Lemon ricotta cookies are wonderfully airy, loaded with bright lemon flavor, and have just the right amount of sweetness. Topped with a creamy glaze and nonpareils sprinkles, these Italian cookies are always a hit for the holidays!
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Lemon ricotta cookies, also known as Italian ricotta cookies are a favorite in our home.
These cookies are incredibly easy to make, are loaded with wonderful citrus flavor, and remind me a bit of a mini Italian cheesecake (minus the effort).
Depending on the season I’ll top them with different colored nonpareils, or even lemon zest.
These ricotta cookies, much like our lemon blueberry ricotta cake and our orange olive oil cake, are a must for the citrus lover in your life!
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- The ricotta. Ricotta can be very wet depending on the brand you buy. Brands like Galbani tend to be on the drier side and work better for this recipe. If the ricotta you do have is very moist, draining it through a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve for a few hours will help eliminate the extra moisture.
- Sprinkles. Any color will do, but it’s nice to change it up for Christmas and Easter.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium-sized bowl combine 4 cups (520g) of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt and set aside.
- In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream 1 cup (226g) of room-temperature butter and 2 cups (400g) of sugar on medium speed (about 2 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. Add two eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to beat on medium until incorporated. Add 15 ounces (426g) of ricotta cheese, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of lemon zest and continue to beat until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. Add the flour mixture a little at a time while beating on a low speed just until everything is incorporated.
- The dough will be quite sticky and thick.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, begin to drop 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls of the dough onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart and place in the oven for 12-14 minutes.
- The cookies should be lightly golden on the edges. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and allow them to cool on a wire rack. Repeat the process for the remaining cookies.
- When the cookies are cool, begin to make your glaze. In a large bowl whisk together 2 cups (260g) confectioner’s sugar, 1/4 cup (57g) melted butter, 1/4 cup (60 grams) heavy cream, 1 pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until well combined and smooth. The perfect consistency is not runny but also not too thick. If the mixture is too loose, add a bit more sugar; if it’s too thick, add a touch more cream.
- Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze and place back on the parchment paper to be decorated.
- Decorate each ricotta cookie with nonpareils sprinkles or lemon zest, if desired. Be sure to do the decorating before the glaze hardens so that they stick and hold. Allow the glaze to firm up before storing the cookies. Enjoy!
Top tips
- The dough. Lemon ricotta cookie dough is very sticky and can be hard to work with if you’re using a spoon to drop the cookies onto the baking sheet. For this reason, I suggest using a cookie scoop as it makes the process so much easier.
- Decorating. These cookies look great when decorated with the glaze and a sprinkle of lemon zest or nonpareils. Depending on the time of year or venue you can certainly get creative with how you decorate the cookies. Make sure to get the decorations on before the glaze firms up otherwise they won’t stick. And be sure to let the glaze harden before packing the cookies up for storage.
More Italian cookies
If you love Italian cookies as much as we do, give these other recipes a try.
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Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 15 ounces (426g) ricotta cheese drained and at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest plus more for decoration if desired
- 4 cups (520g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the glaze and decoration
- 1/4 cup (57g) butter melted
- 2 cups (260g) confectioner's sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 2-3 tablespoons sprinkles optional
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Instructions
For the cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed (about 2 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Add both eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to beat on medium until incorporated.
- Add the ricotta cheese, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and continue to beat until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Begin to add the flour mixture to the ricotta and butter mixture a little at a time while beating on a low speed until the mixture just until everything is incorporated. Don't overmix. The dough will be sticky and thick.
- Using a scooper or spoon, begin to drop 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls of the dough onto the parchment paper about 2 inches apart and bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges.
- Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and allow them to cool on a wire rack.
For the glaze and decoration
- In a large bowl whisk together the confectioner's sugar, melted butter, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract until well combined and smooth. The consistency should not be runny but not too thick where it won't spread. If the mixture is too loose, add more sugar until you achieve the desired consistency. If too thick, add a bit more heavy cream.
- Once the cookies have completely cooled, begin to dip the top of the cookie into the glaze and add sprinkles or lemon zest, if desired.
- Allow the glaze to firm up on the cookies before packing or storing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Some ricotta brands are wetter than others. It’s a good idea to drain the ricotta through a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve for a few hours to remove extra moisture.
- The dough will be quite sticky. Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop will help the scooping process.
- If the glaze is too thin, add more sugar; if the glaze is too thick, add a little more cream.
- Be sure to use the sprinkles or zest while the glaze is still wet.
- Allow the glaze to fully harden before storing the cookies. Placing them in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes can help speed up the process.
- This recipe was written for a conventional oven. For convection ovens, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and begin checking for doneness at the 75% mark.
- Lemon ricotta cookies can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days and up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The pressure was on to please the family and this recipe delivered for my pickiest critic! Thank you!
I made these and your almond cookies for our Christmas Eve party and they were a big hit. I have made several of your recipes and your step by step instructions make all the difference. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family.
Just made these for the first time and wow are they delicious! My husband and I both love them. Next time I will add a little more lemon zest for a more punched up citrus flavor. Love your YouTube channel!!
Hi Jill, we’re so happy you enjoyed and appreciate the comment!
Beat cookie recipe ever. My husband raved and raved about these cookies. So easy to make and the icing is fabulous. ♥️
Hi Pam, we’re so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed the cookies and appreciate your comment!
These cookies are delish! The recipe was fairly easy and took me around 30 minutes.
The first 36 cookies came out in balls and look like yours. The last dozen flattened. They are delicious but are not round. (Almost like they melted)
I am going to glaze them when they are completely cooled. I don’t have heavy cream so am going to use HALF/HALF. I think it will work.
Thanks for ALL your recipes…they are so much like my family recipes.
