These ricotta cookies are an ethereally light and tender cookie that is topped with a simple vanilla buttercream - so simple to make and everyone will love them! This recipe comes from a dear friend's beautiful Italian mom, Angela, whose passion was always baking.
The Ingredients
This is an "old school" Italian recipe that was very popular in the Italian neighborhoods of Philadelphia.
These cookies come together so quickly and consist of 8 ingredients including butter, sugar, eggs, ricotta cheese, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking soda. You'll probably have most of these on hand, with the exception of ricotta, which I don't normally keep on hand (but you may?).
This recipe also uses a lemon icing that is a bit different than the glaze used in my Italian wedding cookies, which do not use ricotta and are flavored with anise or almond extract.
Baking time and tips for sticky dough
The cookies bake up quick! They are done in 15 minutes and are a very pale yellow when finished. I think the most challenging part of baking this cookie is that the dough is quite sticky. I use a cookie scoop to address this challenge. The use of a cookie scoop works like a charm and helps to make all your cookies a consistent size.
Other ways to work with sticky cookie dough like this one include using a pastry bag to pipe small mounds for each cookie, using cooking spray on your hands to reduce stickiness, adding a bit of powdered sugar or flour to your hands, or even wetting hands helps!
How to store ricotta cookies
Store these cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days or so. I've frozen mine and they keep well for at least a month.
Decorating these cookies
I liked to leave some cookies plain, without sprinkles or nonpareils. Either way works or customize them depending on the time of year (ie, red and green for Christmas, pastel colors for spring, black and orange for Halloween, the options are endless).
📖 Recipe
Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookie dough
- 3 large (3 large) eggs
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter cubed
- 2 cups (400 g) sugar
- 1 pound (453.59 g) ricotta cheese
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 4 cups (500 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon ) salt
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon ) baking soda
For the Icing
- 1 pound (453.59 g) powder sugar plus more if icing is too thin
- 1 tablespoon (56.75 g) unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon ) salt
- ¼ cup (61 g) milk (may need more or less; add by the tablespoon)
For decorating (optional)
- lemon zest
Instructions
For the Cookie Dough
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream sugar and butter together until combined. Add eggs and continue to mix until well combined
- Add ricotta and vanilla and mix for another minute
- Add flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined
To Bake the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven
- drop cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheet (use parchment paper if you have it) and bake for 15 minutes
- do not overbake! cookies will be very light in color
- allow cookies to cool before frosting; if desired top with sprinkles (I like to pour sprinkles into a small ramekin/bowl and dip cookies into the sprinkles)
- place cookies in a single layer into the refrigerator to allow frosting to harden.
For the Icing
- Place powdered sugar in large bowl and whisk to break up any clumps.
- Add salt, melted butter, lemon juice and ¼ cup of milk and whisk until smooth.
- Adjust accordingly by adding more milk (1 tablespoon at a time) or more powdered sugar if too thin.
- Decorate with additional lemon zest if desired.
- Wait until cookies are completely cooled before icing. After icing, let stand for 30 minutes to firm up the icing.
Cindy says
If you freeze the cookies do you do it with them unfrosted?
Marie says
Yes that’s what I do..👍🏼