Italian Ricotta Cookies
Italian Ricotta Cookies are always popular! Our recipe for Italian Ricotta Cookies. Soft, tender and fluffy sprinkle cookies with a cake-like texture that melts in your mouth will have them asking which bakery they came from!
What are Ricotta Cookies?
Ricotta Cookies are soft and tender cookies with a fluffy cake-like texture.
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These cookies have many different names. Italian Sprinkle Cookies, Italian Christmas Cookies, and Ricotta Cheese Cookies are just a few.
They are not like regular sugar cookies and you will not be able to roll these out for cut out cookies.
Instead, they are more like an old-fashioned southern tea cake with glaze and sprinkles.
Do Ricotta Cookies Taste Like Cheese?
You will not even notice that it is cheese in a cookie.
Ricotta cookies taste like flavored sugar cookies with a cakey texture.
Can I Substitute the Ricotta Cheese in Ricotta Cookies?
In theory, you could replace the ricotta cheese with cream cheese. Not sure you can call it a ricotta cookie though.
I would not make that substitution because of the tangy flavor. With cream cheese in these cookies, you will notice that there is cheese in the cookie.
Ricotta cookies tend to be bland which is why whatever flavoring is added to the cookies shine through.
Cream cheese is denser than ricotta cheese and will impact the texture of these Italian cookies.
A cream cheese cookie would be more suitable for rolling and using cookie cutters.
Flavoring
Ricotta Cookies need to be flavored. They will be very plain and bland without it. They also benefit from the addition of a flavored glaze.
We prefer to flavor our cookies with almond extract.
Other traditional ricotta cookie flavors include lemon, orange, and anise.
To make lemon ricotta cookies add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and 3 to 4 tablespoons of lemon juice to the cookie dough. These cookies will be flatter than cookies using an extract.
You could substitute lemon extract for the almond extract in this recipe for puffier cookies, but the flavor will not be as bright and fresh as it will be using fresh lemons.
To make orange ricotta cookies, use the same substitutions as above for the lemon cookies.
To make anise-flavored ricotta cookies add 1 to 3 teaspoons of anise flavoring depending on how strong of a black licorice flavor you are looking for.
Substitute the same flavoring in the glaze as you used in the ricotta cookie.
Forming and Baking Italian Sprinkle Cookies
Italian Ricotta Sprinkle cookies should not spread as much as sugar cookie recipes. They should look like half balls when they come out of the oven.
Ricotta cookie dough is very soft and using a scoop is the best way to get these cookies formed.
The dough is much easier to work with if it has been refrigerated for an hour before attempting to scoop them out. This step can be skipped but will produce flatter cookies.
I give my cookie balls another 10 minutes in the refrigerator before baking to ensure that my cookies are as fluffy as possible. This step can also be skipped, but will also result in flatter cookies than those in the photos.
Ricotta cookies only need to be baked until the bottoms have started to turn golden brown. They are supposed to have a cake-like texture. We are not looking for any crispy bits!
Glazing
Since the cookies are very soft, they need to be completely cooled before attempting to glaze them. Glazing these cookies while hot or warm will cause the glaze to be absorbed and create a soggy cookie.
You can make a thicker cookie glaze by adding more powdered sugar and you can make a thinner glaze by adding more milk.
I usually dip the tops of my ricotta cookies into the flavored glaze and set them back onto the cooling rack. An alternative to dipping the cookies is to spoon the glaze over the top.
More glaze may be needed when using the spoon technique. A thicker glaze will also do better with the spooning method.
More sprinkles stick to the ricotta cookie glaze if I stop and add them about every 10 to 12 cookies. If I wait until all of the cookies have been glazed, the first cookies I glazed have started to harden and the sprinkles bounce right off.
Storing
These cookies can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Some recipes call for storing in an airtight container, but I tend to keep mine at room temperature on a plate loosely covered with plastic wrap.
The only real rule for storing ricotta cookies is to use parchment or wax paper in between the layers of cookies to keep the bottoms of the cookies from sticking to the glaze of any cookies under them.
Ricotta cookies will stay fairly fresh for up to 4 days.
Baked cookies can be frozen but do not put the icing on until they have thawed.
Mini Cookies for Santa’s Elves
Ricotta Cookies can be made into a mini version, perfect for serving up on a plate Christmas Eve for Santa’s elves.
To make the mini elf cookies use ¼ teaspoon of dough. This may be a little messy, but they are just so cute it is worth the messy fingers!
Bake the elf size cookies at 350⁰F for 5 to 6 minutes.
