Italian ricotta cookies are super soft, moist, and an incredibly easy-to-make classic holiday cookie that's also amazingly delicious! Tender, sweet, yet slightly tangy cookies are covered with a bright lemon glaze and then topped with festive sprinkles! Moist, tender, and melt in your mouth – these cookies are going to be a new favorite!
Easy Italian Ricotta Cookies Recipe
Cookies are undoubtedly one of the best parts of the holiday season! These classic Italian ricotta cookies (aka Italian Christmas cookies) are going to be a wonderful addition to the cookie rotation!
Italian ricotta cookies are a traditional family classic for so many. They’re tender, moist, cake-like cookies that are topped with an amazing glaze that is just irresistible!
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The ricotta adds moisture to the cookies and gives them this delicious, cake-like texture that you’ll love! Covered with sweet red, white, and green sprinkles, these cookies will be gone in the blink of an eye!
If baking gets you in the Christmas spirit, check out my holiday baking recipes! There are cookies, my fantastic Christmas cake, fruitcake and more cake ideas, pies, fudge, candy, and so much more to try!
❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
So Delicious! Italian ricotta cookies are one of my favorite types of cookies! They’re moist and so incredibly flavorful—you can never just have one!
So Easy! These may seem super fancy, but the recipe is so easy to make! The dough is simple and just requires some chilling time in the fridge to make them turn out perfectly!
So Unique! Cheese in a cookie? If you’ve never had these before you may be uncertain, but these cookies are irresistibly good. The ricotta makes them so soft and cake-like!
🥘 Italian Ricotta Cookie Ingredients
My Italian ricotta cookies are such a wonderful, special treat for the holidays! They use simple, everyday ingredients that will make it a breeze to whip these up!
Italian Ricotta Cookies
- Butter – 1 cup of butter. The butter should be softened and at room temperature for this recipe. If using unsalted butter, you’ll want to increase the amount of salt as listed below.
- Sugar – 1¾ cups of sugar. You’ll cream the butter with sugar for this recipe. I like to just use granulated white or unbleached cane sugar here!
- Lemon – 1 large lemon. Try to get the largest, juiciest lemon you can find! You’ll want to zest and juice it—save the juice for the icing.
- Ricotta – 1¾ cups of ricotta. Use fresh, whole-milk ricotta for these cookies! Ricotta is used in these cookies because they make them soft, rich, and perfectly tender.
- Vanilla Extract – 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Vanilla extract perfectly complements the flavors of this cookie! Try to use 100% pure vanilla extract if you can.
- Eggs – 2 large eggs are perfect for this recipe! You should try to bring them up to room temperature if you can.
- Baking Powder – 2½ teaspoons of baking powder. This is the leavening agent for the cookies! It’ll help them to rise perfectly.
- Salt – ½ teaspoon of salt. Increase the amount of salt from ½ teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon if using unsalted butter for this recipe!
- All-Purpose Flour - 3½ cups of all-purpose flour. Just regular AP flour is all you’ll need to bring these cookies together! This is one recipe where I don't 'scoop and level' my flour (crazy, I know!).
Lemon Icing
- Confectioners’ Sugar – 2 cups of confectioners' sugar. Confectioners’ sugar is the base of any icing! Use unexpired, properly stored sugar to make sure the icing has the best flavor.
- Lemon Juice – 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Use the fresh lemon juice reserved from the zested lemon – you’ll want about 2 tablespoons.
- Milk – 2 tablespoons of milk. This will also help to thin out the icing and make it extra creamy!
- Vanilla Extract – 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract will make the icing irresistibly delicious!
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Italian Ricotta Cookies
My easy Italian ricotta cookie dough comes together in just 20 minutes! Make sure you chill the dough, so they bake perfectly!
You'll have about 4 dozen cookies, so you can easily serve them to a crowd or add them to some gift baskets!
Mix the Cookie Dough
- Mix Dough. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together 1 cup of softened butter (2 sticks), 1¾ cups of granulated sugar, and the zest of 1 large lemon until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color. This will take about 2 to 5 minutes. Next, add 1¾ cups of whole milk ricotta and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and mix until very smooth.
- Finish Dough. One at a time, mix 2 eggs into the dough. Then, add ½ teaspoon of salt and 2½ teaspoons of baking powder. Gradually add 3½ cups of all-purpose flour and mix just until fully combined.
- Chill. Use plastic cling film to cover the mixing bowl and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days at the very most.
Bake the Italian Ricotta Cookies
- Prep Oven. Once the dough is chilled, set the oven to 350°F (175°C)and line a baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Portion Cookies. Drop the chilled dough in 1-inch balls onto your prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of spacing between cookies. I like to use a melon baller to make this extra easy!
- Bake Cookies. Place the baking sheet onto the middle of your oven’s center rack and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the top no longer looks raw and the cookie bottoms are just starting to turn a light golden color. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Lemon Icing
- Mix Icing. Once the cookies are completely cooled, mix the icing ingredients in a small bowl: 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of milk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. You can alternatively add more liquid or confectioners’ sugar until you’ve reached your desired consistency. The icing should be thick enough to cling to your spoon with a slow drizzle.
