Italian Ricotta Cookies Recipe bakes up soft, cake-like rounds with a tender crumb and a bright lemon vanilla glaze. If you love soft holiday cookies that stay moist, this batch suits busy bakers and beginners, and it takes about 1 hour including chilling. I baked this version in a tiny apartment oven and still reach for it every cookie season.
Why Italian Ricotta Cookies Recipe Is Worth It
Italian Ricotta Cookies Recipe delivers pillowy texture, gentle sweetness, and a nostalgic bakery aroma. Ricotta keeps the cookies moist for days, while lemon and vanilla keep the flavor sunny and balanced. The glaze sets with a pretty sheen that makes every platter look festive.
This dough forgives small measuring errors, which helps if you have tiny helpers in the kitchen. It scoops clean, bakes evenly, and stays soft. You can glaze them the same day or the next morning without any drama.
These soft Italian ricotta cookies stayed tender, tasted bright with lemon, and vanished from the cookie tray in under an hour ★★★★★
Ingredients You Need
Makes about 30 to 36 cookies
- All-purpose flour 2 1/4 cups (270 g)
- Baking powder 1 teaspoon
- Baking soda 1/2 teaspoon
- Fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon
- Unsalted butter 1/2 cup, softened (113 g; use a good everyday stick like Challenge or Cabot)
- Granulated sugar 1 cup (200 g)
- Large egg 1, room temp
- Whole milk ricotta 8 ounces (225 g; choose thick brands like Galbani or BelGioioso; blot with paper towels if it looks watery)
- Vanilla extract 2 teaspoons (use pure, not imitation, for clean flavor)
- Lemon zest 1 tablespoon
- Lemon juice 1 tablespoon or anise extract 1/2 teaspoon for a classic bakery vibe
Glaze
- Powdered sugar 1 1/2 cups (180 g), sift if clumpy
- Lemon juice 2 to 3 tablespoons, or milk for a milder glaze; bottled works in a pinch, fresh tastes brighter
- Vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon or anise extract 1/4 teaspoon
- Fine sea salt a small pinch
- Sprinkles nonpareils or jimmies, optional; jimmies bleed less on contact with glaze
Equipment
- Mixing bowls and a sturdy spatula
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Parchment paper and two baking sheets
- 1 tablespoon cookie scoop or two spoons
- Wire racks, microplane or zester, and measuring tools
Quick Tips & substitutions
- Dry the ricotta if it looks loose; excess moisture makes flat cookies.
- Work with room-temp butter and egg for smooth mixing.
- Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy to keep the crumb tender.
- Stir in dry ingredients on low and stop when the flour disappears to avoid toughness.
- Chill the dough 20 to 30 minutes so the scoops hold shape.
- Bake until tops look matte and edges set; keep the color light for a soft bite.
- Let cookies cool before glazing or the glaze will slide off.
- Adjust glaze with extra liquid by teaspoons for flow, or more sugar for thickness.
- Start light with anise extract; it runs strong.
- Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend to make gluten-free ricotta cookies.
How to Make Italian Ricotta Cookies Recipe
Mix the wet ingredients 5 minutes
Beat softened butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until smooth. Mix in ricotta, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice or anise until the mixture looks creamy.
Add dry ingredients 2 minutes
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Add the dry mix to the wet in two additions on low speed. Stir just until no dry streaks remain.
Chill the dough 20 minutes
Cover the bowl and refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes. This short rest firms the dough and keeps the cookies thick and soft.
Scoop and bake 12 to 14 minutes
Heat the oven to 350°F 175°C. Line baking sheets with parchment. Scoop 1 tablespoon mounds and space them about 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for 12 to 14 minutes, until edges look set and the bottoms turn light golden while the tops stay pale and matte.
Cool and glaze 15 minutes set time
Transfer cookies to a rack and let them cool completely. Whisk powdered sugar, lemon juice or milk, vanilla or anise, and a pinch of salt until smooth and thick like slow-dripping glue. Dip tops of cookies into glaze, let excess drip off, set on the rack, and add sprinkles right away. Let the glaze set 15 to 20 minutes before serving or packing.
Variations
- Orange anise: swap lemon zest for orange zest and use anise in both dough and glaze.
- Almond bliss: use almond extract in the dough and glaze, then top with sliced toasted almonds.
- Lemon poppy seed: add 1 tablespoon poppy seeds and go all-in on lemon juice in the glaze.
- Chocolate chip: fold 1/2 cup mini chips into the dough and finish with vanilla glaze.
- Funfetti: mix 2 tablespoons rainbow jimmies into the dough and top with more after glazing.
- Cocoa glaze: whisk 1 tablespoon cocoa powder into the glaze and thin with milk.
Ways to Serve
- Pair with espresso, cappuccino, or hot tea.
- Add to a holiday cookie tray with biscotti and pizzelle.
- Pack in cookie tins with parchment separators for gifting.
- Serve with fresh berries and a spoon of ricotta or mascarpone.
Storage
Store glazed ricotta cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. Keep them in a single layer, or separate layers with parchment so the glaze stays neat. Freeze unglazed cookies up to 2 months, then thaw and glaze before serving. You can refrigerate glazed cookies up to 1 week, but bring them to room temp before serving so the texture softens.
Italian Ricotta Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the egg and beat until smooth and fully combined.
- Mix in the ricotta, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice or anise extract until the mixture looks creamy and well blended.
- On low speed, add the dry ingredients in two additions, mixing just until no dry streaks of flour remain.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 20 to 30 minutes to firm slightly.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop 1-tablespoon mounds of dough and place them on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges look set, the bottoms are light golden, and the tops are pale and matte but not browned.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice or milk, vanilla or anise extract, and a pinch of salt until smooth and thick but pourable, like slow-dripping glue. Adjust with more liquid or sugar as needed.
- Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze, letting the excess drip back into the bowl, then return them to the rack.
- Add sprinkles immediately, if using, before the glaze starts to set.
- Let the glazed cookies stand for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the glaze is set, before serving or packing.
Notes
Approximate per 1 cookie (about 1/32 of recipe): 120 calories; fat 5 g; saturated fat 3 g; carbohydrates 17 g; fiber 0 g; sugars 11 g; protein 2 g; sodium 80 mg. Values are estimates and will vary based on exact ingredients, brands, and cookie size.