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    Home » Recipes » Cookie Recipes

    Lemon Ricotta Cookies Recipe

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

    16.7K shares
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    4.51 from 124 votes
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    pinterest image for meyer lemon ricotta cookies

    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

    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.

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    meyer lemon ricotta cookie with a lemon glaze
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    4.51 from 124 votes

    Lemon Ricotta Cookies

    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!
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time35 minutes mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Italian
    Servings: 60
    Calories: 89kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    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
    US Customary – Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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: 89kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 88IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

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    About Chef Dennis

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    Chef Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef with over 40 years of experience working in the food service industry. In his second career as a food blogger he has made it his mission to demistify cooking by sharing his time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen. Let Chef Dennis help you bring the joy of cooking into your home. For more details, check out his About page.

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    1. Lynne Charlotte

      February 20, 2022 at 1:23 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    2. Lin

      January 07, 2022 at 4:52 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    3. Coleen

      December 12, 2021 at 11:40 am

      How long will these cookies last? If I make them 12/13 will they be good for Christmas?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 12, 2021 at 4:55 pm

        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.

        Reply
    4. Lori

      December 12, 2021 at 10:24 am

      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

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 12, 2021 at 4:59 pm

        overmixing will definitely cause this problem. The only other reason would be too much liquid

        Reply
        • Jane

          December 14, 2021 at 7:07 pm

          Hi chef, how much is 4 oz butter? Half a stick?

        • Chef Dennis Littley

          December 14, 2021 at 7:54 pm

          4 oz is one stick

    5. Nicole Weiss

      April 03, 2021 at 5:37 pm

      5 stars
      My husband just asked me to make them AGAIN! FYI – we used Gluten Free flour and they turned out great!

      Reply
      • Catherine

        February 27, 2023 at 11:15 am

        1 stick is 8 oz of butter.

        Reply
        • Chef Dennis Littley

          February 27, 2023 at 11:28 am

          There are four sticks of butter to one pound; therefore one stick of butter is 4 ounces.

    6. Farrukh Aziz

      February 26, 2021 at 5:37 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    7. Bean

      February 16, 2021 at 12:21 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    8. M E C

      February 15, 2021 at 8:09 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    9. S. Weagant

      December 24, 2020 at 2:53 pm

      5 stars
      These are fabulous! I followed without modification and they are light, lemony with a delicious chewy texture. Definitely a keeper, thanks!

      Reply
    10. Marguerite

      December 20, 2020 at 11:53 am

      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?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 20, 2020 at 3:07 pm

        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.

        Reply
    11. Bernadette Shennan

      December 17, 2020 at 6:17 pm

      Can lemon ricotta cookies be frozen?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 17, 2020 at 6:21 pm

        yes they can, just without the glaze

        Reply
    12. Lori

      December 10, 2020 at 1:49 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 10, 2020 at 3:45 pm

        yes you can. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking

        Reply
    13. Carol

      December 09, 2020 at 4:53 pm

      Do these cookies hold up if I mail them?
      I could mail without glazing them and send the glaze in a separate container?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 09, 2020 at 7:17 pm

        I’ve never mailed them so I’m not sure. It’s not a cookie that holds up a long time

        Reply
    14. Jen Smith

      December 08, 2020 at 3:03 pm

      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…..

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 08, 2020 at 8:10 pm

        you can freeze them, but the glaze probably won’t hold up very well.

        Reply
    15. Kim

      December 02, 2020 at 10:55 am

      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?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 02, 2020 at 10:59 am

        is there a chance your baking powder is old? Or possibly the ricotta you used wasn’t as dry.

        Reply
    16. Kimberly Nagy

      November 15, 2019 at 10:40 am

      5 stars
      Excellent cookies! Can I make them several days in advance for a gathering and if so, what is the best way to store them?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        November 15, 2019 at 10:53 am

        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

        Reply
    17. Dina

      March 20, 2019 at 6:43 pm

      Can you substitute cake flour

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        March 20, 2019 at 8:14 pm

        cake flour is different and will react differently. They may be okay but I have never used cake flour to make these cookies.

        Reply
    18. Jennifer F

      February 09, 2019 at 4:52 pm

      5 stars
      I forgot to rate!

      Reply
    19. Jennifer F

      February 09, 2019 at 4:49 pm

      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!!!

      Reply
    20. William

      December 29, 2018 at 6:50 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 30, 2018 at 9:00 am

        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.

        Reply
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    My name is Dennis Littley or “Chef Dennis” as I’m known both at work and across the blogosphere. 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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