Italian Ricotta Cookies

Name: Italian Ricotta Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled); 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 3/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar; 2 large eggs, room temperature; 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese, room temperature; 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract; 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 3 to 4 tablespoons milk; Candy nonpareils, (optional)

Jump To Recipe by Cindy @mycountrytable

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These Italian Ricotta Cookies are irresistibly delicious with their soft cake like texture and sweet milk glaze. They’re not overly sweet, simply just right. Decorate them with some sprinkles. They belong on your holiday cookie tray.

Italian Ricotta Cookies are soft and light cookies with a not-too-sweet but irresistible flavor. They are super easy to make, and dipped in a sweet vanilla glaze. These are a great festive cookie for your cookie trays and great for gifting.

How to make Italian Ricotta Cookies

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside. Make sure to not use too much flour. When measuring the flour, lightly spoon it into the cup, then level it off with a knife. Flour becomes compacted when left in a bag or container. You can easily measure out too much.

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and sugar. Beat on high for about 2 minutes until the mixture is light and airy looking. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add the ricotta cheese and vanilla extract, and mix on medium speed until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Add the dry ingredients on low speed, mixing until the flour is just incorporated. Do not over mix.

Using a cookie scoop drop balls of dough onto greased cookie sheets, making sure to leave room them for spreading. See my picture above.

Bake cookies for about 12 minutes or until the bottoms turn light brown. The tops will still be light. Leave the cookies on the cookie sheets for about 1 minute, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Make sure they are completely cool before dipping them in the glaze.

Making the glaze

Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add the vanilla and enough milk to make a thin glaze. I use a whisk and whisk it until it’s smooth and thin.

Turn each cookie upside down and dip the top part in the glaze, allowing any excess glaze to run off the cookie. Turn the cookie upright and transfer it to a piece of waxed or parchment paper. Sprinkle nonpareils on the cookies immediately before the glaze has time to set.

Allow the cookies to set for at least an hour before stacking or layering them in a container.

Pro tips for making these cookies

Space the cookies about 2 inches apart on cookies sheets. They will spread some.
Measure the flour correctly. This recipe calls for 4 cups of flour. If you simply scoop the measuring cup into the flour, you’ll over measure the flour, resulting in dry cookies. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
Make sure the eggs, butter and Ricotta cheese are at room temperature.

Can I freeze this cookie dough?

Yes. You can freeze the dough for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Allow it to set out for about 15 minutes before trying to scoop it onto cookie sheets. You can also scoop the cookie dough onto cookies sheets first, place in a freezer for 2 hours until frozen, then place the dough balls in a freezer bag and freeze. You can freeze baked cookies but don’t glaze them until after you thaw them.

My dough seems too sticky

If your dough seems a little sticky, or it’s sticking to your cookie scoop, place the bowl in the refrigerator about 15 to 20 minutes and try scooping it again. Don’t be tempted to add extra flour, or you will end up with dry cookies. You can leave the dough in the refrigerator longer, but you want it to be soft enough to scoop.

Can I make these cookies in different flavors?

Yes…there are several options

Some bakers use almond extract in both the cookies and glaze, instead of vanilla. I don’t recommend using more than 1 teaspoon of almond extract in the dough, and no more than 1/2 teaspoon in the glaze.
You can actually make these into peppermint cookies, using peppermint extract. I don’t recommend using more than 1/2 teaspoon of pure peppermint extract in the dough and no more than 1/4 teaspoon in the glaze. If you use peppermint oil, it is even more potent than pure peppermint extract, so be careful.
You can use orange or lemon or flavoring in both the cookie dough and the glaze. Again, with the pure extracts, a little goes a long ways.
Although, I’m not a fan of Anise flavoring, some bakers use it in many cookies at Christmas.