Italian Ricotta Cookies
The Best Italian Ricotta Cookies Recipe made with a thick, soft, cakey cookie and topped with an anise or almond glaze and nonparelis or sprinkles.
Servings: 24
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter (softened)
- 1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 cup Whole-Milk Ricotta Cheese
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 3 cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Glaze:
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons Milk
- 1/2 teaspoon Almond or Anise Extract
- Sprinkles or Nonparelis
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add ricotta cheese (make sure to drain it if it has extra liquid), eggs, vanilla extract, and any optional extracts or zest. Mix until smooth and well combined.
- Fold in flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low just until combined. Do not overmix. Cover the dough or wrap it in Saran Wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- While chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two light-colored baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. The centers may look slightly underbaked but will set up once removed from the oven. Cool completely before glazing.
- Mix the glaze together by whisking together powdered sugar, milk, and your chosen extract. Add more milk only if needed since the glaze should be thick and smooth.
- Glaze the cookies. Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze and then spoon some extra over the tops, if desired. While the glaze is still wet, add sprinkles. Let the cookies sit for 20-30 minutes so the glaze can set.
Notes
Here are some variation ideas:
Lemon Ricotta Cookies: add zest of 1-2 lemons. Add 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice instead of almond to the glaze.
Almond Ricotta Cookies: Replace half of the vanilla extract with almond extract. Top with sliced almonds.
Orange Ricotta Cookies: add zest of 1-2 oranges. Add 2 teaspoons of fresh orange juice instead of almond to the glaze.
Anise Ricotta Cookies: add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of anise extract. Top with classic rainbow nonparelis.
Nutrition
Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 174mg | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 307IU | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
