Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cookies- Sweet cakey cookies topped with a lemon glaze. Make these for Spring holidays or Winter holidays or anytime!

Yes. These cookies are made with ricotta cheese. The same cheese you may use in a lasagna. And no, they do not taste like ricotta cheese! Lemon ricotta cookies are a super soft, delicate lemony cookie.

In fact, this doughy cookie is almost like a little cake. They remind me of my soft baked pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with an even smoother texture.

Why Use Ricotta Cheese in a Cookie?

Ricotta cheese by itself has a very bland flavor. It gives this cookie a nice creamy texture. Its high moisture and fat content keeps the cookie nice and soft. For this same reason, you will see recipes for ricotta cakes, pancakes, and cheesecakes.

Can I Use Regular Lemons?

This recipe uses Meyer lemons but you can use regular lemons too. Meyer lemons have a slightly sweeter taste so they are perfect for desserts but they are only available December to May.

How to Make Ricotta Cookies

These cookies are made like most other cookie recipes except you add ricotta along with the other wet ingredients and they NEED to be CHILLED. Skipping the chilling step will result in flat cookies. You can see the recipe card below for full details but here's the basic idea:

Mix the dry ingredients and set them aside.
Cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time and mix in.
Add the vanilla, juice, zest and ricotta and mix until incorporated.
Finally, add the dry mixture and stir with a spatula until all the flour is mixed in.
Chill the dough for 1 hour.
Drop by the batter onto a cookie sheet in tablespoon sizes and bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool before glazing.

Decorating Ricotta Cookies with Glaze

I would definitely NOT skip the glaze on this cookie. The glaze adds to the overall flavor with its lemon puckering punch. It’s easy to make by combining confectioner’s sugar with the juice of a lemon.

After glazing you can decorate the cookie with something fun like sprinkles or some finely grated zest. You can even chop up candied ginger for an additional flavor.

How to Store and Freeze

Raw cookie dough can be stored in the refrigerator covered for up to 2 days.

These cookies are best eaten about 20-30 minutes after you glaze them. If you want to store them, they will keep for a day or two covered on the counter but they will soften from moisture.

You can freeze them unglazed for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat, let them thaw at room temperature and glaze them.

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Name: Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 1 h 37 min
Yield: 48
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature; 2 cups sugar; 2 large eggs; 15 ounces whole milk ricotta; 2 teaspoon vanilla; 3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice; Zest of 2 Meyer lemons or regular lemons; 2 cups confectioners sugar; 6 Tablespoons lemon juice

Yield: 48 cookies

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 37 minutes

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cookies- Sweet cakey cookies topped with a lemon glaze. Make these for Spring holidays or Winter holidays or anytime!

Ingredients

For the cookie dough

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
15 ounces whole milk ricotta
2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice
Zest of 2 Meyer lemons or regular lemons

For the lemon glaze:

2 cups confectioners sugar
6 Tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This may take 2-3 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time and mix on low speed until each is incorporated.
Add the vanilla, zest, lemon, juice and ricotta and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula (or on low speed) until the flour is just incorporated.
Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven at 350F about 20 minutes before your chill time is up.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, drop balls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet, giving them plenty of space in between.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.
Let them cool on the cookie sheet for a minute and then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to let them cool completely.
Prepare the Glaze: Combine the confectioners sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix thoroughly with a spoon until smooth and glossy. If it seems too thick, add a drop or two of water and mix again. If it is too thin, add more sugar, a teaspoon at a time.
Dip the cooled cookie into the glaze and let the excess run off. Return the cookie to the cooling rack, add sprinkles, and let it dry.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 48 Serving Size: 2 cookies
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 112Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 67mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 0gSugar: 13gProtein: 2g

This nutrition information is only an approximate provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. Information comes from Nutritionix, an automated nutrition calculator.