Glaze and sprinkle the cookies after they have cooled. Be sure and make lots of extra elf cookies, little fingers can easily grab this cute little cookie version.
Try adding some elf-size peanut butter blossoms to the elf cookie plate.
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Italian Ricotta Cookies
Ingredients
Ricotta Cookies
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Ricotta Cookie Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- 5 ounces nonpareils any color
Instructions
Italian Cookies
- In a large bowl beat softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time mixing well in between.
- Add ricotta cheese, vanilla, and almond extract and beat until smooth.
- Add the baking powder and baking soda and mix until incorporated.
- Add the flour and mix just until the flour is combined.
- Place the dough into the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven 350⁰F.
- Form cookie balls using about 2 teaspoons of dough.
- Place cookie balls into the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Place the cookie balls onto a cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookie begin to just brown.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute and remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Italian Cookie Icing
- While cookies are cooling combine the glaze ingredients and mix until smooth.
- When cookies are cooled, spoon glaze over the cookies and sprinkle with nonpareils before the glaze begins to harden.
- Alternatively, cookie tops can be dipped into the glaze, allow the excess glaze to drip off the cookies and then placed onto a rack to finish hardening.
- Cookies can be stored covered or uncovered at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days before they start becoming soggy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and may vary based on exact ingredients used. For accuracy, consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
This recipe was written and tested by a human.
I make them for the holidays and give out. Yummy
Hi Madeline!
Thanks for visiting again to let me know! It’s one of my favorite holiday treats too!
These are the best cookies! I make them every Christmas and they are always a big hit.
I have made them with gluten free flour and have also used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer because of an egg allergy. They come out just as good with the substitutions.
Thank you for this great recipe!
Hi Deanna!
Thanks for visiting, leaving a review, and letting me know how it went with changes! Happy Holidays!
Hi! Can I freeze the dough in ball shapes? Or cook it first then freeze?
Hi Jess!
You can do either! You just need to thaw them before baking or glazing.
Happy Holidays!
Hi. I just made a batch of these yesterday. They turned out beautiful and delicious.
Ate a couple before applying the glaze. This afternoon I felt the cooking and they seemed hard to the touch but so soft when eaten. I glazed all and now need to know how to store them for Christmas. Suggestios???
Hi Deb!
You can store them for up to 4 days at room temperature or in the fridge. If you need to store them in layers, I would use parchment or wax paper between the layers. I don’t cover mine, I think they tend to get even softer when covered. Hope this helps!
Happy Holidays!
Hi,
Can you swap the almond extract for almond paste? Will this impact the texture outcome? Also, if you chill the cookie dough overnight, would that cause any issues in flavor once baked?
Thank you so much
Hi Lauren!
Almond paste would most likely affect the texture. It is made from almonds, so it is going to be drier than extract and change the texture in this recipe. This cookie is soft and fluffy, almost like mini cakes. You can leave out the almond extract and use extra vanilla. Many people actually make this with lemon extract or anise so it’s just a matter of your preferred flavor. Chilling the dough overnight shouldn’t affect the flavor or the baking process. Hope this helps!
Very tasty but yes cake like but shaped as a cookie. I did half of recipe with almond extract and the candy parcels and the other half with fresh lemon and zest. Both were tasty. Thanks for sharing recipe.
Hi Bernadette!
that was a great idea to make 2 flavors out of one batch! Thanks for stopping by and letting us know you liked the recipe.
Happy Holidays!
Hi! I have all the cookies in the freezer for now. Thinking if I make the glaze, refrigerate it, and frost the cookies when needed, if the glaze needs to be warmed prior to dipping the cookies?
Do I make sense?
Hi Tee!
The glaze will harden in the fridge and crust over. It only take a couple of minutes to whip together, so I would hold off on that. I would also thaw the cookies first, there could be some condensation that forms as they thaw. The glaze may not set properly and/or the cookies may be too moist. Hope this helps!
Happy Holidays!
I haven’t tried these yet, but I was wondering if you put your cookies on the cookie sheet and then in the fridge before baking. On your recipe you say to form them and put them in the fridge and then after put them on a cookie sheet. If you put them on the cookie sheet and then in the fridge doesn’t this change the cooking temp because you’re putting the cold pan in the oven? Also, I don’t know how you would put balls of dough in the fridge and then put them on a cookie sheet. They’d all get squished and stuck together. Thank you.
Hi JL!
