They may look a little different without the glaze, but these lemon ricotta cookies still deliver that soft and cake-like texture everyone anticipates and loves.
This easy Italian ricotta cookie became even easier and much quicker to make by replacing the lemon icing with a little glitter. They also require no eggs or butter, making them a healthier version of everyone’s favorite Italian cookie, perfect for your homemade Christmas cookie box or any other festive occasion.
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Introduction
Traditional ricotta cookies have a soft, tender, and cake-light crumb with a simple glaze, usually lemon icing, and garnished with lots of colorful sprinkles.
They are often seen at Christmas, alongside mostaccioli and struffoli, as part of an Italian cookie platter.
The first thing you will notice in this updated version is the sparkly sanding sugar. These cookies are lightly sweetened, so this additional sweetness found in the glitter is less sweet than the traditional lemon icing.
The second thing you will notice is the absence of butter or eggs in the list of ingredients. This is not an omission. But don’t worry, you will still get a great-tasting, fluffy and moist cookie thanks to another wonderful ingredient, ricotta. To make them extra flavorful, try making them with your homemade ricotta cheese.
Like these Italian lemon cookies or my mom’s anginetti cookies, you and your family will love this healthier version of traditional Italian cookies so much that you will want to make them throughout the year!
Allow me to introduce you to your next family favorite cookie.
How to make ricotta cheese cookies
In a small bowl, combine 120 grams of sugar with the lemon zest of 1 organic lemon. Using your fingertips, rub them together for a couple of minutes. You will immediately anticipate the bright lemon flavor as the oils from the lemon permeate the sugar and release a wonderful aroma.
In a medium bowl, combine this lemon sugar with the rest of the dry ingredients. Specifically, whisk together 180 grams of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
Add 250 grams of whole milk ricotta cheese and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to the flour mixture. Begin combining the ingredients with a rubber spatula, then use your hands to gently “knead” together for 1-2 minutes (take a look at the video to see how quickly the dough comes together).
Cover the ball of dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325℉ (160 C) towards the end of your chill time. Position the oven rack in the middle.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mats. Place ⅓ cup of sanding sugar in a shallow dish.
Use a medium scoop (about 1½ inches in diameter) and divide the dough into 20 equal pieces (approximately 25 grams each). Place them on the parchment paper about 2 inches apart; if you don’t have a cookie scoop, portion out 1 tablespoon of cookie dough.
Then, roll out each scoop of cookie dough between the palms of your hands and roll the top of the cookie in the sanding sugar.
Place on the parchment paper with the glittery sugar facing upward.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown. This is a pale-looking cookie.
For best results, allow them to cool slightly, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips
- Don’t skip the step to infuse the sugar with the oils of the lemon zest. You can really taste the difference.
- If using commercial-brand ricotta cheese, make sure to drain the liquid.
- Refrigerating the dough for a minimum of 1 hour prevents it from spreading out too thinly.
FAQ
Yes, it is the more traditional method. To make the glaze, whisk 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1-2 teaspoons of milk, and the juice of one organic lemon. Adjust the “thickness” of the glaze according to personal taste. Dip the tops of the room-temperature cookies in this glaze and set them on the cooling rack for the icing to firm up. If desired, top with colorful sprinkles.
Once completely cool, store them in an air-tight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. Separate the layers of cookies with either wax or parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together.
Yes, you can conveniently freeze baked ricotta cookies by placing them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Separate the layers of cookies with either wax or parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together. Thaw at room temperature and enjoy.
Ricotta recipes
If you are looking for additional recipes for baked goods made with ricotta cheese, be sure to look at these ricotta muffins. They are the perfect way to start the day, along with these lemon ricotta pancakes.
Italian cookie recipes
If you like simple Italian cookies, be sure to try out my mom’s biscotti, these amazing amaretti cookies or these cake-like chocolate spice cookies. Perhaps you are looking for a special cookie to add to your holiday cookie tray. If you are, here’s a collection of Italian cookies that are sure to please. Happy baking!
Recipe inspiration
Pinterest.
Some days I love it (inspirational, beautiful, breath-taking pictures!), some days, well … it’s like a good book – once you start, tough to stop.
But some good has come from my Pinterest-ing: this recipe for Italian ricotta cookies, for example!
When this recipe caught my eye, I was browsing some cookie boards.
Immediately I went through a mental checklist:
- Pictures: Amazing, beautiful, appetizing.
- Recipe: Reasonable, not too sweet or rich (my inner dietitian was pleased!)
- And my excitement level: Amazingly, the recipe incorporated some flavors and ingredients that I cannot get enough of (ricotta cheese…. swoon).
An immediate hit!!!
I should not have been surprised. This recipe comes from chef Luca Montersino, after all. Chef Luca creates and adopts most of his pastry recipes to have a healthy spin. These ricotta cookies, for instance, have no eggs, no butter, and minimal sweetness. Perfect!
