I had some ricotta cheese left over and I wanted to make something different with it. But, I had a lot of ricotta to use ...2 cups to be exact. I remember that I had seen a cookie recipe done by Giada on Food network that used quite a lot of ricotta. I changed mine a bit and added some flavors that I knew my husband would love. I also substituted orange peel for the lemon and added some almond flavor along with some unsweetened coconut. They were a hit... wonderful and full of flavor! They were sooo soft and moist ...sort of like upscale madelines.You could see the orange zest throughout the cookies...so pretty. These cookies are really good! We loved them...