Incredibly soft and with a tendency to melt in your mouth, these ricotta cookies are the perfect wintertime treat. Spiked with rich ricotta, these vaguely lemony cookies are well worth trying.
For a different glaze option, why not try this super simple Powdered Sugar Glaze? Or, for something with a stronger flavor, try this Buttery Vanilla Glaze!
Ricotta Cookies
Despite the inherent weirdness of adding a type of cheese to a cookie recipe, these ricotta cookies are absolutely worth trying out.
Thanks to the cheese and lemon juice, they have this subtly rich, slightly acidic, and incredibly soft texture that makes the cookies almost fall apart in your mouth.
Feel free to play around with the specific glazes you want to use for these cookies, but whatever you do, make them at least once to try them for yourself.
How To Make Your Own Ricotta And Is It Worth It For A Cookie Recipe?
Ricotta cheese is one of those surprisingly expensive cheeses when you buy it from a supermarket, usually because it is labeled as if it were some kind of inherently rare and exclusive ingredient.
In actuality, ricotta cheese is quite literally the simplest cheese you can possibly make, and you can even make it yourself.
Sometimes also known as “farmer’s cheese,” ricotta is basically just whole milk that has been cooked until it hits 93 Celsius and then spiked with a little bit of distilled vinegar or lemon juice.
The vinegar causes the milk solids to coagulate, settling into a clumped mass and turning into ricotta.
All you need to do then is strain it to remove the excess whey, and you’ve got some ricotta!
However, for this recipe, considering ricotta is only one ingredient, you can certainly be excused from making your own ricotta. Though it might be slightly more pricey, it is probably going to be easier just to buy it from the store.
Why It Is Important To Add The Eggs One At A Time
A lot of recipes contain the seemingly needlessly complicated step of adding an ingredient in slowly or one at a time.
For this one, you want to add the eggs in one at a time so as to ensure that they get completely and totally mixed into the creamed butter and sugar.
It is definitely tempting to just crack all of your eggs in at once, but if you did, you might end up with a bunch of eggy strings throughout your cookie batter, leading to a bit of a weird texture in your final cookies.
Plus, if the eggs don’t get mixed in properly, the cookies won’t set right, making it super important to add the eggs in slowly.
Don’t Like The Taste Of Lemon? Try These Different Glaze Ideas
Not everyone is a fan of lemon in baked goods, even if they enjoy savory lemon dishes. People can often be put off trying these delicious cookies because of how much lemon they contain.
Luckily, the lemon used in the cookie batter is not too noticeable once baked. The lemon is still a necessary ingredient, though, as it helps to counteract the fattiness of the ricotta.
However, it is the lemon glaze that really brings out that citrus flavor that some people dislike. Instead of missing out on these cookies altogether, try using different glazes to reduce the overall lemon flavor.
- Classic Powdered Sugar Glaze
You really can’t go wrong with a classic powdered sugar glaze, as it still adds the sweetness that the lemon glaze provides, only without being too dominating. The glaze is also essential for ensuring that the sprinkles stick to the cookies.
- Vanilla Glaze
A vanilla glaze will add a greater depth of flavor than a simple powdered sugar glaze would and still help the sprinkles to stick.
• Maple Glaze
Just as simple as a simple sugar glaze, a maple syrup glaze adds a ton of deep, rich flavor, but without any other ingredients than some maple syrup, milk, and maybe even more powdered sugar to help thicken it.
Use this if you want to channel your inner Canadian or just want to spike your ricotta cookies with some extra maple flavor.
Looking for more delicious Cookie recipes? Try these out:
• Oreo Chocolate Pudding Cookies
• The Best Glazed Orange Cookies
Happy Cooking
Love,
Karlynn
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Ricotta Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Glaze
- 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ lemon zested
- ½ cup colorful sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the ricotta cheese, vanilla and lemon juice.
- In a separate medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda whisking to combine. Stir into the ricotta mixture.
- Drop by rounded spoonfuls (2 tablespoonfuls size) onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 9 to 12 minutes until the edges start to turn slightly golden.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze
- Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth.
- Spoon about 1/2 a teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread.
- Sprinkle each cookie with colorful sprinkles and let them harden for 2 hours on the counter.
- Place in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nancy Jones says
Five stars definitely! Easy to make and the taste and texture is fantastic. Everyone who has tried them loves them. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Becky says
Great cookie now. if we didn’t have to try to negotiate through the many many ads.