I’ve always loved ricotta cookies… I have a niece who makes a delicious recipe; they are always part of her Christmas cookie platter and one of the first cookies to disappear. So I couldn’t pass up a healthier version of this recipe when I happened upon it!
This recipe was first posted back in 2016. I am finally updating this post to reflect the changes I have made to the recipe during the last couple of years.
I hope you like it!
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
In order to help you keep track of all your baking needs, I have just created the perfect printable baking checklist.
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This way, you won’t miss any of my new recipes and it’s free!
Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this recipe for ricotta cookies, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Recipe
Lemon Ricotta Cookies -Without Eggs or Butter
Ingredients
- 120 grams granulated sugar scant ⅔ cup
- zest of 1 whole lemon
- 180 grams all-purpose flour 1¼ cup
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 250 grams ricotta about 1 cup and 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ⅓ cup sanding sugar
Instructions
- Use your fingertips to rub the sugar and the lemon zest together for a couple of minutes.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the ricotta and lemon juice. Begin combining the ingredients together with a rubber spatula then use your hands to gently "knead" together for 1-2 minutes.
- Cover and refrigerate for 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C towards the end of your chill time. Position rack to middle.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (about 1½ inches in diameter) and divide the dough into 20 equal pieces (approximately 25 grams each). Place them on the parchment paper about 2 inches apart. If you don't have a cookie scoop, portion out 1 tablespoon of cookie dough.
- Roll out each scoop of cookie dough between the palms of your hands and roll the tops in the sanding sugar.
- Place on the parchment paper with the sprinkles facing upward.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.
- Allow to cool slightly then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Don’t skip the step to infuse the sugar with the oils of the lemon zest. You can really taste the difference.
- If using commercial brand ricotta cheese, make sure to drain the liquid.
- Refrigerating the dough for a minimum of 1 hour prevents it from spreading out too thinly.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on July 3, 2016 and republished on July 26, 2021 with updated content, photos and a video. Thanks for sharing!
Natalie
How did you convert the grams to cups? I have so many recipes from Sicily that I can not convert. No matter what! Please help.
Maria
If you have a scale, it really is as simple as weighing the ingredients. If not, you can use a conversion table. Here is one of my favorites: http://www.joyofbaking.com/WeightvsVolumeMeasurement.html Hope that helps! Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
Evi
Lemon and Ricotta are perfect together. This sounds like a really good cookie recipe.
Maria
Thanks Evi! Hope you get a chance to try it 🙂
Kim Beaulieu
This looks utterly delicious. I love a great cookie and this fits the bill.
I’m like you, when I first started blogging I had never read a blog, and I am not tech savvy at all. Years later I’ve gotten better, but some days are still a struggle. I love Pinterest though. It’s so much fun. I could pin all day long, every single day.
Maria
Thanks Kim. Appreciate your comment 🙂
Krysten
I think the worst part of my blogging experience has really been learning how to use social media to my advantage.
And I should know how to use it, I’ve been on facebook since 2006, but boy I didn’t know anything.
And pinterest? Pinterest, I had no idea what to do with it until quite recently. So I’m glad I’m not the only one!
I love this recipe and your photos are beautiful!
Maria
Appreciate your honesty Krysten. The learning curve is different for everyone. I keep telling myself it is a work in progress 🙂 Thanks for dropping by.
Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook
Ah yes, Pinterest is a double edged sword, but I’m glad you found these beauties in your scrolling. I like that they’re not overly sweet.
Maria
…a double edged sword …well-said! Appreciate your comment 🙂
Sara
These look incredible!! I love ricotta cookies and can’t wait to try your recipe!
Maria
Thanks Sara! Enjoy 🙂
Toni | 2 Aussie Travellers
I love this idea! Ricotta is delicious and I like that they aren’t to sweet, delicious with a morning cuppa.
Maria
That’s exactly what I thought of when I saw the recipe 🙂 Thanks so much for dropping by Toni 🙂
Ermanno
Maria, thanks for sharing your lemon ricotta cheese cookies with us! The recipe is simple and easy to follow! It was my second experience baking and I think these cookies were a hit. Congratulations on your blog, it’s great and one of my favourite.
Maria
Hi Ermanno! So happy you enjoyed them 🙂 Thank you so much …appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Patricia Mullen
I will need to forego this recipe because I do not have a food scale and not being a math genius I cannot determine how much 1-1/50th of a cup is. Or another calculation gave me 250 grams of ricotta is 1.087 of a cup.
Sounds good and easy though.
Maria
Sorry about that … 250 grams of ricotta is about 1 cup and 2 tablespoons. I will update the recipe. Thanks for pointing that out to me. Enjoy 🙂
Jovina Coughlin
These look delicious. Will save this recipe.
Maria
Hope you like it Jovina 🙂 Have a great day! Thanks for dropping by.