Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Pillowy soft Lemon Ricotta Cookies are perfect for any season. Enjoy with a cup of afternoon tea or as a shining star on any holiday cookie platter; these lemon ricotta cookies are a crowd-pleaser.
If you love the holiday classic Vanilla Ricotta Cookies, then you will want to add this fresh citrus version!
The Best Lemon Ricotta Cookies
This simple recipe comes together quickly with no fuss and makes four dozen small cookies so you can share them with friends and family. It’s as simple as combining the wet ingredients and dry ingredients.
Cover the warm cookies with a simple powdered sugar glaze and cover with candy sprinkles or additional lemon zest. You can spoon the glaze over the cookies, drizzle, or dip the cookies into the glaze.
Ricotta Cookies Key Ingredients
Please view the recipe card below to view and print the complete ingredient list and instructions.
- Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese- Full-fat ricotta cheese is best for this recipe. Most ricotta cheese comes pre-drained, but stir if your ricotta looks soupy. If still not satisfied, you can press the cheese into a sieve or squeeze in a cheesecloth before using.
- Fresh Lemons- This recipe uses fresh lemon zest and fresh lemon juice, so it is not advisable to use bottled lemon juice.
- Butter- Bring your butter to room temperature before attempting to cream it with sugar. Do not microwave the butter; it may become too soft and melt, resulting in a sticky cookie dough batter. You can use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe.
Freezing Cookies and Storage
The dough can be prepared two days before and refrigerated in an air-tight container until ready to bake. Or freeze unbaked cookie dough batter for up to 3 months before thawing and baking. The cookie texture will still be soft and have a bold lemon flavor.
You can freeze unglazed, baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month—glaze cookies when brought to room temperature.
The lemon glaze will set firm but not completely harden. Let the glaze set up for 1-2 hours before stacking for storage.
Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Glaze
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoon butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup whole milk, or heavy cream
- sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, CREAM the butter and sugar for 2 minutes until smooth and light in color. Slowly add eggs, ricotta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix until combined (about 1 minute). Scrape the sides of the bowl down as necessary.
- COMBINE flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a separate bowl; gradually add dry ingredients to the mixer until a soft dough forms. Use a medium (2 Tablespoon) cookie scoop. Roll into balls and place them on a prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- BAKE for 10 minutes. Edges will be slightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
For the Glaze
- In a medium bowl, WHISK the powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla extract. Add cream or milk one tablespoon at a time to reach the desired consistency. Spread glaze over warm cookies and top with sprinkles.
Notes
- You can use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe.
- It is best to use fresh lemons since you will need the zest and juice of two lemons.
Nutrition
Lemon Recipes to Love
Related Recipes
Try these Copycat Girl Scout Lemon Cookies or Sunburst Lemon Bars if you love lemon desserts.
4 Comments on “Lemon Ricotta Cookies”
Hi!
The ingredients list is stating that 1 cup of butter should weigh 8 Oz, right? Not that I should include 1 cup *plus* 8 oz?
Thanks!
My cookies turned out exactly like the picture. But i taste flour. I baked according to directions. Even left them in a while longer until they browned on the edges.
You should really edit this recipe to include when to add the lemon zest and lemon juice
It could easily be left out and the lemon flavor is what the title reflects
Made these today. I had to improvise on when to add the lemon zest snd lemon juice in the cookies since it’s not mentioned in the recipe, but they turned out great! They are almost like a fluffy scone or biscuit. The ones in my family who like a less sweet cookie really liked them!