- Glaze Cookies. Dip each of the cookies into the bowl of icing, allowing the icing to run off until the drizzle slows, then turn and set onto the wire cooling rack. Add sprinkles after every few cookies are glazed, if using. Allow the icing to set at room temperature before serving.
These beautiful, soft, and tender Italian ricotta cookies are the perfect after-dinner treat! Serve them with coffee for a perfect pairing or include them on a beautiful holiday dessert table! No one will be able to resist how delicious these cookies are! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Use whole milk ricotta, not part-skim for this recipe! Part-skim or low-fat ricotta will not provide the necessary richness needed for these cookies! Whole milk is the best for these wonderful cookies!
- If chilling for more than a few hours, transfer the dough to plastic cling film. Wrap up the dough as a ball to keep the dough from drying out.
- Try using a melon baller to portion out the cookies! Not only will this make the cookies more evenly sized, but it will also prevent the warmth of your hands from melting the cookie dough too much before baking. This will ensure they bake up perfectly!
- Use red, green, and white sprinkles or nonpareils for a traditional look! If you desire, you can put sprinkles on the cookies for a festive Christmas decoration that’s also the colors of the Italian flag! Apply these just as the icing is setting so they adhere perfectly.
- Repurpose the parchment paper from baking to glaze the cookies! You can put the parchment paper underneath the wire cooling racks to catch the excess glaze, so you have easy cleanup.
🥡 Storing
To store these amazing, delicious Italian ricotta cookies, put them into an airtight container with a sheet of parchment paper over each layer. They’ll keep at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or you can refrigerate them for up to a week!
The sprinkles will likely bleed into the frosting if you’ve used them—so if you’re making these cookies ahead, hold off on glazing them until the day you’re ready to eat!
Plus, you can use your leftover cookies to make some new tasty treats! For some great ideas, take a look at my post on what to do with leftover Christmas cookies!
Freezing Italian Ricotta Cookies
If you’d like to freeze these cookies, you should also hold off on the icing until you’re ready to serve!
The easiest way to freeze is to start by freezing the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet for 2 to 3 hours, then transfer them into a freezer storage container! They’ll keep for 2 to 3 months.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes! This is absolutely necessary to make sure the cookies don’t completely flatten out as they bake. The dough should be chilled for at least 2 hours, but I recommend overnight!
I wouldn’t recommend it! These tender cookies will likely crumble during mailing and the glaze will be stained by the sprinkles if you’re using them. I’d recommend mailing a sturdier cookie!
Yes, mostly. You can go ahead and bake the cookies ahead of time and keep them in an airtight container (or freeze them). However, I would hold off on icing them until you are ready to serve them, especially if you intend on adding sprinkles (since the dye can run).
🎄 More Christmas Desserts & Cookies
- British Christmas Pudding - Spiced cake is loaded with dried fruits for a simple and tasty holiday dessert!
- Empire Biscuits - Shortcake cookies are pressed together with jam filling and then topped with homemade icing!
- M&M Christmas Cookie Bars - These easy-to-serve bars are packed with festive red and green M&M candies!
- Gumdrop Cookies - These cookies are filled with fun and colorful gumdrops for a kid-friendly treat!
- Christmas Cake - If you enjoy fruitcake, you need to give this tasty recipe a try!
- Christmas Fudge - This effortless fudge recipe is simple to whip up and completely indulgent!
Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
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📖 Recipe Card
Italian Ricotta Cookies (Italian Christmas Cookies)
Ingredients
Italian Ricotta Cookies
- 1 cup butter (softened, at room temperature)
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 1 large lemon (zested and juiced, reserve the juice for icing)
- 1 ¾ cups ricotta (15 ounces of fresh whole milk ricotta)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt (or use ¾ teaspoon with unsalted butter)
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Lemon Icing
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice (reserved after zesting your lemon above)
- 2 tablespoon milk (or more, as needed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Italian Ricotta Cookies
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer cream together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and the butter pales in color. Add in the ricotta and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Mix the eggs into the dough one at a time, then add the salt and baking powder. Gradually add the flour and mix until fully combined.
- Use plastic cling film to cover the mixing bowl and chill the dough for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days at most.
- Preheat your oven once the dough is chilled. Set the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Drop the chilled dough in 1-inch balls onto your prepared baking sheet leaving 2 inches of spacing between cookies. *These were portioned using a melon baller and dropped directly onto the baking sheet (rather than hand-rolled).
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until the top no longer looks raw and the cookie bottoms are just turning a light golden color. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Lemon Icing
- Once the cookies have fully cooled, mix the icing ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Add liquid or more confectioners' sugar as needed to reach your desired consistency. You want the icing to cling to your spoon with a slow drizzle (that way it stays on your cookies!).
