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Home » Recipes » Cookies, Brownies and Bar Recipes

Lemon Ricotta Cookies Recipe

Published: Dec 9, 2020 · Modified: Apr 13, 2021 by Chef Dennis Littley

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Bring sunshine into your world with these oh-so-delicious and easy-to-make Lemon Ricotta Cookies! I made mine with Meyer Lemons but they are just as delicious using regular lemons.

meyer lemon ricotta cookie with a lemon glaze on a white plate with a blue background
Table of Contents:
  • Audio Player
  • What ingredients do I need to make Lemon Ricotta Cookies?
  • How do I make Lemon Ricotta Cookies?
  • Can I make larger Lemon Ricotta Cookies?
  • Can I freeze the ricotta cookie dough?
  • Can I freeze Lemon Ricotta cookies?
  • More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love!
  • Recipe: Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Audio Player



 

One of the great joys of life is baking cookies. Most cookies don’t take long to prepare and take little time to bake. If you count eating the batter as you go, cookies are about as close to instant gratification as you can get!

It’s amazing what you can forget through the years and the emotions that can surface when those memories come flooding back to you. For so long, I had blocked out the memories of my time with Mama Jeanette,  but over the past few years, some of the dishes I’ve made have triggered those memories.

And I remember the first time she made her lemon ricotta cookies for me  like it was yesterday…..sigh

What ingredients do I need to make Lemon Ricotta Cookies?

ingredients to make meyer lemon ricotta cookies in glass bowls

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cookies. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the up cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

**All Ingredients should be at room temperature.

How do I make Lemon Ricotta Cookies?

flour mixture in a glass bowl

The first step is mixing the flour together with the sea salt, baking soda and baking powder. Blend it together well and set aside until needed.

four images showing steps for making lemon ricotta cookies
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the butter and the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes
  • Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time until well blended.
  • Add the ricotta, lemon juice, vanilla and zest, and mix until well blended.
  • Add in dry ingredients and mix just enough to incorporate.
finished ricotta cookie dough in a stand mixer bowl with a blue rubber spatula in the dough

When your cookie dough is finished, it needs to be refrigerated for at least one hour. Overnight or longer is even better. You want the dough to be cold. I used a one-ounce cookie scoop to make my cookies; that’s why they look round. You could also roll them by hand, but make sure to chill them after rolling.

**If you’re making the cookies in batches, make sure to refrigerate the dough that’s not baking.

Can I make larger Lemon Ricotta Cookies?

No, you can’t! Cookies should be no larger than one tablespoon in size; anything larger than one tablespoon will yield flat cookies that resemble poorly made sugar cookies.

Can I freeze the ricotta cookie dough?

Yes, you can. The cookie dough can be kept frozen for up to three months, make sure to have it in a well-sealed container and double-wrap it with plastic wrap. When you’re ready to bake, let the dough thaw overnight in the fridge.

Can I freeze Lemon Ricotta cookies?

Yes, you can. You can freeze unglazed baked cookies freeze for up to 3 months. Make sure they are in a well-sealed container and double-wrapped with plastic wrap. When you’re ready to serve the cookies, allow them to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Let the cookies come to room temperature before glazing and serving

lemon glaze in a glass bowl

Make the lemon glaze for the cookies when you’re ready to bake them. I added some lime zest to this batch to add a little color to the glaze. Try the glaze with your favorite citrus fruit. Oranges or just limes would add wonderful flavors to the glaze.

It’s really easy to make. Mix confectioners sugar with lemon juice and zest. After the cookies have completely cooled, spoon a little of the glaze on the top and use the spoon to help spread it on top of the cookie.

The cookies had a light texture with an almost cheesecake-like flavor, but it was the lemon glaze that pushes them over the edge.

lemon ricotta cookie with lemon glaze on a white plate with a crumbs from one cookie eaten

If there are any left after the first day, store them in a loosely sealed container; otherwise, the moisture will ruin the consistency of the cookie.

More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love!

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    Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
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    Classic Sugar Cookie Recipe
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    Pistachio Cornmeal Butter Cookies
  • peanut butter toffee pretzel cookies
    Toffee Pretzel Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

meyer lemon ricotta cookie with a lemon glaze

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Chef Dennis Littley
These little bites of sunshine are a great addition to your holiday cookie tray.  My Lemon Ricotta Cookies with a lemon glaze are guaranteed to bring smiles to your table!
4.60 from 151 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Listen to the Post
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Servings 60
Calories 89 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Cookies

  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick) softened to room temperature
  • 1 ¾ cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 15 ounces whole milk ricotta room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice Meyer lemon or regular lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon finely zested Meyer lemon or regular lemon zest

Lemon Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 lemon finely zested *add lime or orange zest for color and a little extra flavor

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies

  • Mix the flour, baking powder,baking soda and sea salt together in bowl and set aside
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the butter and the sugar, beat until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes
  • Add the eggs one at a time until well blended.
  • Add ricotta, lemon juice, vanilla and zest, mix until well blended.
    **If the ricotta has liquid with it, strain the ricotta to get rid of any extra liquid. The drier the ricotta the better.
  • Add in dry ingredients and mix just enough to incorporate
  • Chill the batter/dough in the refrigerator for at least 4 hour before baking. This essential to the success of the cookies.
    Chilling the batter overnight is even better.
  • Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, and place cookies about an inch apart.
    Cookies should be no larger than 1 tablespoon in size, anything larger than 1 Tablespoon will yield flat (pancake-like) ricotta cookies. 
    **This is a must! Larger cookies will not bake properly, they will flatten out and look more like badly made sugar cookies.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cookies begin to brown slightly on the edges.
  • Allow cookies to cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack or until cool to the touch

