I can’t take credit for this recipe. In fact, I had never heard of Lemon Ricotta Cookies before I made them this holiday season. When preparing for this series, I asked several of my friends what their favorite family Christmas cookies were and these were the only ones I’d never heard of before!
The recipe comes from my friend Sarah. Miss Sarah as my daughter calls her. Our husband’s work together and are both deployed to Afghanistan with 2nd Cavalry Regiment right now.
It’s comforting to have a friend whose husband is doing the exact same thing mine is… it’s like having someone who can understand exactly what you’re feeling about a subject that very few people know anything about. That’s a quality to find in a friend when you’re the spouse of a soldier.
This picture was taken shortly after our husband’s left for Afghanistan. Sarah and I got together with a couple other ladies to put together a big football themed care package for our husbands and the rest of their platoon. Usually when Sarah and I get together it’s for coffee and for our kids to play… she’s got two little ladies who like to come over and play with my little Matty. Kids get to play, Mommies get to relax and chat. Win win.
If I can recall what Sarah told me… the recipe for these Lemon Ricotta Cookies came from her Grandmother. Sarah let me borrow the recipe card with the hand written ingredients and directions and I took great pride in keeping her family heirloom safe and sound while I made these cookies.
These cookies are very soft and almost like little pillows of cake. Pillows of cake covered in sweet yet tart lemon icing. They are packed full of fresh lemon flavor and the ricotta really adds a richness that compliments the cookie perfectly.
For such a simple looking cookie, this recipe really packs a punch when it comes to flavor. Out of all the cookies I made this season, these lemon ricotta cookies I think are going to be one I make every year. A real winner.
Thanks to Sarah for sharing this recipe with me! I’m really honored to be able to share this recipe with my readers!
Enjoy!
Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Yield:
3-4 dozen cookies
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
11 minutes
Total Time:
21 minutes
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 15oz whole milk ricotta
- juice of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 lemon
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- the juice of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 lemon
- water
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the sugar and lemon zest and mix until the oils of the zest have incorporated with the sugar - about 1 minute.
- Add the butter and cream for 2 minutes.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Add the ricotta and lemon juice. Mix until just combined, you want to see a few chunks of ricotta in the batter.
- Fold in the flour and stir by hand until incorporated.
- Drop 2 Tbsp of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. 12 drops of dough should fit on the sheet.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. DO NOT OVER BAKE.
- Leave on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, half the lemon juice and zest until smooth. If the glaze is thick enough to spread at this point, do not add any more juice or the water. If it's too thick add more juice until it's a consistency you like. After the juice is gone, add water until you reach your desired consistency. Adding too much water/lemon will make the gaze too runny, so start with a small amount.
- Spoon 1/2 tsp of glaze on the top of each cookie and use the back of a spoon to gently spread over the cookie.
- Let set for 2 hours before serving.
Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Yield:
3-4 dozen cookies
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
11 minutes
Total Time:
21 minutes
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 15oz whole milk ricotta
- juice of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 lemon
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- the juice of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 lemon
- water
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the sugar and lemon zest and mix until the oils of the zest have incorporated with the sugar - about 1 minute.
- Add the butter and cream for 2 minutes.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Add the ricotta and lemon juice. Mix until just combined, you want to see a few chunks of ricotta in the batter.
- Fold in the flour and stir by hand until incorporated.
- Drop 2 Tbsp of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. 12 drops of dough should fit on the sheet.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. DO NOT OVER BAKE.
- Leave on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, half the lemon juice and zest until smooth. If the glaze is thick enough to spread at this point, do not add any more juice or the water. If it's too thick add more juice until it's a consistency you like. After the juice is gone, add water until you reach your desired consistency. Adding too much water/lemon will make the gaze too runny, so start with a small amount.
- Spoon 1/2 tsp of glaze on the top of each cookie and use the back of a spoon to gently spread over the cookie.
- Let set for 2 hours before serving.
Want more cookies?
Here is the complete list of the 12 Days of Cookies!- Day 1 – Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Day 2 – Christmas Tree Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Day 3 – Holiday Spritz
- Day 4 – Russian Tea Cakes
- Day 5 – Holi-Doodles
- Day 6 – Haystacks
- Day 7 – Lebkuchen
- Day 8 – Molasses Cookies
- Day 9 – Raspberry Thumbprints
- Day 10 – Peppermint Meringues
- Day 11 – Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Day 12 – Peppermint Chocolate Cookies
At the risk of sounding like a shmuck, please let me know if the 1/2 ?? of unsalted butter listed above is 1/2 lb or 1/2 cup. These cookies sound divine and I’m really excited to make them for some friends. Thanks much!
Hi Jenny! It’s 1/2 CUP! Thanks for catching my omission! I updated the recipe to reflect the change. Thanks again! Happy Baking! š
These cookies are absolutely YUMMY!
So you ended up making them… yay! Glad you like them!
How much water do i add for the glaze?
For some reason the part of the recipe that explains that part has been deleted. I’ll fix it for you!
Thank you!! I made these but the glaze with the right ingredients still wasnt think enough.. If i would have added water it would be to watery.. Did you have this problem?
Hi Colleen – I think it all depends on how much lemon juice you add. Try adding more powdered sugar to thicken it. Or… start over and only add the juice until you get the consistence you desire! š Good luck!