- Dip each of the cookies into the bowl of icing, allow the icing to run off until the drizzle slows, then turn and set onto the wire cooling rack. Add sprinkles after every few cookies are glazed, if using.
- Allow the icing to set at room temperature before serving or storing.
Notes
- Use whole milk ricotta, not part-skim for this recipe! Part-skim or low-fat ricotta will not provide the necessary richness needed for these cookies! Whole milk is the best for these wonderful cookies!
- If chilling for more than a few hours, transfer the dough to plastic cling film. Wrap up the dough as a ball to keep the dough from drying out.
- Try using a melon baller to portion out the cookies! Not only will this make the cookies more evenly sized, but it will also prevent the warmth of your hands from melting the cookie dough too much before baking. This will ensure they bake up perfectly!
- Use red, green, and white sprinkles or nonpareils for a traditional look! If you desire, you can put sprinkles on the cookies for a festive Christmas decoration that’s also the colors of the Italian flag! Apply these just as the icing is setting so they adhere perfectly.
- Repurpose the parchment paper from baking to glaze the cookies! You can put the parchment paper underneath the wire cooling racks to catch the excess glaze, so you have easy cleanup.
- (without icing) in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer them into a freezer storage container. The cookies should be fully frozen within 2-3 hours.
Stephanie says
I just finished glazing the cookies. My husband "confiscated" a couple before that and gave it rave reviews. He's celiac so I made them with plain rice flour. Amazing. Fluffy.Soft. Delicious. I'll be definitely putting these on my Christmas list. Easy to make.
Gunilla Samuelsson says
Skrivit flera gånger och frågat hur mycket en cup är!! Vill ha receptet i volym eller gram, tack!
Olika volym för olika koppar!! Svensk/amerikansk.
"Wrote several times and asked how much a cup is!! Would like the recipe in volume or grams, please!
Different volume for different cups!! Swedish/American."
Angela Latimer says
Det måste ha varit en annan sida eller så har kommentaren filtrerats till skräppost. Ingen har frågat det om detta recept. Varje receptkort har dock möjlighet att välja metriska konverteringar under den fyrkantiga bilden. Hoppas det hjälper!
"That must have been a different site or the comment was filtered into spam. No one has asked that about this recipe. However, each recipe card has the option to choose metric conversions under the square image. Hope that helps!"
J says
These cookies had a much better flavor than most ricotta cookies, but they are more cakey and heavy. Most guests tried one, but not many reached for a second.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
When you shape the cookies, use a melon baller or ice cream scoop to portion the dough. This way it doesn't get compacted. It will prevent the cookies from being dense once baked. Hope that helps!
irishrose56@gmail.com says
My ricotta cookies came out flattened over the sheet pan what did i do wrong?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
It's hard to say without much info, but I'd be happy to help if you'd like to send over more details! The first things I would consider is how well the dough was chilled, and what was the shape of the dough before baking (was it domed nicely?). When fully combined, it should be fairly firm, like chocolate chip cookie dough. It may have benefitted from a little more flour if it was too soft.
Anonymous says
The flour certainly gave them more substance but now they are cakey. Not how I remember them 🤷🏻♀️HELP!!!😬☺️
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
OK, a few things now that we're not in the midst of baking.
1) This isn't a temperamental cookie recipe, so they shouldn't have spread as much as they did. It may simply be a matter of playing with how much extra flour you add until you find your right consistency as a dough to hold up to baking.
2) You may want to check your oven's temperature calibration to make sure the oven isn't running hot. Some brands are notorious for this, or for having hot spots. Use a heat-safe oven thermometer (like these) to double-check your temps.
3) Chilling dough in the bowl is less effective than chilling the portioned dough balls. It takes longer to chill the larger batch (and you almost inevitably end up with the center of the dough not being as chilled).
Donna Villari says
My cookies came out spread all over the cookie sheet do not know what i did wrong . How can i save the rest of the batter ? I tripled the batter an do not want to waste it
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Add flour to the dough, portion the dough, chill the baking sheet with the portioned dough.
Dean says
Made these today for the first time..didn't use all the lemon peel called for..I likeemon, but others om giving to don't lol..I also didn't use the lemon juice in the icing (didn't like the flavor when I first tried it). The look and taste great!
I froze them (iced) just to get the icing to set faster..still taste great.
Marie says
Bonjour,
Est-ce que je peut utiliser du fromage cottage ?
Merci
Hello,
Can I use cottage cheese?
Thank you
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Oui! Vous pouvez utiliser du fromage cottage. Assurez-vous de le sécher du mieux que vous le pouvez, puis de mélanger plusieurs fois dans un robot culinaire pour décomposer le caillé en une consistance semblable à celle de la ricotta.
Ajoutez un filet de jus de citron pour donner au fromage cottage une saveur de ricotta. Merci d'avoir posé la question!
Yes! You can use cottage cheese. Make sure to dry it as best you can, then toss it a few times in a food processor to break down the curd into a ricotta-like consistency.
Add a squeeze of lemon juice to give the cottage cheese a ricotta flavor. Thanks for asking!