Lemon Glaze

  • In a small bowl mix the confectioners sugar, meyer lemon juice and zest together until well blended.
  • Using a tablespoon, spoon the glaze onto the cookie and spread it around using the bowl of the spoon.
  • Allow cookies to dry for about 30 minutes. (If the container is too air tight they will soften as they sit, and by the third day the texture will not be as good)

Nutrition

Calories: 89kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 58mgPotassium: 31mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 88IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askchefdennis or tag #askchefdennis!

Comments

    4.60 from 151 votes (121 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Sarah Bailey says

    December 21, 2018 at 5:42 pm

    I totally need all the cookies in my life, these sound absolutely amazing and I would 100% LOVE to give them a try.

    Reply
  2. Jeanette says

    December 21, 2018 at 2:57 pm

    Oh my gosh those look so amazing. I really wish I could order these and have these delivered in the next five minutes. Alas since I cannot I will have to make them. I cannot wait.

    Reply
  3. Denay DeGuzman says

    December 21, 2018 at 2:23 pm

    5 stars
    These Meyer lemon cookies bring me back to my childhood! Thank you so much for sharing your special recipe with us. I’m looking forward to making a batch for NY Eve.

    Reply
  4. Amber Myers says

    December 21, 2018 at 2:14 pm

    5 stars
    These look amazing! I just love lemon flavored treats. I don’t think I’ve ever tried a cookie like this before, so I’m intrigued.

    Reply
  5. candy says

    December 21, 2018 at 10:18 am

    Well now what have I been missing out all these years. Don’t believe I have ever had this type of cookie. Going to have to change this quickly.

    Reply
  6. GiGi Eats says

    December 21, 2018 at 9:31 am

    5 stars
    That glaze over these perfectly cooked cookies, yeahhhh, it has me drooling HARD CORE!

    Reply
  7. Melissa Chapman says

    December 21, 2018 at 9:26 am

    Lemon and ricotta sound like a great mixture and those cookies look so yummy. I will have the kids home this week so I know what I will be giving them to snack on.

    Reply
  8. Diane Pratt says

    December 10, 2018 at 4:09 pm

    Will these cookies freeze?

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      December 10, 2018 at 5:42 pm

      hi Diane

      The raw dough does not freeze well but once baked they do freeze well.

      Reply
  9. Alfonso Tinsley says

    November 15, 2018 at 6:43 am

    Hiya, This is a fantastic recipe, thank you for the detailed recipe for the great blog recipe.

    Reply
  10. Granny Franny says

    December 17, 2017 at 12:04 am

    Why not use baking soda since there is lemon juice in the recipe ? I’ve noticed that the ricotta cookie recipes vary greatly whether to use soda or powder. I’m just wondering if the soda will have the cookie rise a bit more since I’ve read many complain about these cookies being somewhat flat….not necessarily this recipe. Also, why sea salt ? Thank you

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      December 18, 2017 at 4:25 pm

      hi Franny

      this is just how I make these cookies, its a family recipe that’s been handed down. Feel free to usually regular salt it will not make any difference. I just prefer sea salt.

      Reply
  11. Ruby says

    March 31, 2015 at 7:18 pm

    Can I use regular lemon?

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      March 31, 2015 at 11:16 pm

      yes you can

      Reply
  12. Jess says

    November 26, 2014 at 9:01 am

    These are really yummy, you’re right about the lemon glaze taking the flavor to the next level!! Do you have a regular sugar cookie recipe that I can use this lemon glaze with? If you ever went to Saranello’s restaurant and had the lemon cookies there- that is exactly what I’m looking to recreate!

    Thanks,

    Reply
  13. priscilla says

    October 18, 2014 at 4:43 pm

    5 stars
    These cookies are seriously amazing, they are so moist and delicious, im in love 🙂

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      October 18, 2014 at 11:44 pm

      I’m happy to hear you enjoyed them Priscilla!

      Reply
  14. Emma says

    March 24, 2014 at 1:43 pm

    Hi there,
    Are these, is the cookie dough supposed to be sticky.

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      March 24, 2014 at 5:01 pm

      the dough will be moist because of the ricotta cheese, so they will be a little sticky

      Reply
  15. Rhea says

    September 01, 2013 at 10:00 pm

    Chef Dennis, isn’t it wonderful how food can conjure up memories! For me, lemon ricotta cookies reminds me of Positano, Italy. One tip I use when making these cookies is to drain the ricotta in cheesecloth. Once I forgot and the cookies were not as light and fluffy. Your cookies look great, especially the glaze with lemon zest.

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      September 02, 2013 at 6:26 am

      hi Rhea

      oh how I love Positano what great memories! Thanks for the tip on draining the ricotta!

      Reply
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My name is Chef Dennis Littley, creator and owner of Ask Chef Dennis Productions. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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