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These Italian Ricotta Cookies are super soft and absolutely delicious. Topped with an almond glaze and sprinkles! They are sure to become a family favorite!
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Hi friends! I’m participating in the Food Blogger Cookie Swap again this year! In exchange for mailing out cookies to 3 other bloggers, I got 3 kinds of cookies from other bloggers! How fun is that?
If the sound of putting ricotta cheese in cookies is bizarre to you, let me assure you that they do not taste like cheese! 🙂 These cookies are like sugar cookies! They’re easy to make and absolutely delicious to eat!
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I will tell you – I would recommend NOT mailing these cookies. Sure, you can include them in a cookie tray or take them next door to share with a neighbor, or take them to an office party – but don’t ship them. I learned it the hard way. The glaze does not hold up well – it becomes an ooey gooey mess. I saw the cookies I mailed to one of my recipients on Instagram and I was soooo disappointed that they didn’t look as pretty as when I mailed them out. I was afraid it would happen but I hoped for the best. Learn from my mistake. I’m so sorry ladies! Next year, my cookies will be unglazed for sure!
I received some really delicious and awesome cookies this year – Pistachio Cranberry Shortbreads, Spiced Shortbread Cookies, and Brown Butter Snickerdoodles with Orange and Cardamom. I left the Snickerdoodle on the counter while I took care of a few things around the house …. and my kiddos devoured them before I had the chance to take a picture or taste one for myself!
Things you’ll need for this recipe:
Italian Ricotta Cookies Recipe
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Ingredients
For the cookies
- 2 sticks butter, softened, 1/2 pound
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 container ricotta cheese, 15 oz.
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the glaze
- 4 - 5 tablespoons milk
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, ricotta cheese, and vanilla extract; mix until well combined. In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the ricotta mixture; mix well. Roll or scoop the dough into teaspoon-sized balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2-inches apart.
- Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, powdered sugar, and almond extract until smooth. Dip the tops of the cookies into the glaze and set upright back on the wire rack. Immediately top with sprinkles. Repeat for remaining cookies.
Notes
- While the cookies themselves are sturdy and store well, I do not recommend glazing until you are serving. Or, only glaze what you are serving and not what you are storing for later.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I could not find my mom’s recipe so I made yours! So very good. I am impressed as to how easy and wonderful these turned out. I am about to glaze! Cheers
These are so soft and delicate!! We absolutely love them. The recipe is quick to make which is always a bonus!!! I got 100 cookies out of this recipe using a 1 teaspoon scoop.
Amazing! This recipe, followed as written, yielded 100 cookies for me.
I put the icing in a condiment bottle and drizzled the cookies. This made it go so very quickly! Just used my fingers and pinched nonpareils over the tops.
Next time, I will probably make the icing thicker. I used 4T of milk and it was thin. I’ll try 3T milk next time. They are still awesome, it was just a bit runny for me.
Thank you so much for the recipe. They are actually going to my dear Italian friend who recently lost his wife of 50 years. They made all of their pasta, ravioli, etc by hand together. I hope he approves!
GREAT recipe, these are my new Christmas favorite!
To avoid any “instability” in the icing I substituted 2tsps of the confectioners sugar for meringue powder, which made for a stable (but not overly brittle) icing.
I make cookies every month for a “Friendship Meals” at a local church. I need to put two cookies in a snack bag. I usually make chocolate chip ahead of time and freeze them in the bags. Would this work for these cookies? I’m thinking to make the glaze a little bit thicker, more like frosting and they might work??
Amazing recipe! So fluffy and nice and not too sweet.
I have rosewater I’m trying to get rid of so I used that for the icing instead of vanilla and they’re so delightful.
(Only if you like rose flavor of course though).
Should’ve read a little closer though because I was not prepared to have 60 cookies, even with guests coming, oops.
Thanks so much for a delightful recipe.
The Italian Ricotta Cookies are a delightful treat that instantly transports you to the streets of Rome. These soft and pillowy cookies are a perfect blend of sweetness and tanginess. The addition of ricotta cheese gives them a unique texture and a subtle richness that is simply irresistible. The cookies are delicately flavored with hints of vanilla and lemon zest, adding a refreshing twist to each bite. Topped with a luscious glaze and colorful sprinkles, they are visually appealing and bring a festive vibe. Whether enjoyed with a cup of coffee or as a dessert, these Italian Ricotta Cookies are a true delight for the taste buds.
I just made these for Easter and they were a huge hit! I took the leftovers to work and they flew. I am not a fan of almond flavoring so I grated some orange rind into the batter and substituted orange extract in the glaze. Looking forward to making them again with anise extract.
Wonderful recipe. I was concerned at first about the amount of vanilla and almond extract. But I made per the recipe and I wouldn’t change a thing. I didn’t have colored sprinkles so I used red and green colored sugar for Christmas.