Buona Natale~
Hi Mary, we’re so happy you enjoyed the cookies. With regards to the last batch that flattened, is it possible you placed them on a hot cookie sheet to bake? That could be the cause. Half and half should work just fine for the glaze.
Thank you Tara…could be! I never even thought of that! Love your entree recipes!
Great cookie recipe!
Mary
Do you have any treats that are egg free? Our grandson is allergic. Love to see all your recipes!
Hi Lori, our walnut snowball cookies are egg-free. Hope you and your grandson enjoy!
Easy to follow and delicious- I used lemon zest in the cookies and fresh lemon squeezed in the glaze.
So happy you enjoyed, Donna!
Delicious cookies with just the right hint of lemon! Wonderful, explicit directions, thank you so much!
Hi Stacey, we’re so happy you enjoyed and really appreciate the comment!
The cookies are good but the icing will not harden. I followed the recipe exactly and am not a novice baker. I did a google search and it said that adding fat (butter) causes it to not harden. Is this true? Normally for a glaze I don’t add butter so I’m assuming that is the case. I tried putting them in the fridge and they’re still wet.
Hi Essie, thanks for the comment. The glaze for these cookies doesn’t completely harden the same way it would with a royal icing. That being said, it will harden enough for you to store them, especially if placed in the refrigerator.
Hi Tara & Jim… we ABSOLUTELY LOVE your recipes. I’ve become addicted to your Utube Channel. We’re from East Northport but relocated to Clermont Fla. Our weekly menu consists of your delicious shrimp & lemon pasta. And I’ve made many other recipes. I have severe celiac disease and appreciate when you mention Gluten Free. Whaddya think. Could I use GF flour to make these?
Thanks… Marilyn
Hi Marilyn, thanks for the comment and we’re so happy you’re enjoying the recipes! I haven’t tested this one with GF flour, but I have heard great things about King Arthur’s Measure for Measure for most baking recipes. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out.
Thanks for the response Tara. I’ll give it a try and let you know. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
These cookies are amazing! I just made my third batch (the first batch for Easter). I and my husband are kinda addicted to them. I did give some to my daughter, but they’re mostly eaten by us. This recipe makes A LOT of cookies, but I don’t foresee a day when I don’t have one, or two, or three. Thanks so much for this deliciousness!
Hi Christine, I’m so happy you like the ricotta cookies! I agree, they are hard to resist. Thank you for the comment!
Made these last night and followed your specific (perfect for me) directions exactly and they came out delicious! I made them for my husband who likes Lemon flavored desserts and he loved them. They are the perfect amount of sweetness as you said. Everyone loves them. I will definitely try the tiramisu next. Thank you!
Hi Amy, I’m so happy you enjoyed the cookies! Thanks for the comment and hope you enjoy the tiramisu as well!
Thank you so much for these recipes. All my Italian aunt & grandmothers are gone. I have to ask you, do you have recipe for the Italian s cookies. My father was from Sicily & they made lemon s cookies?
Hi Lucy, we don’t currently have the lemon S cookie recipe on the website but plan to have one up before the Christmas season. Thanks for the comment, and so happy you’re enjoying the recipes!
Great recipe! Will definitely be using again as one of my holiday staples!!
Hi Catherine, so happy you enjoyed this one and appreciate the comment!
Absolutely delicious! Perfect balance of fluffy cookie and lemon flavor. I added a bit of lemon juice to the glaze bc my family loves lemons! Thank you for a great recipe! Will be saving to make again.
Hi Sarah, thanks for the comment and so happy you liked the ricotta cookies!
This recipe is amazing, The cookies were perfectly flavored and the texture heavenly. Thank you for sharing, Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
PS Will try the lintzer and biscotti tomorrow.
Hi Diane, I’m so happy you liked the ricotta cookies and wishing you happy baking tomorrow for the linzer and biscotti! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well!
I can’t wait to make these! I was thinking 1 batch exactly like this and another with a couple of drops of anise. But not sure how much.
Hi Louise, thanks for the comment. I’m sure these would be great with anise in place of the lemon!
Can this recipe be cut in half?
Hi Gail, yes, you can cut this in half.
Loved the texture and balance of flavor.
Hi Kathryn, I’m so happy you enjoyed the ricotta cookies and appreciate the comment!
Hi Jim,
I don’t have a blender big enough for baking cookies. Do you think this dough can come together by mixin manually with a wooden spoon when it’s time to add the dry ingredients?
Hi Mary Anne, we didn’t use a blender for this recipe. We used a kitchen aid stand mixer, but an electric hand mixer would work just as well. You really just need it to cream together the room temperature butter and sugar. You could also do it with a whisk and some elbow grease. I hope that helps!
would it be ok to make the dough for this and refrigerate or freeze for a week or so before baking the cookies?
Hi Angela, I haven’t tested refrigerating or freezing the dough. I’d recommend making the cookies, and then freezing them.
Very late on this but I just wanted Angela, Jim, and others to know that I have long had success in freezing ricotta cookies. I’ve been a home baker for more than 20 years and make ricotta cookies once or twice a year. Haven’t made the Sip & Feast recipe but my old standby recipe is nearly identical (really, the only change is that recipe is flavored with almond extract… but I have switched that out for lemon zest and used a lemon glaze before.) For freezing, I scoop the cookies and crowd them on a baking sheet, cover, and freeze until solid. Once frozen, I throw the dough balls into a freezer bag for longer and more convenient storage. I’ve kept them frozen for up to 3 months with no problems. For baking, I space frozen balls on a lined baking sheet and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake the next day. This method works for most cookie recipes that the baker would scoop or roll into balls. Hope this helps!
Absolutely delicious cookies! Perfect consistency and the flavor is great.
Hi Theresa, thanks for the comment and so happy you like the cookies!