Lemon Ricotta Cookies may look like the top of a muffin that’s been crowned with a light crust of glaze, but beneath the icing sits a soft and fluffy cake-like cookie with a sweet and subtle tangy taste.
Lemon Ricotta Cookies With Lemon Glaze
Our easy Lemon Ricotta Cookies recipe makes the most moist, fluffiest, light-textured treats with a bright, lemony taste. The cookies alone have a burst of citrus fruit baked right into batter. Then they’re dipped in a delicious glaze that gives them even more lemon flavor and hardens into a contrasting crunchy coating.
Baking With Ricotta Cheese
Ricotta cheese is a soft, creamy cheese with a mild flavor, and lends a unique texture and richness to cookies, cakes, and desserts. Using ricotta in this lemon ricotta cookie recipe results in a moist and tender crumb with a soft texture.
Ricotta recipes can take on various flavors and forms. Wondering what to do with your leftover ricotta? My lemon ricotta cake, cannoli dip, and skillet lasagna are delicious!
Why We Love Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies Recipes
- Easy to Make From Scratch: The cookie dough comes together quickly using a handful of simple ingredients. Once chilled, you can bake each batch of dough balls in 15 fast minutes..
- Taste And Texture: Ricotta cheese in cookies creates a sweet and creamy contrast to the moist, tender, pillowy soft texture. The blend of bright lemon flavor infuse the batter with a tart and refreshing taste.
- Better Than Giada’s Lemon Ricotta Cookies: This lemony ricotta cookies recipe gives Giada’s classic ricotta lemon cookies a run for her money! The result is slightly less sweet and tart in taste but even lighter and fluffier in texture.
- Delicious Lemon Desserts: Italian ricotta cookies are perfect to serve for brunch, as an afternoon snack with a cup of coffee or tea, or enjoy as an after-dinner dessert.
Lemon Cookies Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the cookies achieve their light and fluffy texture during baking.
- Baking Soda: Another leavening agent that reacts with the acidic lemon juice to help the cookies rise and become tender.
- Salt: A small amount of salt is needed to balances out the sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and flavor to the cookies and also makes them moist and tender. Make sure the butter has softened to room temperature before combining it with the other ingredients.
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg: The binder to hold the ingredients together.
- Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese: Adds moisture, richness, and a tender texture to the cookies. It also contributes a subtle tanginess to the taste. Be sure to only use whole milk ricotta cheese for the best texture of these cookies.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Before zesting and juicing your fresh lemon, be sure to rinse the lemon with cool water to remove any waxy residue or preservative chemicals that may be on the outer surface of the lemon.
- Fresh Lemon Zest: Adds intense lemon flavor and aroma to the cookies. The oils in the zest contain a concentrated flavor that complements the lemon juice.
- Powdered Sugar: Provides a bit of extra sweetness to balance the tanginess of the lemon.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Make The Dry Mixture: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- Make Wet Mixture: Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat again just until incorporated. Mix in the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- Create The Cookie Dough: Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix into a thick batter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Bake: Scoop and drop the cookie dough balls onto the baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
- Make The Glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth.
- Dip Each Dessert: Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze and sprinkle with lemon zest
- Serve: Allow the glaze to harden before serving or storing. Enjoy!
Tips & VAriations
- Choose Your Cheese: If your ricotta cheese has some excess liquid in the container, be sure to pour off the liquid before adding the ricotta cheese to the cookie batter. Part skim ricotta will work in a pinch, but the cookies may not be as fluffy.
- Do not overmix the dough or your cookies will be tough.
- Like Less Lemon? If you prefer a milder lemon flavor for your glaze, you can substitute 1½-2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice for whole milk in the glaze part of this recipe.
Proper Storage
- To Store: Store at room temperature for 3-4 days for the freshest flavor and best texture.
- To Freeze: These cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Make sure the glaze has hardened completely, then stack the cookies, using parchment paper between layers, before adding them to the container to freeze. Allow the cookies to thaw in a single layer at room temperature before serving.
