Lemon Ricotta Cookies are soft, tender and cake like. Topped off with a sweet and tangy lemon glaze, these Italian ricotta cookies are little bites of deliciousness.
Four days until Christmas and baking is in full swing!!!
Shortbread cookies, thumbprints, Shaped cookies, Cut outs, drop cookies or the classic sugar cookies......are all equally loved by family and friends. However, it is always nice to add a new kind to Christmas cookie tray.
Ricotta Cookies are unlike any cookies that you might have had. These are soft and fluffy, almost like little cake bites.
Ricotta in cookies? This might sound odd at first, but using ricotta in baked goods has been an Italian tradition for ages. Ricotta adds a wonderful lightness and creaminess, making the baked good soft and tender, like these ricotta pancakes.
Lemon Ricotta Cookies are:
- Soft
- Fluffy
- More like little cakes
- Easy
- No refrigeration required
- Sweet
- Tangy
Main ingredients:
Basic cookie ingredients : Flour, leaveners, butter, sugar and egg.
Lemon components - Both lemon zest and juice
Ricotta - Full fat or reduced fat ricotta
How to make ricotta cookies?
Whisk all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl. In another larger bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy and smooth, followed by the egg and then ricotta, lemon juice and jest. Finally, add flour and beat to combine.
Using a small cookie scoop, scoop mounds of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees, until the edges are golden brown. Cool cookies completely.
To make lemon glaze, simply stir confectioners sugar and lemon juice together to make a thin glaze. Garnish with chopped pistachios and let cookies rest for at least 3 hours for glaze to set.
Expert tips:
Use whole milk or reduced fat ricotta cheese and not fat-free.
Instead of pistachios, try using sliced almonds or sprinkles, which are more traditional in a ricotta cookie recipe.
Storage instructions:
Unglazed cookies can be stored at room temperature for a few days. However, glazed cookies need to be consumed within 2 days.
Freezing instructions:
Baked, cooled and UNGLAZED lemon ricotta cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature, before glazing. We do not recommend freezing glazed cookies.
Cookies, COOKIES and more COOKIES:
Breakfast Cookies <----Healthiest Cookie Recipe
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Christmas Fruit Icebox Cookies
Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup plus ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
- 1 stick ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Lemon glaze
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Additional ingredients
- chopped pistachios for garnish optional
Instructions
- Add all dry ingredients into a medium a bowl and whisk well to combine.
- Add butter and sugar into a larger bowl, beat with a hand held electric beater (on high speed) for about 2 minutes, until creamy and smooth. Beat in egg until well combined (about 20 seconds).
- Add ricotta cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat for another 1 minute. Add dry ingredients and beat (begin on low speed and build to medium-high), until just combined. Let dough rest for a few minutes.
- In the mean time, pre heat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a small to medium ice cream scoop, scoop mounds of cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.
- Bake cookies for 18 to 23 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden.
- Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Stir confectioners sugar and enough lemon juice to make a thin glaze (glaze should drip slowly from a spoon)
Make lemon glaze
- Using a spoon, spread glaze on top of each cookie and sprinkle chopped pistachios on top (if using).
- Let glaze set for for at least 3 hours before eating.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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