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.
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?
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?
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.
- 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.
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
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.
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!
Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ tsp 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)
Lynne Charlotte
This is an excellent recipe and it makes a lot of cookies. I couldn’t find my cookie scoop so mine are a little wonky but still delicious. Like some others, mine cooked much more quickly, roughly 9-10 min. Don’t put them on a warm sheet even if the dough is cold, they spread like crazy. I’ll make these again!
Lin
Made just as written and came out great! Light and fluffy and airy, almost like a madeline, and the glaze is a must. Definitely follow the 1 tbsp rule as this creates the perfect size. The only difference is my cookies baked much faster, about 8 minutes. Got many compliments on these and they were pretty easy!
Coleen
How long will these cookies last? If I make them 12/13 will they be good for Christmas?
Chef Dennis Littley
because they are made with ricotta they will not hold longer than a week. You can freeze the unglazed cookies and defrost and glaze them before you serve them.
Lori
Hi, I made the dough yesterday and put it in the fridge overnight to bake this morning. The dough is extremely sticky and gooey. What could have gone wrong? The ricotta was dry. Could the dough have been over mixed? Thanks
Chef Dennis Littley
overmixing will definitely cause this problem. The only other reason would be too much liquid
Jane
Hi chef, how much is 4 oz butter? Half a stick?
Chef Dennis Littley
4 oz is one stick
Nicole Weiss
My husband just asked me to make them AGAIN! FYI – we used Gluten Free flour and they turned out great!
Catherine
1 stick is 8 oz of butter.
Chef Dennis Littley
There are four sticks of butter to one pound; therefore one stick of butter is 4 ounces.
Farrukh Aziz
I just love lemon flavored food! And, these cookies seems like a thing I need to try out! Gonna make this for a weekend treat!
Bean
This is the gateway cookie. Oh my goodness, I can’t stop eating them. These were a HUGE hit with my family and friends. Thank you, Chef Dennis, for the fail proof recipe.
M E C
Great recipe! Nice texture, and the glaze has just the right amount of tartness to “brighten” up the flavor (and the glaze recipe produced the exact right amount of glaze to cover all of the cookies.) Will definitely be adding this to my recipe file for times when I find myself with a bounty of Meyer lemons – thanks!
S. Weagant
These are fabulous! I followed without modification and they are light, lemony with a delicious chewy texture. Definitely a keeper, thanks!
Marguerite
Are these drop cookies or is the dough rolled into balls. In the photo they look round and uniform so it’s unclear to me?
Chef Dennis Littley
I used a cookie scoop to make the cookies. Thats why they look round. You could roll them but put them back in the fridge to chill before baking.
Bernadette Shennan
Can lemon ricotta cookies be frozen?
Chef Dennis Littley
yes they can, just without the glaze
Lori
Hello. I’d like to make the dough a week in advance. Can I freeze it and bake and apply the glaze next week?
Thank you.
Chef Dennis Littley
yes you can. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking
Carol
Do these cookies hold up if I mail them?
I could mail without glazing them and send the glaze in a separate container?
Chef Dennis Littley
I’ve never mailed them so I’m not sure. It’s not a cookie that holds up a long time
Jen Smith
I would to make these for my Christmas plates. I always make cookies and freeze them. They go onto my plates frozen. Will these hold up for that? I would let them dry/fully cool/etc…..
Chef Dennis Littley
you can freeze them, but the glaze probably won’t hold up very well.
Kim
I made these last year came out exactly as pictured and delicious. Just made today and they are coming out flat and sticking to parchment paper. What did I do wrong?
Chef Dennis Littley
is there a chance your baking powder is old? Or possibly the ricotta you used wasn’t as dry.
Kimberly Nagy
Excellent cookies! Can I make them several days in advance for a gathering and if so, what is the best way to store them?
Chef Dennis Littley
I wouldn’t make them too far in advance, they will hold up for a few days but once moisture gets to them they won’t be the same. Store them in a well-sealed container and place parchment between them if you stack. You can also keep the refrigerated dough for a few days before baking
Dina
Can you substitute cake flour
Chef Dennis Littley
cake flour is different and will react differently. They may be okay but I have never used cake flour to make these cookies.
Jennifer F
I forgot to rate!
Jennifer F
I was perusing your site since I loved your tiramisu recipe so much! Another hit. These cookies are so delicious I’m making another batch. My friends who gave me the Meyer lemons are very excited for me to make them more. Also, I don’t know if it matters but, I made and used my own fresh ricotta. I made no changes to your recipe and they came out exactly as pictured. Yum, yum!!!
William
I made these a few days ago and absolutely loved these cookies! I have one problem, though. I love lemon but my kids don’t. How would you recommend making them without the lemon flavor (vanilla extract, almond extract, milk to substitute for the liquid, etc.)? Thank you in advance, Dennis!
Chef Dennis Littley
hi William
You can easily swap out the lemon juice for another flavoring, the only issue that comes to mind is that lemon juice is acidic and may affect the texture of the cookie. But its definitely worth a try. Make a half a batch and see how it comes out with almond flavor. If your kids like orange juice you could also make them orange flavored.
Let me know how they turn out.