- To Make Ahead: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. You can freeze the dough in balls for up to 3 months, and then bake them directly from frozen. Keep in mind that you’ll need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Do not make the lemon glaze until the day you plan to serve the cookies.
Common Questions
How can i thin my glaze if it is too thick?
If you need to thin your glaze, you can use whole milk to add extra moisture to the powdered sugar until you get your desired consistency, Start with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, whisk until smooth, then add more lemon juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed to thin the glaze. You want a consistency that is thin enough to dip your delicate cookies into, yet firm enough to hold its place on the tops of each cookie.
Should I chill my cookie dough for 2 hours or overnight?
The chill time is completely up to you! If you choose an overnight chill for your cookie dough, your cookies will not spread quite as much as they will after a 2-hour chill. However, they will both have a beautifully “domed” center and will both hold their shape well. The texture of the cookies will be just as tender with a 2-hour chill as with a longer chill time, making this the perfect make-ahead recipe.
Other Easy Lemon Recipes
There’s something about small-sized citrus snacks that turn a sour fruit into a fun-to-eat sweet and tart confection. For more easy lemon recipes, try my Lemon Oreo Truffles, Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes, Lemon Cake Mix Cookies, and Lemon Drop Cakes.
If you tried this Lemon Ricotta Cookies Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Serves — 34
Lemon Ricotta Cookies are soft, tender treats infused with the tangy flavor of lemon and richness of ricotta.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese approximately half of a 15-ounce container – any excess liquid drained
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
Glaze
- 1½ cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest plus additional for optional garnish
Instructions
- Add all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together and set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add the unsalted butter and granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Add the egg and beat again just until the egg is fully incorporated.1 large egg
- Add the whole milk ricotta cheese, fresh lemon juice, and fresh lemon zest to the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed just until all the ingredients are fully combined.1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until all the flour has been incorporated. Your batter will be thick. Do not overmix the dough, or your cookies will be tough.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cookie dough for a minimum of 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop and drop your cookies onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between the cookie dough balls. You should be able to fit approximately 12 cookies per baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely on the counter. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough until all the cookies have been baked and cooled.
- To make the glaze, add the powdered sugar, melted butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Start with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, whisk until smooth, and add 1 teaspoon at a time more lemon juice if needed to thin the glaze to a consistency that is thin enough to dip your delicate cookies into yet firm enough to hold its place on the tops of each cookie.1½ cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, dip the top of the cookies into the glaze, flip them over so the glazed top side is facing up, place the cookie back onto the cooling rack, then sprinkle with a little extra fresh lemon zest for garnish if desired. Repeat with the remaining cookies until all the cookies have been glazed and garnished.
- Allow the cookies to sit on the cooling rack, undisturbed, until the glaze has hardened completely before adding the cookies to a serving tray or storage container.
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
- To Store: These lemon ricotta cookies can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days for the freshest flavor and best texture.
- To Freeze: These lemon ricotta cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Make sure that the glaze has hardened completely, then stack the cookies, using parchment paper between layers, before adding them to the container to freeze. Allow the cookies to thaw in a single layer at room temperature before serving.
- To Make Ahead: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. You can freeze the dough in balls for up to 3 months, and then bake them directly from frozen. Keep in mind that you’ll need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Do not make the lemon glaze until the day you plan to serve the cookies.
- Choose Your Cheese: Be sure to only use whole milk ricotta cheese for the best texture of these cookies. If your ricotta cheese has some excess liquid in the container, be sure to pour off the liquid before adding the ricotta cheese to the cookie batter. Part skim ricotta will work in a pinch, but the cookies may not be as fluffy.
- Prepare The Produce: Before zesting and juicing your fresh lemon, be sure to rinse the lemon with cool water to remove any waxy residue or preservative chemicals that may be on the outer surface of the lemon.
- Do not overmix the dough or your cookies will be tough.
- Like Less Lemon? If you prefer a milder lemon flavor for your glaze, you can substitute 1½-2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice for whole milk in the glaze part of this recipe.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 126IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 0.4mg
