Today I’m sharing one of our favorite Italian holiday treats that I make often for Christmas gatherings: lemon ricotta cookies. These bite-sized cookies are incredibly soft and tender — they vanish quickly. They’re easy to make and excellent for preparing ahead of time.
Hello, all!
I gave these ricotta cookies a fresh photo update and added more helpful details, so I spent a day baking (and sampling) cookies in November. These are perfect for Christmas, but swap the sprinkles and they work for any holiday or celebration.
This recipe dates back to my early holiday posts. I originally did a cookie week to kick things off and shared other favorites like Chocolate Almond Stuffed Cookies and Pecan Snowball Cookies. While I haven’t updated those photos yet, it’s fun to see how my food photography has evolved.
Italian Holiday Cookies
Like my Pignoli Cookies and Taralli Dolci, these ricotta cookies celebrate my Italian heritage and are a staple in holiday baking. In many Italian-American families, ricotta cookies are a classic Nonna recipe — sometimes flavored with anise instead of lemon — but the hallmark is the soft, tender texture.
Here are a few tips to make your batch turn out beautifully:
- Keep your butter cool. It should be soft enough to work with but still fairly solid. Grass-fed butter is often softer, so only leave it out briefly.
- Use natural ricotta when possible. Ricotta without stabilizers or additives gives the best texture and flavor.
- Chill the dough. Resting the dough in the refrigerator for 20–30 minutes makes it easier to scoop and yields more even, round cookies.
What do you need?
- Dry ingredients – all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda.
- Butter and sugar – for a light, fluffy cookie base.
- Ricotta – whole or part-skim; choose one without gums or stabilizers if you can.
- Lemon zest – for bright citrus flavor.
- Egg – adds structure and tenderness.
- Lemon glaze – confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and a little cream cheese for richness.
- Sprinkles – optional but festive.
How to make this
These cookies come together simply: cream butter and sugar, add ricotta, egg, and lemon zest, then fold in the flour mixture to form a soft dough. Chill briefly, scoop small mounds onto a baking sheet, and bake until set. Once cooled, dip the tops in lemon glaze and finish with sprinkles.
Can you freeze these?
Yes. You can freeze the dough or the unglazed baked cookies for up to 2 months when well wrapped. Thaw and glaze when ready to serve.
Using up the ricotta
Ricotta is versatile: stir it into pasta, sweeten and eat it for breakfast like yogurt, or dollop it on pizza. If you want more ricotta ideas, try ricotta pancakes, lemon blueberry ricotta muffins, or a savory ricotta crostata.
If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how it goes — leave a comment with your experience and rating. I’m happy to answer any questions.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
Print Recipe
Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 8 tbsp (4 oz) unsalted butter, cool room temperature
- 1 cup (7 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (4 oz) ricotta, whole or part-skim
- 1 large egg
- Lemon zest from one lemon
Lemon Glaze
- 1 tbsp cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups (8 oz) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tbsp colored sugar or sprinkles, optional
Instructions
Mix the Batter
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer with the flat beater, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes.
- With the mixer on medium, add the ricotta, egg, and lemon zest and mix until fully combined.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low until mostly blended, leaving a bit of dry flour. Use a spatula to finish and incorporate the dough.
- Transfer the dough to the refrigerator to chill for 20–30 minutes.
Bake the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Spoon chilled dough onto a baking sheet using a #100 cookie scoop or a teaspoon, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 11–12 minutes. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for one minute, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the Lemon Glaze
- Combine the glaze ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth. The glaze should be thick but able to flow from the beaters.
Decorate
- Dip each cooled cookie top-down into the glaze. Lift and twist slightly to let excess drip off, then flip the cookie upright so any remaining glaze falls onto the top.
- While the glaze is wet, sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles.
Notes
- Lemon glaze: If the glaze won’t stick, it’s too thick — add lemon juice or a teaspoon of milk. If it runs off, it’s too thin — add confectioners’ sugar a tablespoon at a time.
- Larger cookies: Use a tablespoon scoop and increase baking time to about 13 minutes for larger cookies (yields ~35–40 cookies).
- Chilling: Refrigerating the dough makes it easier to portion and creates more uniform cookies.
- Make-ahead: Dough can be refrigerated overnight or frozen up to 2 months. Unglazed baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
First published December 2015. Rewritten, expanded, and rephotographed.