I line a plate with parchment, wax paper, or foil. I refrigerate them all at once rather than trying to find room in the fridge for a cookie sheet. Then I peel them off and place them onto a cookie sheet. If you have room in there, you can do it that way. The cookie sheet should warm up quickly enough that you shouldn’t need to add any extra time. You just want to make sure the bottoms of the cookies have turned light brown.
Happy Holidays!
Hi there
Made these today. They are so amazing!!! Any suggestions on how to form the dough into a ball- I had a sticky mess- but I just ate it off my fingers thank you!!
Hi Jacqueline!
Thanks for visiting again and letting me know you like them.
They can be a bit sticky! I use my scoop, or 2 spoons and shape them as the best I can. When I make the tiny elf size ones, I’m pretty sure I waste more than I turn into cookies. Hope this helps!
Happy Holidays!
Made these tonight added lemon. They were amazing. Will make them again.
Hi Cynthia!
I’m happy to hear you liked them! I bet they were amazing with lemon added.
Happy Holidays!
These are always a hit ! I get requests to bring them to gatherings. They are gone in minutes.
Hi Joanna!
Thanks for swinging back though and leaving a rating! I’m so happy to hear these cookies are being requested and devoured!
Can these cookies be frozen?
Hi Kathy!
If you want to freeze them, I would freeze them without the glaze. They are super moist and when they defrost, the condensation on the icing will wick into the cookies. Seal them in an airtight freezer container for up to 3 months.
Hope this helps!
Question: I am doubling the recipe which now calls for 30 ounces of ricotta cheese. I have 32 ounce container of ricotta cheese. Do you think I could use the full 32 ounces or just the recipe what it asks for. Thank you.
Hi Karen!
I would take out a tablespoon or so, or I would add another tablespoon of flour. It’s a pretty sticky dough.
Hope this helps!
Love these cookies!! I’ve been using your recipe for a few years now. My question is, instead of the first 1 hour of refrigeration can I refrigerate them overnight and bake the next day? TIA
Hi Melissa!
I’ve never tried that, patience isn’t my best virtue. Although, I don’t see why you couldn’t. They might be even easier to handle after a longer time in the refrigerator. I’d love to hear your thoughts after you’ve tried it!
Cheers!
Made these for the first time today and they are going quickly. So good and cake like. I made them with the lemon and used less sugar…..great recipe and so addictive. Thanks for sharing!!!
Hi Ann!
Thanks for visiting again and letting me know how it went. I’m happy you liked them!
Cheers!
HI, do you think these could be made with gluten free flour (1-1 Bobs red mills)?
Or maybe an almond flour will work well with the almond extract flavoring?
Hi Dana!
I have never used gluten free flour in this recipe, sorry I can’t be of much help with this question. I have used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 for other recipes for one of my friends and had no complaints so I wouldn’t be against making this with a GF alternative if he asked me for these.
Happy Holidays!
I made these today for an Eagle’s Football Party! I used green food coloring in the icing! Everyone loves these cookies! Thanks!
Hi Roxanne!
That was a great idea! Thanks for visiting and letting me know your crew likes them.
Cheers!
Could you use cream cheese instead of ricotta cheese?
Hi Patty!
I have never tried cream cheese, it is drier than Ricotta so I think there would be a texture difference.
Happy Holidays!
Wow! These are the most delicious version of this type of Italian cookies I’ve ever tasted. Being 100% Italian, I have definitely made and sampled plenty over the years. This is my new favorite recipe and my family loved them. Two thumbs up from a fellow RN!
Hi Adriana!
Thanks for stopping by again to let me know how they turned out! I’m very happy you liked them.
Happy Holidays!
One of my favorites! Easy and delicious.
Cookies looked delicious, so I decided to make them. Being allergic to butter and cream, I mad some adjustments that worked well. I used vegan butter , tofutti ricotta cheese and non dairy creamer. And since my family dis not like almond extract, I used only vanilla. They ARE delicious!
One suggestion though, I would use a stand mixer rather than hand held.
Thank you, fellow RN, for this delicious recipe.
Hi Trudy!
Thanks for sharing your changes and letting me know that they worked out! Always nice to hear from another RN. Keep fighting the good fight!
Hi
Have you ever tried adding chocolate to the Italian ricotta cookies? If yes, what kind of chocolate did you add.
Thank You
Hi Lisa!
I have not tried adding any chocolate. If I wanted to I would use 1/2 to 1 cup of mini chocolate chips and skip the almond extract. Hope this helps!
Hi Beth
I just wanted to let you know that I made the Italian ricotta cookies and they came out great. I even added some express powder to enhance the flavor.
