Ricotta Cheese Cookies Recipe delivers soft, pillowy, cake-like cookies with a bright lemon-vanilla glaze and a tender crumb. This batch suits holiday trays, bake sales, and weeknight cravings, and you can finish it in about 45 minutes from mixing to glazing. I bake a plate for my neighbors every December and stash two for my coffee before anyone notices.
Why You Should Try This Ricotta Cheese Cookies Recipe
Ricotta Cheese Cookies Recipe shines because ricotta keeps the dough moist and gives each bite a delicate, cake-like texture. The dough mixes fast and bakes into puffy rounds that hold glaze and sprinkles like champs.
You can switch flavors with ease. Go lemon and vanilla for a classic take, or try almond extract and orange zest for a bakery-style twist.
Soft, tender, and bright with citrus, these Italian ricotta cookies vanish from the plate in minutes ★★★★★
Ingredients You’ll Need
- All-purpose flour: 2 1/4 cups
- Gluten-free 1:1 flour works well if the blend includes xanthan gum.
- Baking powder: 2 teaspoons
- Fine sea salt: 1/2 teaspoon
- Unsalted butter: 1/2 cup, softened to room temp
- Use a good-quality butter for best flavor.
- Granulated sugar: 1 cup
- Large eggs: 2, room temp
- Whole milk ricotta: 1 cup
- Choose a thick brand like Galbani or Polly-O. If your ricotta looks watery, drain it in a fine sieve for 15 minutes. Part-skim works, but whole milk gives a richer crumb.
- Vanilla extract: 1 1/2 teaspoons
- Lemon zest: 1 tablespoon
- Swap in orange zest for a warmer citrus note, or skip zest and add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract for a bakery vibe.
Glaze:
- Powdered sugar: 1 1/2 cups, sifted
- Fresh lemon juice: 2 to 3 tablespoons, to taste
- Use milk instead of lemon juice if you want a pure vanilla glaze.
- Vanilla extract: 1/2 teaspoon
- Pinch of salt
- Sprinkles, candied citrus, or finely chopped pistachios, optional
Equipment:
- Stand mixer or hand mixer, mixing bowls, rubber spatula
- Microplane or zester, measuring cups and spoons
- Parchment-lined sheet pans, 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop
- Wire rack, small whisk
Yield: about 30 cookies using a 1.5 tablespoon scoop
How to Make Ricotta Cheese Cookies Recipe
Preheat and Prep
- Heat the oven to 350 F. Line two sheet pans with parchment. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
Cream Butter and Sugar
- Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl. Add eggs one at a time and mix until smooth.
Add Ricotta and Flavor
- Mix in ricotta, vanilla, and lemon zest until the batter looks creamy and unified. The batter will look thick yet soft.
Combine Wet and Dry
- Add the dry ingredients in two additions on low speed. Mix just until no dry streaks remain. Scrape the bowl and fold with a spatula to catch any pockets of flour.
Scoop and Bake
- Scoop 1.5 tablespoon mounds onto prepared pans, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake one pan at a time until the edges set and the tops look matte and just turning pale gold, 12 to 14 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the pan 5 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool.
Make the Glaze
- Whisk powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until smooth and pourable. Thin with a few drops of juice or thicken with a spoon of sugar as needed.
Glaze and Set
- Spoon or dip the tops of cooled cookies with glaze. Add sprinkles or nuts while the glaze still looks wet. Let the glaze set for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
Tips & Tricks
- Dry ricotta yields thicker, puffier cookies, so drain watery ricotta in a sieve.
- Room temp butter and eggs mix faster and trap more air for a delicate crumb.
- Use a cookie scoop for even sizes and consistent bake times.
- Pull the cookies when the tops look matte and the bottoms show light gold; overbaking firms the texture.
- Whisk glaze until silky, then test a ribbon on a spoon; it should fade in about 5 seconds.
- Swap flavors with ease: almond extract plus orange zest tastes like an Italian bakery case.
What to Serve with Ricotta Cheese Cookies Recipe
I pair these soft cookies with espresso, cappuccino, or a big glass of cold milk for a cozy finish. Fresh berries or a simple fruit salad balance the sweet glaze and add color to a dessert spread. For parties, set out a trio of glazes like lemon, vanilla, and orange, plus bowls of sprinkles and chopped pistachios. Guests feel like cookie artists, and you get dessert theater.
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Store glazed cookies in an airtight container at room temp for 2 to 3 days, layering with parchment to protect the tops.
- Keep in the fridge up to 1 week if your kitchen runs warm. Bring to room temp before serving for the best texture.
- Freeze unglazed cookies up to 2 months in a zip-top bag, then thaw at room temp and glaze fresh. You can also freeze scooped dough balls for 2 months; bake from frozen at 350 F and add 1 to 2 minutes.
- Skip reheating; these taste best at room temp. If a cookie feels firm, a 5-second zap in the microwave softens it just enough without melting the glaze.
Ricotta Cheese Cookies Recipe
Ricotta Cheese Cookies are soft, pillowy, cake-like cookies with a bright lemon-vanilla glaze and a tender crumb, perfect for holiday trays, bake sales, or weeknight cravings.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with a stand mixer or hand mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until the mixture is smooth.
- Mix in the ricotta, vanilla extract, and lemon zest until the batter looks creamy and well combined. The batter will be thick but soft.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl in two additions, mixing on low speed just until no dry streaks remain. Scrape the bowl and fold with a spatula to ensure everything is evenly combined.
- Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon, drop mounds of dough onto the prepared sheet pans, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake one pan at a time for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the edges are set, the tops look matte, and the bottoms are just turning light golden. Let the cookies rest on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies cool, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until smooth and pourable. Add more lemon juice a few drops at a time if needed to reach a thick but drizzly consistency.
- Spoon or dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze, letting any excess drip off. Immediately add sprinkles, candied citrus, or chopped pistachios if using.
- Place the glazed cookies back on the wire rack and allow the glaze to set for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Approximate per 1 cookie (1 of 30): 110 calories; fat 5 g; saturated fat 3 g; carbohydrates 15 g; fiber 0 g; sugars 10 g; protein 2 g; sodium 80 mg. Values will vary based on specific ingredients and portion size. Make-ahead & storage: Store glazed cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days, or up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Freeze unglazed cookies or scooped dough balls for up to 2 months; bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time, then glaze after cooling.
Approximate per 1 cookie (1 of 30): 110 calories; fat 5 g; saturated fat 3 g; carbohydrates 15 g; fiber 0 g; sugars 10 g; protein 2 g; sodium 80 mg. Values will vary based on specific ingredients and portion size. Make-ahead & storage: Store glazed cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days, or up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Freeze unglazed cookies or scooped dough balls for up to 2 months; bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time, then glaze after cooling.