Ricotta Cheese Cookies

I had some ricotta cheese left over that I needed to use up before it expired and found this recipe on Allrecipes.com. I haven't tasted them yet because I've just had oral surgery and am on a liquid diet for a few days, but my family loves them!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
15 ounces ricotta cheese
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 Tbs milk

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bow, with the mixer a low speed, beat the sugar and butter until combined. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Reduce speed to medium and beat in the ricotta, vanilla and eggs.

Reduce speed to low. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat until dough forms.
Drop dough by level tablespoons, about 2 inches apart; onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake at 350° for about 15 minutes or until cookies are very lightly golden (cookies will be soft). With spatula, remove cookies to wire rack to cool.

When cookies are cool, prepare icing**. In small bowl, stir confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. With small spreader, spread icing on cookies.

** I did not have any milk, so I improvised on the icing. I made 6 different flavors:

• lemon (using lemon juice)
• orange (using orange juice that was strained through mesh to separate the pulp)
• pomegranate (using pomegranate juice)
• Irish cream (using a few drops of Irish cream oil and some Irish cream flavored coffee creamer)
• vanilla maple (using some vanilla extract and real maple syrup)
• cocoa almond (using cacao liqueur, almond extract, and half and half)

CREDIT: Submitted by "LindaK" on Allrecipes.com