These pillowy-soft Italian ricotta cookies are a cherished family tradition that brings a taste of Italy straight to your kitchen.
They’re delicate, cake-like, and melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Crowned with vanilla icing and festive sprinkles, they’re not just cookies – they’re little bites of joy.
If you haven’t tried making ricotta cookies yet, I highly recommend giving them a go!
Why You’ll Love These Italian Ricotta Cookies
Delightfully Tender Texture: Italian Ricotta Cookies boast a uniquely soft crumbs, thanks to the addition of ricotta cheese.
Perfect Balance of Flavors: The combination of ricotta, sweet glaze, and hint of almond extract creates a balanced taste that is neither too rich nor too sweet.
Make-Ahead Friendly: The dough can be prepared in advance and refrigerated for up to 2 days. That should make the holiday baking a little less stressful.
Festive Appearance: Topped with colorful sprinkles, these cookies are visually appealing and perfect for celebrations.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: A versatile, readily available flour that provides structure and creates a tender, cake-like texture.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Create a light, fluffy texture and help the cookies rise properly.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor of the cookies and balances the sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter: Creates a rich, tender crumb.
- Granulated Sugar: Provides sweetness and helps create a soft, pillowy cookie while contributing to the golden edges.
- Egg: Act as a binder and add moisture.
- Vanilla & Almond Extract: Vanilla provides warm, sweet notes, while almond extract adds traditional Italian flavor.
- Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese: The key ingredient that makes these cookies distinctly Italian. Be sure to drain it first!
- Icing: A quick mix of butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk. Feel free to skip the butter and make a simple glaze if you prefer.
- Colored Sprinkles (Nonpareils): The traditional decorative topping that adds festive color and a slight crunch to the finished cookies.
How to Make Italian Ricotta Cookies
These cookies are a staple in my kitchen, especially during the holiday season.
As mentioned, the magic lies in the ricotta cheese, which makes them incredibly moist and tender.
And yet, they’re so easy to make! Here are the steps:
1. WHISK the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. BEAT the butter and sugar until fluffy, then blend in the egg, yolks, extracts, and ricotta, one at a time, until smooth.
3. COMBINE the dry and wet ingredients gently, mixing just until incorporated. Cover and chill.
4. PORTION the dough into 1 tablespoon-sized mounds and arrange 2 inches apart on lined baking sheets.
5. BAKE for 12–15 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops are just lightly golden. Cool on the trays for a few minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. MIX the butter, powdered sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. Blend in the milk as needed or more powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached.
7. GLAZE the cooled cookies and top them with the sprinkles. Set aside for 30 minutes, and then serve and enjoy!
Note: This recipe makes about 60 cookies, which is a lot. But it’s designed to use a whole tub of ricotta, so you don’t have to worry about leftovers.
With that in mind, you can easily cut the recipe in half to make a smaller batch. The method and baking steps are the same.
Tips For the Best Italian Ricotta Cookies
Whether you’re enjoying them with a cup of coffee or sharing them with friends and family, these Italian Christmas cookies are sure to bring smiles all around.
But before you start mixing, read through these tips for success:
- Room temperature ingredients. Get everything out of the fridge early for easy mixing.
- Drain the ricotta. Even if it’s not super watery, I recommend letting it sit in a sieve for 15-20 minutes to prevent overly moist cookies.
- Do not overmix. Mix the dough just until the ingredients are combined to avoid dense cookies. Use a paddle on low or a wooden spoon for the best results.
- Chill the dough. If you bake these right away, chances are they’ll spread and turn flat. So, be sure to chill the dough so it holds its shape.
- Use parchment paper. Line baking sheets with parchment paper to keep the cookies from sticking.
- Uniform size. Use a cookie scoop to ensure uniform size and even baking.
- Cool before glazing. Let the cookies cool completely before glazing to prevent the glaze from melting.
How to Store
The aroma that fills the kitchen as these cookies bake is just heavenly.
In fact, it’s so yummy, I bet you’ll notice a few missing when you go to glaze them!
Luckily, they store well. So you can make extra!
To Store: Place cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 5-6 days. Store with parchment between the layers.
To Freeze: For best results, freeze unglazed cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature and add fresh glaze before serving.
More Soft Cookies Perfect for Christmas
Toffee Doodle Cookies
Glazed Lemon Cookies
Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
Almond Crescent Cookies
Italian Ricotta Cookies
60
servings30
minutes12
minutes148
kcalThese Italian ricotta cookies are light, flavorful, and irresistibly soft. You’ll love the sweet glaze and the fun festive finish from the sprinkles.
Ingredients
- For the Cookies
4 cups (480g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg + 2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract, optional
1 (15 ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese, drained
- For the Icing
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup milk, as needed
nonpareils, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the Cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat again briefly until smooth.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and blend in the egg, yolks, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using), one by one, until well combined. Add the ricotta cheese and mix until evenly blended.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for about 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a mini cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop rounded 1 tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart (work in batches and refrigerate any dough not being baked).
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops are lightly golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
- Make the Icing: In a small bowl, whisk the butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, and the lemon juice until smooth. Gradually blend in the milk, a little at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. If needed, add more powdered sugar to thicken it.
- Spoon the glaze over the cooled cookies and immediatly sprinkle with nonpareils while it’s still wet. Set aside for about 30 minutes to an hour before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Be sure to drain the ricotta if it’s watery. That’s usually the cause for too soft/sticky cookie dough.
- Prepare the dough in advance and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze it for longer storage.
- Experiment with lemon or orange zest in the dough for a citrusy twist. Or try mini chocolate chips for something more indulgent.
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