On Saturday, April 9, 2022, 04:59:46 PM EDT, Lisa Deleo <lisadeleo1963@yahoo.com
Hi Lisa!
I’m happy to hear these cookies turned out well for you. Adding espresso powder was a brilliant idea!
Cheers!
I finally made the Italian ricotta cookies. They came out great. The only question I have, is it OK to put meringue powder into the icing so that the icing hardens? I wish I could post a picture of them so you could see them.
Hi Lisa!
I have not used meringue powder in this simple glaze, I only use it royal icing for rolled-out sugar cookies. I have never tried using it in this recipe.
Cheers!
I make these gluten free! Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF flour is the perfect substitute!
Hi Amy! Thanks for the tip!! We don’t use gluten-free flour very often so it’s nice to know that this recipe can be used without an issue!
Thanks for visiting again to let us know those details and to leave a review. It mean the world to us!
I live at 4765 ft. Since your recipe has two leveners in the ingredients, how should I adjust for high altitude? I used another recipe and all seven dozen were so dry they went to the birds. Would really like to find success with this recipe. Can you help? Thank you. Elizabeth Morrison
Hi Elizabeth!
I’m not a high altitude baker so I can’t comment from experience, only from years of reading others’ advice. You could try reducing the leaveners to 3/4 teaspoon each, reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup, then add 1/4 teaspoon more of almond extract and vanilla. You can also try pulling the cookies out a minute or so early too and see if they cooked in the middle. It’s my understanding that leaveners work more quickly the higher the altitude gets. It may take a few tries to find the sweet spot for your specific altitude. Hope this helps!
These are 100% the very best cookies I have ever had!!! WOW.
I was unsure about the Ricotta Cheese, but, I thin kI could live the rest of my days only eating these. HEAVEN. They melt in your mouth. They are light, satisfying and make a party in your mouth!
Thank you for sharing this recipe with the world!
Hi Caroline!
Thanks for visiting again and leaving such an amazing review! I’m glad you liked them!
Happy Holidays!
These are the most authentic Italian Christmas cookies I have seen published. You score a home run with me and my family. The children decided to name them Santa’s special cakes! They are so fresh and light and too cute with the red, white and green sprinkles I found.
I used the vanilla extract and fresh squeezed lemon juice in the batter and in the icing to add flavor and for variety. We loved it.
Thank you for this special find, I will be following you and your fantastic recipes. Have a wonderful holiday!
Hi Loretta!
I love the name Santa’s Special Cakes!! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know how they turned out.
Happy Holidays!
Our family mate these with almond extract and they were amazing!
Hi Angie!
I am so happy that they turned out well!
Happy Holidays!
I have Not made these yet. When I go see my Family for the Holidays up North. These will be the First ones to make for sure. Thank you so much for Sharing them with Everyone. Keep Sending Great Ideas for us All to Enjoy. Happy Holidays to You and Your Family. And Be Safe.
Hi Susie!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I hope your family loves these as much as my family does.
Cheers!
I made these,they are tasty, do I need to store in refrigerator after frosting, or an airtight container?
Hi Susie!
You can store them covered or uncovered at room temperature. You can also refrigerate them, but I would cover them just so they don’t pick up an off-taste from things in the refrigerator.
Happy Holidays!
Hi there!!! I loveeee these cookies but sometimes it’s just too much for us to eat at once. Can I keep extra dough in the fridge and if so how long do you recommend before it would go bad? Thank you!
Hi Erica!
These will be fine in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days. For even longer storage you could make them into balls and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw before baking.
Hope this helps!
I just want to say that this recipe is my favorite. I rate this recipe a 10…
Hi Fran!
WOW! A 10! Thanks for coming back and letting me know!
Hey just making these now and my dough is pretty hard and sticky so I haven’t even needed the fridge. Why is this? Maybe the butter was colder? Also my batches are taking like 14 mins ish maybe bc they are a bit bigger?
Hi Jennifer!
I have never had that problem, but it sounds like there was a problem with the flour to liquid ratio. Bigger cookies can take longer to bake. What was the texture like when they were finished baking? I would love to help troubleshoot this.
Can these be frozen, or will they get soggy when I thaw them out?
Hi Ashley!
If you want to freeze them, I would freeze the cookies without frosting. Freeze them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or non-stick foil in a single layer and not touching. When they are totally frozen then they can be placed into a freezer container. To thaw them, lay them out in one layer, not touching, and allow them to thaw completely. Once thawed go ahead and ice them. Hope this helps!
Happy Holidays!
Hi Beth!
