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Soft Italian Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

A stack of soft Italian ricotta cookies topped with white glaze and colorful rainbow sprinkles.
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Make these traditional Italian Ricotta Cookies for a soft, cake-like texture that melts in your mouth. This easy recipe yields fluffy cookies perfect for holidays or any special gathering, topped with a bright lemon glaze and colorful sprinkles.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 (15 ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese, drained if very wet
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • For the Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar
  • For the Glaze: 4 tablespoons milk
  • For the Glaze: 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  • For the Glaze: 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • For Topping: Rainbow nonpareils or colored sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  4. Mix in the ricotta cheese, vanilla extract, and almond extract until just combined.
  5. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  6. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
  7. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. The dough will be soft.
  8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly set and the cookies are pale. They should remain soft.
  9. Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. While the cookies cool, prepare the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Add a tiny bit more milk if the glaze is too thick to drizzle.
  11. Once cookies are completely cool, dip the tops into the glaze or drizzle with a spoon. Immediately top with rainbow nonpareils or sprinkles before the glaze sets.

Notes

  • Drain the ricotta cheese for at least 30 minutes using a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth if your cheese seems watery. This prevents a sticky dough.
  • For a stronger lemon flavor in the cookie itself, add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the dough mixture.
  • These **melt in your mouth cookies** are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
  • If you want a pistachio variation, substitute 1/4 cup of the flour with finely ground pistachios and top with chopped pistachios instead of sprinkles.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://carlacooking.com/italian-ricotta-cookies/