Description
Make soft, cake-like Italian ricotta cookies topped with a bright lemon glaze and colorful sprinkles. This recipe yields melt-in-your-mouth treats perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese, drained
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For the Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon milk (if needed)
- Assorted sprinkles for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Stir in the drained ricotta cheese, vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon zest until just combined.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. The tops should remain pale.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Add milk one teaspoon at a time if the glaze is too thick.
- Once cookies are fully cooled, dip the top of each cookie into the glaze, allowing excess to drip off.
- Immediately top with colorful sprinkles before the glaze sets.
Notes
- Drain the ricotta cheese well using a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth for at least 30 minutes to prevent overly wet dough.
- For a stronger almond flavor, substitute 1/2 teaspoon of the almond extract with 1/4 teaspoon of pure almond extract.
- These cookies store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 18
- Sodium: 75
- Fat: 9
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 4
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 23
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 35