I’m wondering how to get the icing to dry/set. Does a certain ratio of sugar to milk set quicker?
Thank you!
Hi Gabby!
Thinner icing will set quicker, but the cookies won’t be as sweet. The amount you really need will depend on the weather – I know, not a great answer. I usually start with 3 tablespoons of milk to 2 cups of powdered sugar and add another teaspoon at a time until it runs off the spoon like maple syrup would. It should crust over fairly quickly, but to be firm will take about 2 hours with icing that thin. For quicker drying, you can set the cookies in front of a fan set to low. That’s what I do when I am in hurry to get my sugar cookie icing to set.
Hope this helps!
Happy Holidays!
Thank you, I need to bake my Christmas cookies early, freeze them until a couple days before Christmas and then decorate!
These cookies were DELICIOUS! In fact, so much so, that I need to make sure I’m having guests or others to give them to or else I will eat them all myself!! I loved the tenderness of the cookies and the sweet, but not too sweet, taste. They’re a definite favorite.
Hi Margaret!
Thanks for coming by and leaving a review. I understand having to share these cookies!
Cheers!
I absolutely love this recipe. Any tricks to keep the non parcels from melting are greatly appreciated. Making them for a party on Sunday.
Hi Dana!
The best way I have found is to wait until the glaze has had a a minute or so to start setting up. You need to find that sweet spot where they will still stick but the glaze isn’t too wet. I usually dip 6 to 12 cookies at a time, then put the sprinkles on starting with the first cookie I glazed. Hope this helps!
Loved the cake like texture. They were delicious!
I made them with anise flavoring. They did take a bit longer to bake. Will definitely make these again!
Hi Judy!
Happy to hear you liked them! Sometimes they take a bit longer to bake, especially when it’s humid outside.
Cheers!
I just make these, they are very good. I haven’t even let them cool enough to glaze, the kids love them. I also made a single batch using half GF Mama’s Almond flour and half Jule’s GF flour. I must have made mine too big as I needed to bake longer. But very good.
Hello!
Thanks for leaving a great review! Glad to hear you had success with almond and gluten-free flours!
Cheers!
Hi Beth. I make Iced Italian Cookies every Xmas. My sprinkles always bleed. They do not stay intact. Any suggestions?
Hi Nancy!
I’m sorry to hear your sprinkles are giving you fits. You could try to thicken your icing. Anytime I use sprinkles and my icing is too runny my sprinkles will bleed. I make my icing for these cookies just thin enough to kind of flow down the sides but not completely cover the cookies. It starts to dry fast enough that I need to stop and sprinkle them every 10 to 12 cookies otherwise they just bounce off. Some brands of sprinkles have more coloring than others and bleed more easily. I believe I used Great Value from Wal-Mart for these cookies. Hope this helps!
Cheers!
Hello sorry do I line the cookie sheet or grease it? If I want to make lemon flavored I don’t have to include the almond extract correct?
Hi Luana!
If you are using lemon (or any other flavor like traditional anise) there is no need to add the almond extract. You do not have to grease the cookie sheet, I use parchment paper because it’s easier for me to pull the entire sheet of paper off the cookie sheet so it starts cooling sooner, so it’s a lazy factor – LOL!
Hope this helps!
Merry Christmas!
I’m still not sure, do I use vanilla extract with the lemon extract or just lemon and how much?
Hi Dale!
Just replace the almond extract with lemon extract and keep all the other ingredients the same.
Hope this helps.
Happy Holidays!
How many cookies does this recipe make?
Hi Kerri!
I get about 36 cookies when I make these. I use my large cookie scoop. Hope this helps,
Cheers!
This recipe is great and the cookies are awesome! I just tried it for the first time!!! But the recipe says each cookie is 176,000 calories ??? LOL that can’t be correct… Can you tell me the actual calories?
Hi Kelly!
Thanks for letting me know. My end is showing 176 calories per cookie. Where are you seeing this at? I surely need to correct that!
Bottom of the recipe, Calories: 176kcal
1kcal = 1,000 calories
176kcal = 176,000 calories
I know that this post is old but I just saw it. Thank you for correcting it.
Hi Bill!
kcal is universally used to represent 1 calorie, it is actually the standard setting on the recipe card most of us for providing recipes in an organized way. I have been a registered nurse since 2015, we used the term for my 3 years of biology and nursing classes, we used it in all healthcare settings, and even my daughter who is a veterinarian uses kcal. Here is link to an article reviewed by a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist https://www.healthcentral.com/article/weighing-in-kilocalorie-vs-calorie
Happy Holidays!