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lemon ricotta cookies on a wire rack
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Easy Lemon Ricotta Cookies

These lemon ricotta cookies are the perfect treat for when you're craving something a little sweet! They combine sugar, butter, ricotta, flour, and lemon zest to make a cookie that resembles lemon cake. Once baked, they're topped with a tangy lemon glaze and sprinkles. They will be the lemon cookie recipe you keep coming back to!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 28 cookies
Calories 128kcal
Author Pina Bresciani

Ingredients

For the cookies

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup butter unsalted
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup ricotta drained
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze

  • 1 ¼ cup icing sugar
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

To finish

  • colored sprinkles

Instructions

Make the cookies

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line two 10x14-inch baking sheets with parchment paper
  • In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar, butter together (a few minutes)
  • Continue with the paddle attachment and mix in the ricotta, lemon zest, vanilla extract and egg until fully incorporated.
  • Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula. This will take some elbow grease!
  • Scoop out 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it between your hands to form a ball. Place it on the baking sheet. Repeat until the dough is finished.
  • Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake the cookies for about 11-12 minutes. The cookies should be golden brown on the bottom.
  • Remove the oven and place on a cooling rack. Let cool completely.

Make the glaze

  • Mix all the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl with a fork.
  • Dip the cookies in the glaze and allow any excess glaze to drip off the cookie.
  • Top with colored sprinkles immediately, or else the glaze will dry, and the sprinkles won't stick.

Notes

Storage: Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
To freeze: Freeze in a single layer unglazed in a resealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, and then glaze. 

Nutrition

Calories: 128kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 149IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 0.5mg