Welcome to the delightful world of Italian Ricotta Cookies – a beloved tradition that transforms simple ingredients into an extraordinary treat! These aren’t just any cookies; they are thick, wonderfully soft, and possess a unique cake-like crumb texture that truly melts in your mouth. Crowned with a simple, sweet glaze, they are an essential part of Christmas and Easter celebrations across Italian-American households, and for good reason.
Perhaps you’re wondering about the ricotta cheese. Rest assured, its inclusion is a secret weapon for moisture and tenderness, not for a cheesy flavor. Many first-time bakers are hesitant, but the ricotta cheese completely blends into the dough, leaving behind only an incredibly moist, rich, and tender cookie that is truly irresistible. It’s the magical ingredient that elevates these cookies from good to absolutely phenomenal.
Finding the perfect Italian ricotta cookie recipe can be a quest. With countless variations passed down through generations, every family often boasts their unique twist. While my own Sicilian grandparents didn’t pass down a specific recipe for these cookies, my passion led me to rigorously test numerous recipes. My goal was to create a version that captured the authentic essence, the perfect balance of sweetness, and that unmistakable soft texture that makes these cookies so special. After much experimentation, I am confident that this recipe delivers the desired flavor and texture, a taste I believe even my grandparents would wholeheartedly approve of!
The Magic Behind This Recipe: Why It’s a Must-Try
This Italian Ricotta Cookie recipe stands out for its simplicity and the consistently delicious results it yields. These cookies are more than just a holiday staple; they’re a versatile treat perfect for any occasion. While traditionally adorned with festive red and green nonpareil sprinkles for Christmas, or pastel hues for Easter, you can easily customize the sprinkle colors to match any holiday, event, or even just your mood! Imagine vibrant sprinkles for a birthday party, team colors for a game day, or elegant metallic sprinkles for a sophisticated gathering.
Beyond their adaptability, these cookies are incredibly straightforward to prepare, making them accessible even for novice bakers. The steps are intuitive, and the reward is a batch of soft, sweet delights that are universally loved. They disappear quickly from any dessert platter, becoming an instant favorite for everyone who tastes them. Their delicate crumb and sweet glaze create an experience that’s both comforting and celebratory, embodying the spirit of Italian baking at its best.
Essential Ingredients for Perfect Ricotta Cookies
Achieving the signature soft and moist texture of Italian Ricotta Cookies begins with selecting the right ingredients and understanding their role. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need for the cookies:
- All-purpose flour: The foundation of our cookies. For best results, always aerate your flour by whisking it gently before scooping it into your measuring cup. Then, level it off with a straight edge. This prevents over-measuring, which can lead to dry, dense cookies.
- Baking powder: This leavening agent is crucial for giving these cookies their characteristic rise and light, airy crumb. This recipe utilizes a generous tablespoon of baking powder, contributing to the traditional puffy height expected from authentic Italian ricotta cookies.
- Unsalted butter: Softened at room temperature, unsalted butter is vital for creaming with sugar to create a light and fluffy base. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the overall salt content of the cookies. Through various tests, I found that additional salt beyond what might be present in other ingredients was not necessary for the desired flavor profile.
- Granulated sugar: Provides the essential sweetness and contributes to the golden-brown edges and soft interior of the cookies. When creamed with butter, it also helps create air pockets, contributing to the cookies’ tenderness.
- Vanilla extract: Always opt for a good quality pure vanilla extract in all your baked goods. Its warm, aromatic notes are fundamental to the classic cookie flavor.
- Almond extract: A hallmark flavor in many traditional Italian desserts, almond extract adds a subtle yet distinctive nutty aroma that perfectly complements the vanilla and ricotta, enhancing the overall depth of flavor.
- Eggs: Large eggs, ideally at room temperature, are essential for better incorporation into the batter. Room temperature eggs emulsify more effectively with the butter and sugar, resulting in a smoother, more homogenous dough and a finer crumb in the finished cookies.
- Whole milk ricotta cheese: This is the star ingredient! It’s what imparts incredible richness, moisture, and that signature cake-like texture without imparting any discernible cheese flavor. Whole milk ricotta is preferred over part-skim as its higher fat content contributes to a more tender and flavorful cookie. The brand Galbani is often recommended for its consistent quality and less watery consistency, which is ideal for baking.
Ingredients for the Irresistible Cookie Glaze
The sweet, simple glaze is the perfect finishing touch, adding shine and another layer of sweetness to these delightful cookies. You’ll only need a few basic items:
- Powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar): The base of our glaze, ensuring a smooth, lump-free consistency.
- Milk or heavy cream: Used to thin the powdered sugar to the desired drizzling or dipping consistency. Heavy cream will yield a richer, slightly thicker glaze, while milk provides a lighter option.
- Sprinkles: Nonpareils are classic, but feel free to use any color or shape of sprinkles to personalize your cookies for any occasion.
Mastering Italian Ricotta Cookies: A Step-by-Step Guide
Baking these classic Italian ricotta cookies is a joy, and with these detailed steps, you’ll achieve perfect results every time.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and baking powder. Whisking ensures that the leavening agent is evenly distributed, leading to a consistent rise in your cookies. Set this mixture aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together. Start at a low speed to combine, then increase to medium speed. Continue beating for approximately 3 minutes, or until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and pale in color. This creaming process incorporates air, which is crucial for the cookies’ tender texture.
- Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Add the vanilla extract and almond extract to the creamed mixture, mixing until just combined. Next, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is mixed evenly. Finally, add the whole milk ricotta cheese and mix on low speed until it is thoroughly combined and the mixture appears smooth and creamy. Be careful not to overmix at this stage.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the reserved flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Mix only until no streaks of dry flour remain; overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, resulting in tougher cookies. The dough will be noticeably soft and sticky – this is perfectly normal and desired!
- Chill the Dough (Highly Recommended): Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least one hour. While you can bake these cookies immediately after mixing, chilling the dough is highly recommended. It significantly firms up the dough, making it much easier to handle and roll into uniform balls. Chilled dough also helps prevent excessive spreading during baking, ensuring your cookies maintain their lovely cake-like height and shape.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. This prevents sticking and promotes even baking.
- Scoop and Shape Cookies: Using a size #40 cookie scoop (which holds approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons), scoop rounded portions of the chilled cookie dough. Gently roll each scoop into a smooth ball between your palms. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake to Perfection: Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden and the tops are set but still soft. Avoid overbaking, as this can dry out the cookies. The ideal ricotta cookie is tender and moist.
- Cooling: Allow the baked cookies to cool on the baking pan for about 2 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Let them cool completely on the rack before proceeding to the glazing step. This ensures the glaze sets properly without melting.
Crafting the Perfect Glaze for Ricotta Cookies
Once your Italian ricotta cookies are completely cooled, it’s time for the crowning glory – the sweet, smooth glaze. This step is quick and adds an irresistible finish.
- Prepare the Glaze: In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar. Begin by adding 1 tablespoon of milk or heavy cream at a time, stirring vigorously with a spoon or whisk until a smooth, thick glaze is formed. The consistency should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but still fluid enough to drip off easily. You might need slightly more or less liquid depending on your desired thickness. For an extra touch of flavor, you can also add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the glaze.
- Glaze the Cookies: Dip the top of each cooled cookie into the prepared glaze. Allow any excess glaze to drip off back into the bowl. You want a nice, even coating, not an overly thick layer.
- Add Sprinkles Immediately: As soon as you dip each cookie, immediately add your desired sprinkles to the wet glaze. This is crucial because the glaze sets quickly, and the sprinkles will not adhere if it dries. Alternatively, you can spoon the glaze over the cookies, ensuring an even coating before adding sprinkles.
- Allow Glaze to Set: Place the glazed and sprinkled cookies back on the wire cooling rack to allow the glaze to set completely. This typically takes about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the humidity and glaze thickness. Once set, the cookies are ready to be stored or served.
Serve these exquisite, melt-in-your-mouth Italian ricotta cookies and watch them disappear! I bet you can’t eat just one.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Absolutely! Freezing these cookies is a fantastic way to prepare them in advance and enjoy them later. You can bake the cookies and freeze them before applying the glaze. Store them in an airtight container or freezer bag, ensuring they are well-protected from freezer burn. Baked, unglazed cookies will keep beautifully in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply thaw them on the counter at room temperature and then proceed with glazing and adding sprinkles as described in the recipe. This makes entertaining a breeze!
These delicious cookies are best enjoyed fresh, but they also store well. If kept in an airtight container at room temperature, they will remain wonderfully moist and flavorful for 4 to 5 days. For extended freshness, especially in warmer climates, you can refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to a week. Just be sure to bring them back to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor.
Explore More Delicious Italian Cookie Recipes
- Italian Sesame Seed Cookies (Biscotti Regina)
- Amaretti Cookies
- Italian Butterball Cookies
- Italian Fig Cookies (Cucidati)
- Almond Biscotti
Italian Ricotta Cookies Recipe
Italian ricotta cookies are thick, soft, cake-like crumb cookies with a simple sweet glaze that is a tradition during Christmas and Easter holidays!
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Ingredients
For the Ricotta Cookies
- 4 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Baking powder
- 1 cup Unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 1/2 cups Granulated sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Almond extract
- 2 large Eggs (room temperature)
- 15 oz Whole milk ricotta
For the Ricotta Cookie Glaze
- 2 cups Powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp Milk or heavy cream (or more)
- Nonpareils (any color)
Instructions
Italian Ricotta Cookies
- In a medium-size bowl whisk the flour and baking powder together and set aside.
- In a large bowl beat the butter and granulated sugar together at medium speed until light and fluffy. About 3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, almond extract, then add the eggs one at a time and mix well until combined. Add the ricotta and mix until combined and smooth.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until it’s just combined. The dough will be sticky. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a size #40 cookie scoop (which is 1 1/2 tablespoons) scoop a rounded amount of dough and then roll it into a ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet about 1 1/2″ apart.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until the bottoms are lightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking pan for about 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze
- Mix the powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk at a time. Stir until the glaze is smooth thick glaze is formed. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract if desired.
- Dip the top of the cookie into the glaze and allow the excess to drip off. Immediately add the sprinkles. You can also spoon the glaze over. But be sure to add the sprinkles after dipping each cookie otherwise, they will not stick.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 16g |
Protein: 2g |
Fat: 4g |
Saturated Fat: 3g |
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g |
Monounsaturated Fat: 1g |
Trans Fat: 1g |
Cholesterol: 18mg |
Sodium: 10mg |
Potassium: 41mg |
Fiber: 1g |
Sugar: 9g |
Vitamin A: 136IU |
Calcium: 27mg |
Iron: 1mg
Adapted from thisitaliankitchen