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up close image of italian lemon ricotta drop cookies with icing and sprinkles on a cooling rack

Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Brenda Lanzilli
Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies are the perfect Christmas treat to celebrate the sweetness of the holiday season. Every creamy, fluffy cookie bite is topped with a vibrant lemon vanilla icing and cheerful rainbow sprinkles. My family and friends can't get enough of these cookies, and yours won't either!
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 72 cookies (5 dozen)
Calories 98 kcal

Ingredients
  

Cookie Dough

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 495g
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup Unsalted butter, at room temperature 226g
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar 350g
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 ¾ cup ricotta, whole milk 15 oz
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs

Icing

  • 1 Tbsp butter salted or unsalted, melted
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 6-8 Tbsp milk
  • sprinkles

Instructions
 

Cookies:

  • In a mixing bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt, mix well and set aside.
  • In small bowl, combine granulated sugar and lemon zest. Using your thumb and pointer finger pinch the zest into the sugar to incorporate the lemon zest into the sugar.
    ** This fully infuses the lemon zest and sugar, releasing the citrusy oils and optimizing flavor. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment whip together butter, then add the lemon- scented granulated sugar, whip until pale and fluffy.
  • Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla extract, mix well. Lastly, add the ricotta cheese, mix again to combine.
    *scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl occasionally throughout entire mixing process
  • Set mixer on low speed and slowly add in flour mixture and mix just until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 2 hours or up to 2 days.
  • When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop chilled dough out 1 Tbsp at a time and shape into balls and drop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. You should be able to fit about 24 on the baking sheet at a time.
    **if dough is too sticky dampen your hands to make it easier to roll.
  • Bake in preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes. The bottoms should be just lightly golden brown. Transfer to cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

Icing Cookies

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, lemon juice, vanilla and 6 Tbsp milk until smooth. Add in more milk, 1 tsp at a time, to thin as needed.
    *You don't want it to be too thin or too thick. It should coat a spoon and slowly drizzle off.
  • One by one, dip each cooled cookies into the icing, then return to wire rack. Sprinkle the nonpareil rainbow sprinkles over top each cookie right after they are dipped in icing.
    *Excess icing will drip off the cookie, so maybe lay down tin foil or plastic wrap to make clean up easier.
  • Allow icing to set at room temperature before transferring cookies to covered containers.

Nutrition

Calories: 98kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 33mgPotassium: 32mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 119IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 0.3mg
Keyword baking, christmas, cookies, holiday, italian lemon ricotta cookies, lemon, sprinkles
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