Description
These Italian Ricotta Cookies with Vanilla Glaze are irresistibly soft, tender, and delightfully cake-like, with a rich, moist crumb and delicate hints of fresh lemon zest. Made with creamy whole-milk ricotta cheese and pure vanilla extract, each cookie delivers a pillowy, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Finished with a smooth, sweet vanilla glaze, these classic homemade Italian cookies are perfect for holiday cookie trays, family celebrations, or enjoying with a warm cup of coffee.
Ingredients
Scale
- For the Cookie Dough Base:
- 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 15 oz (425 g) whole-milk ricotta cheese (well-drained if watery)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp fresh lemon zest
- For the Vanilla Glaze:
- 180 g (~1 1/2 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) whole milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt to ensure uniform leavening distribution. Set aside.
- Cream Butter, Sugar, and Zest: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and fresh lemon zest together with an electric mixer for 2–3 minutes until light, pale, and fluffy.
- Beat in Eggs, Vanilla, and Ricotta: Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the pure vanilla extract and whole-milk ricotta cheese, mixing until thoroughly combined and smooth.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ricotta base, mixing on low speed just until combined without dry streaks.
- Cover and Chill for 2 Hours: Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight) until the soft dough is thoroughly chilled and firm.
- Preheat Oven and Scoop Portions: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop tablespoon-sized portions (~25g each) of dough, leaving slightly more than 2 inches between them on the sheets.
- Bake Until Bottoms Are Lightly Golden: Bake at 350°F (175°C) for approximately 11 minutes, or until the bottom edges turn a light golden brown while the tops remain pale and soft.
- Cool and Glaze: Let the cookies firm up on the hot baking tray for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together until smooth, dip the tops of the completely cooled cookies into the glaze, and let set.
Notes
- Use Whole-Milk Ricotta Only: Always select whole-milk ricotta cheese for this recipe. Skim-milk or fat-free ricotta contains too much water and lacks the fat required to keep the cookies tender and cake-like.
- Drain Excess Liquid: If your container of ricotta has pooled liquid on top, drain it off through a fine-mesh strainer before measuring out 15 ounces.
- Do Not Overbake: These are cake-like cookies; pulling them when the bottoms turn lightly golden keeps the interior pillowy and moist.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 105
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 70mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 18mg