These Italian Ricotta Cookies are a Christmas classic! They’re soft, pillowy, lightly sweet, and topped with a simple glaze and cheerful sprinkles. These cookies melt in your mouth and brighten up every dessert tray with their festive colors. Even better? They're incredibly easy to make, require no chilling before scooping, and stay moist for days thanks to the ricotta cheese!
These traditional Italian Christmas cookies always remind me of cozy holiday afternoons spent baking with family. Every year, I look forward to making them! Simply put, these cookies have become one of my go-to treats because they're simple, comforting, and always make the season feel just a little more magical. They’re just like my favorite Christmas cookie recipes, such as my Classic Peanut Butter Blossomes and Maraschino Cherries Cookies!
One of the best aspects of this recipe is its simplicity. The dough mixes quickly, the cookies bake in just minutes, and decorating them is as easy as dipping, sprinkling, and being done! Voila! They look cheerful on any cookie tray, they store well, and they make great gifts, too!
🧾 Ingredients Needed
For Cookies:
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- unsalted butter, softened
- granulated sugar
- lemon juice
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- whole milk ricotta cheese
For Icing:
- powdered sugar
- heavy whipping cream
For Topping:
- Green Sprinkles
- Red Sprinkles
📌 Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with quantities and step-by-step instructions!
🔁 Variations
- Want an almond version? Swap vanilla extract with almond extract for a bakery-style flavor.
- Replace lemon juice with orange zest and orange extract for an orange ricotta version.
- Stir in ½ cup holiday-colored nonpareils into the dough for a vibrant touch!
- Add two tablespoons of cocoa powder to the icing for a chocolate topping.
🥣 How to Make
STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
STEP TWO: Cream the butter, sugar, and lemon juice together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix well. Add the vanilla extract and ricotta cheese. Mix well.
STEP THREE: Slowly add the flour mixture and mix slowly.
STEP FOUR: Drop tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet and gently shape into a ball shape. Chill the dough in the fridge in between baking times. This helps keep the dough cool and from separating.
STEP FIVE: Bake for 12 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly golden. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
STEP SIX: To make the icing, whisk the powdered sugar and heavy cream together until smooth. Turn the cookies upside down and dip the tops of the cookies into the icing.
STEP SEVEN: Turn the cookies over and add sprinkles. Allow to dry.
⭐ Pro Tips ⭐
- Use whole milk ricotta for the softest texture.
- Make sure the cookies cool fully before dipping in icing, as warm cookies absorb glaze!
- For perfectly round cookies, lightly wet your fingertips and smooth the tops before baking.
- Add sprinkles immediately after icing so they stick beautifully.
- Store in an airtight container to keep them soft for several days!
More Christmas Recipe Ideas
If you tried this Italian Ricotta Cookies or any other recipe on my site, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing about your results and thoughts!
📖 Recipe
Italian Ricotta Cookies
Ingredients
For Cookies:
- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups whole milk ricotta cheese
For Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
For Topping:
- Green Sprinkles
- Red Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter, sugar, and lemon juice together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix well. Add the vanilla extract and ricotta cheese. Mix well.
- Slowly add the flour mixture and mix slowly.
- Drop tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet and gently shape into a ball shape. Chill dough in fridge in between baking times. This helps keep the dough cool and from separating.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly golden. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To make the icing, whisk the powdered sugar and heavy cream together. Turn the cookies upside down and dip the tops of the cookies into the icing.
- Turn the cookies over and add sprinkles. Allow to dry.
Notes
- Use whole milk ricotta for the softest texture.
- Make sure the cookies cool fully before dipping in icing, as warm cookies absorb glaze!
- For perfectly round cookies, lightly wet your fingertips and smooth the tops before baking.
- Add sprinkles immediately after icing so they stick beautifully.
- Store in an airtight container to keep them soft for several days!
Nutrition
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