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Italian Ricotta Cookies- Soft pillow cookies made with a hint of lemon zest, creamy ricotta cheese and topped with a smooth glaze. 

These festive (and delicious!) cookies are easy to make and will be a perfect addition to your holiday baking menu this season. 

Great for a cookie swap or as a homemade gift! 

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Ingredients List

• Flour + Baking powder + Salt
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Ricotta cheese
• Lemon zest + juice
• Powdered sugar

Recipe Notes & Tips

• Don't forget to refrigerate your cookie dough. It is a soft dough and refrigerating it will make it easy to work with.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  You can, if needed, refrigerate it for longer, even overnight, if needed.
• 💡 Tip: When working with the dough, lightly dust your hands with plain flour.  Works like a charm. 
• Lemon Zest/Juice:  Real lemon juice is usually a preferred option.  However, it is winter and here in the Midwest, fresh lemons are not always easy to find or can be costly.  So, you can use bottled lemon juice for these cookies. For the zest, replace it with a tablespoon of lemon juice, if needed.
• Sprinkles:  If you are topping with sprinkles, do it before the icing sets, will be within a few minutes of topping them.
• Storage: Keep any leftovers in a covered container.  These are best eaten within a week.
• Freezing:  Yes, you can freeze these. Bake the cookies as noted in recipe and let them cool completely.  Then, freeze them without the icing.  They will be good for several months.  When you are ready, let them defrost at room temperature, then, top with the icing before serving.

Italian Ricotta Cookies

Soft pillow cookies made with a hint of lemon zest, creamy ricotta cheese and topped with a smooth glaze.

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Hands-Off Time: 50 mins

Yield: approx. 40 cookies

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Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• FOR ICING:
• 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 TBSP lemon juice

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Instructions

1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add in sugar, ricotta and eggs. Beat until fully combined and dough forms.
3. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. While the dough is in the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a flat rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liners.
5. When ready, scoop a bit of dough and roll into a ball. They should be about 1 inch in size. Place on prepared baking sheet. Contine with remaining dough
6. Bake 9-11 minutes or until set, but, not brown.
7. Remove from oven and let them cool for 15 minutes on baking sheet. Then, cool completely on wire rack.
8. Make Icing: Whisk icing ingredients together until smooth. Frost on cooled cookies, then, if desired, top with sprinkles before it sets.