If you haven’t embraced the delights that come with ricotta baking, may I present these ricotta cookies to make you a believer! I know a lot of people who curl their noses at the mention of ricotta cheese, and honestly, I can understand the aversion — lumpy milk is kind of weird.
But I promise you, these ricotta cookies are nothing but creamy and perfectly soft, sweetened with a delicious almond glaze and topped with crunchy sprinkles for that little bit of texture. These are some of my favorite Italian cookies!
I hope you’ll try more of my favorite Italian cookies like lemon ricotta cookies, Italian Christmas cookies, Italian wedding cookies, and Amaretti cookies next!
Let’s bake these!
What I Love About Ricotta Cookies
- Easy, breezy, delicious!
- The perfect combo of creamy + chewy
- Glazed deliciousness
- Telling people there’s cheese in the cookies and watching their faces light up!
Italian Ricotta Cookies Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: Use moderate protein flour, like Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose flour or Pillsbury unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder: Leavening agent.
- Baking Soda: A secondary leavening agent.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar, a.k.a., table sugar.
- Eggs: Use large eggs that have been brought to room temperature.
- Ricotta Cheese: Use whole milk ricotta.
- Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract, not imitation.
- Milk: Use whole milk.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Be sure to sift so you don’t have lumps of powdered sugar in your dough.
- Almond Extract: This extract has a strong flavor so I suggest using only the amount the recipe calls for the first time you make these.
- Decorations: Candy sprinkles, jimmies, or colored sugar.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How To Store? Because the glaze on my ricotta Christmas cookies contains milk, I do not recommend letting these sit at room temperature for very long. Move to the fridge when you’re not actively eating them — they’ll last there, in a sealed container, for up to a week.
- I personally think these cookies taste better after they’ve been refrigerated anyway! Something about the glaze solidifying thoroughly is just scrumptious.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes. Before you store my ricotta Italian cookies recipe though, make sure the glaze is thoroughly dried — otherwise, you risk your cookies sticking together in the freezer. And while the idea of one giant cookie is good in theory, in reality, not so much.
- If you really want to ensure your cookies stay separate, you can always layer wax paper between your treats, then seal them in a Ziploc baggie or airtight container. They’ll last in your freezer for up to eight months! But I guarantee you’ll eat them long before then.
- Make-Ahead Tips: You can always premake the dough and store it in your freezer or fridge, then pull it out when you’re ready to bake. Make sure you tightly seal your dough — I like to use plastic wrap — and you can safely leave it in your fridge for up to two days, it will last in your freezer for up to three months.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
How To Make Ricotta Cookies
- Scoop the dough mixture.
- Roll to form balls. Arrange on prepared baking sheets and bake.
- Dip the cookies in glaze while they’re still warm.
- Set on a wire rack and cool completely. Dip the cookies in glaze a second time and decorate with candy sprinkles, jimmies, or colored sugar.
- Set on a wire rack and let glaze set.
***See the full instructions below.
More Delicious Italian Cookies
- Italian Fig Cookies
- Almond Biscotti Recipe
- Anise Cookies
- Italian Rainbow Cookies
- Pignoli Cookies
- Chocolate Biscotti
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ricotta Cookies
These creamy and chewy ricotta cookies bring unbeatable texture and taste to any dessert bar! The perfect cookie for any holiday!
Servings: 36 cookies
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
- candy sprinkles, jimmies, colored sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour (4 cups), baking powder (1 teaspoon), and baking soda (1 teaspoon); set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter (1 cup), sugar (1 3/4 cups), eggs (2), ricotta (15 ounces), and vanilla extract (2 tablespoons). Gradually beat in the flour mixture.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the dough and then roll to form balls. Arrange on prepared baking sheets 1 inch apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Meanwhile, while cookies are baking, whisk together milk (3/4 cup), confectioners' sugar (4 1/2 cups), and almond extract (1 tablespoon) until smooth.
- Dip the cookies in glaze while they're still warm. Set on a wire rack and cool completely. Dip the cookies in glaze a second time and decorate with candy sprinkles, jimmies, or colored sugar. Set on a wire rack and let glaze set.
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
Serving: 1/36 of the recipe | Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 52mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 235IU | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 0.8mg
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It’s so gooood, it’s so creamy. Just perfect.
Yaaay! Thanks, Marian 🙂