Lemon Ricotta Cookies

These Lemon Ricotta Cookies are soft, and tender, cake like cookies full of a bright lemon flavor, with the best lemon icing on top. This version gets the texture just right, with a super soft, and cakey cookie that is moist, and holds its ball shape when baked. The cookies stay soft for days, which makes them perfect for gifting, or making ahead!

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Italian Ricotta Cookies, Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Prep Time: 12

Cook Time: 12

Chilling Time: 2

Total Time: 2 24

Servings: Cookies

Calories: 110kcal

Ingredients

For the Lemon Ricotta Cookie Dough:

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (Softened)
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
1 large Egg
1 TBS Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp Fresh Lemon Zest
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

For the Lemon Glaze:

1 cup Powdered Sugar
1-2 TBS Fresh Lemon Juice
1 tsp Fresh Lemon Zest (optional)

Instructions

For the Lemon Ricotta Cookie Dough:

Add the Butter and Granulated Sugar to a large mixing bowl and cream them together for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are light and fluffy. 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
Add in the Ricotta Cheese, Egg, Lemon Juice, Lemon Zest, and Vanilla Extract, and mix until just combined. The mixture may look a little curdled and chunky from the lemon juice, but its okay. 3/4 cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese, 1 large Egg, 1 TBS Fresh Lemon Juice, 2 tsp Fresh Lemon Zest, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Add in the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined. Don't keep mixing or you will end up with dense cookies. 2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour, 1 tsp Baking Powder , 1/2 tsp Salt
Cover the cookie dough and chill it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop the cookie dough into 1.5 Tablespoon portions (I measured mine out to be about 25g of dough) and roll into a smooth ball. Place the cookie dough balls onto the cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are set and the bottoms are lightly golden brown.
Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

For the Lemon Glaze:

Whisk together the Powdered Sugar and Lemon Juice in a small bowl for the glaze, until it is thick enough to spoon, but not drippy.1 cup Powdered Sugar, 1-2 TBS Fresh Lemon Juice
Dip the tops of each cookie into the lemon glaze, and swirl them around to cover the tops. Let any excess drip back into the bowl, and place them back onto the wire rack. You could also spoon the icing on top of the cookies.
Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with additional lemon zest, if desired. 1 tsp Fresh Lemon Zest

Notes

Don't Over Mix the Dough: After adding the flour and other dry ingredients, only mix the dough until just combined. Otherwise you could end up with dense and overly tough cookies.
Do not Overbake the Cookies: Bake the cookies just until the tops are soft, and if you check the bottom edges they'll be a light golden color. They'll dry out quickly if they're overbaked.
Lemons: Zest your lemons first, then juice them. It is much easier to zest a whole lemon.
Wet Ricotta: If your ricotta is very wet, drain it in a sieve for about 20 minutes, or press it lightly with paper towels to pat it dry.

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