Italian Ricotta Cookies
Updated January 21, 2025
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus 2 hours’ chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
2 sticks (1 cup) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
425 grams sugar (about 2 cups)
1 ¾ cups ricotta cheese (15 ounces), preferably fresh
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
480 grams all-purpose flour (about 4 cups)
10 grams baking soda (2 teaspoons)
4 grams fine sea salt (about ¾ teaspoon)
450 grams confectioners’ sugar (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup to ½ cup milk, as needed
Colored sprinkles or sanding sugar, optional
Nutritional analysis per serving (72 servings)
18 grams carbs; 15 milligrams cholesterol; 111 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 4 grams fat; 69 milligrams sodium; 1 gram protein; 13 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Using an electric mixer, cream 2 sticks butter with sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add ricotta, lemon zest and 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla and beat well. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula, then beat in flour, baking soda and salt. Cover dough and chill for at least 2 hours and up to a week.
- Step 2
Heat oven to 350 degrees and line several cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick liners. Shape tablespoons of dough into balls. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake until pale golden on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.
- Step 3
Melt remaining tablespoon butter. Whisk confectioners’ sugar to break up any large lumps, then whisk in melted butter, lemon juice, remaining 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla and enough milk to make a spreadable icing. Spread icing on cooled cookies, decorate with sprinkles or sanding sugar, if desired, then let set for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Private Notes
Comments
I accidentally added the full 4 tsp of vanilla to the dough. It worked out fine as my Italian friends told me this was the best version of this cookie they have ever had.
This is a terrific recipe and my cookies were a huge hit. They turned out beautifully. After reading the comments, I used all 4 tsp vanilla extract in my dough, and an additional 1 1/2 tsp in the icing. One tip - make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to bake these. Each tray will only be in the oven about 15 minutes, but chances are you will have 4+ trays, and you want to leave a bit of time for your oven to come back up to temp every time you open it. Will def make again!
The millennial thing is tiring. I love anise and I'm a "millennial." Maybe your coworker's just a jerk who doesn't like liquorice.
That still is difficult to work with when it warms up, I would divide it into two bowls and refrigerate.
These cookies taste best the next day and beyond
My first comment after cooking with NYT for years. Used the recipe as is - measured ingredients with grams. In the end I had 58 cookies and 1/3 of the icing left over. My guests loved them. I did increase the lemon zest. They taste really good out of the freezer.