Making a cookie that requires a frosting is something that I usually save for special occasions, like making my hazelnut cookies with the chocolate drizzle as one of my birthday desserts. Yes, I said ‘one’ of them. The other one is my chocolate sugar cookies that have an optional fluffy vanilla buttercream on top. They’re great without the frosting, but the extra step is very worth it. The frosting, which is more like a thin lemon glaze is the key to these lemon ricotta cookies. The cookies on their own are like the tops of muffins, fluffy and cake-like. The way the glaze dries on top to form a crisp crust that shatters when you bite through it (similar to a plain glazed donut) is really where the magic is at. I think most of you make lemon ricotta cookies for holiday cookie tins, so if you need other holiday cookies, don’t miss my caramel chocolate chip cookies and my orange cardamom cookies.
How to Make Lemon Ricotta Cookies
This is such an easy one-bowl recipe that requires such few ingredients, however, the dough does require a chill time! I like to chill overnight, but you can get away with as little as two hours in the fridge. All of the notes about ingredients are below, and yes, you may double the recipe!
The Ingredients
Butter. One stick of unsalted butter, softened completely to room temperature. The fastest way to soften butter is to open the wrapper, slice the butter into 8 chunks, and then leave at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. Sugar. Three-quarters of a cup of white granulated sugar. Egg. One large egg; I know the egg is missing from the photo above, but do not forget this when you bake. Ricotta Cheese. One cup of ricotta cheese, which is perfect for using the leftovers from making my freezer lasagna. I always use full-fat whole milk ricotta cheese when baking; skip the part skim ricotta for this recipe. Vanilla. One teaspoon of vanilla brings a subtle sweetness and balances the lemon here. Lemon. We need the zest of two lemons for our lemon ricotta cookies. We also need two teaspoons of juice for the cookie dough and a few tablespoons of juice for the lemon glaze. Flour. Regular all-purpose flour that has been fluffed, gently scooped (without compacting) and leveled off with a knife. Baking Powder. One teaspoon of baking powder makes these cookies extra puffy and have dome-like top. Baking Soda. One quarter teaspoon of baking soda. Powdered Sugar. One and a half cups of powdered sugar for making the crisp lemon glaze.
The Instructions
Other lemon desserts:
Lemon Shortbread are so cute and heart-shaped. Lemon Cupcakes recipe makes just 4 cupcakes but can be doubled. Mini Lemon Cheesecakes are so cute for parties. Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting belongs on all the cakes!
Make Ahead Tips: You can make the cookie dough and chill in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. You can freeze the dough in balls for up to 3 months, and then cook directly from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time. Do not make the lemon glaze until the day you plan to serve the cookies, and be sure to add fresh lemon zest on top before serving.
