture as well:

But, alas, it was not meant to be.  Wordpress does in fact have a mobile app, so I thought I was in the clear, but whenever I tried to post a picture it just showed me a link to the picture, not the picture itself.  It may have worked, but I didn’t want to risk the integrity of my blog.  I figured it would be better to skip a week then post with the promise of pictures that didn’t show up.

So again, I apologize.  Now we can move forward.

This weekend, I had the privilege of being invited to a birthday party of a friend at work.  Naturally, I wanted to bake something.  However, she can’t eat gluten, which caused me to turn to my aunt Beth, also a celiac, for advice.  Beth sent me this great recipe for lemon ricotta cookies, which I decided would go nicely with blueberries in them.  They are very cakey in consistency, sort of like the Half Moon Cookies I’ve made before, and actually would make a really good gluten free substitute in that recipe as well (just leave out the blueberries and lemon).

Additionally, you could probably make some pretty awesome mini cupcakes without altering the ratios of ingredients – just lower the heat on the oven and bake them a little longer.  Some lemon meringue frosting would make them perfect.

Anyways, back to the cookies.  First, cream the butter in a large bowl using a hand mixer.

Then, add the sugar and continue to beat until well creamed.

Next, add the ricotta, eggs, and vanilla extract.  I was very excited when I realized I’d get to try my new toy: a kitchen scale.

I measured out 8 oz of the ricotta into a bowl, and was good to go!

Expect some of my recipes in the future to start to show up in weights – I’ve had a cookbook for well over 2 years now that I haven’t been able to use because I didn’t have a scale.  There are tons of recipes in it I’ve been dying to try.  And in my perfectionist quest, it is supposed to be more accurate.

Once you’ve got everything creamed, add the lemon zest and beat.

It’s entirely possible I had more lemon zest on my hands from trying to get it off the grater than actually made it into the recipe, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, gluten free flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

Beth, the gluten-free expert, recommended King Arthur gluten free flour, but my local A&P did not have the most extensive selection, so I had to use the Bob Red Mills, even though she expressly recommended against it (sorry, Beth!).

Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix until combined.

Now, here’s a little secret when you’re baking with blueberries: freeze them before you mix them into something.  Unless you are making something where you want them to get mushy and smear the batter, freezing them in advance will help them keep their shape and texture a little better.  I put a cup in the freezer early this morning while I prepared everything else.  Then, when I was ready to stir them into the mix, I pulled them out.

Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and drop by the teaspoon onto the sheet.  The cookies will spread, so don’t put them too close together.

Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, until edges are slightly golden.  Allow to cool 5 minutes on the sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Another suggestion: if you want to use chocolate chips instead of blueberries, I’d recommend either swapping the lemon zest for orange zest or leaving out the fruits altogether.  I know fruit desserts aren’t everyone’s thing (frankly, they usually aren’t mine), so I won’t be offended by that modification.

Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Cookies

   Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 pound ricotta
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest from one lemon
• 1 1/4 cups almond flour
• 1 cup gluten-free flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup fresh blueberries, frozen

Directions:

1. Cream butter in a large bowl.  Add sugar and cream together.  Add ricotta, egg, and vanilla and beat until blended.
2. Add lemon zest and beat until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together almond flour, gluten free flour, baking powder and baking soda.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
5. Stir in frozen blueberries.
6. Drop by rounded teaspoon on parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
7. Cool for 5 minutes on sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.