Lemon Ricotta Cookies. Soft lemon-ricotta drop cookies with a light lemon glaze, including cooling and glaze-setting time. The formula and timing below are working estimates for a future kitchen trial, not a claim that a batch has been made.
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A soft lemon cookie
Ricotta keeps these drop cookies tender, while zest flavors the dough and juice brightens a thin glaze. They are meant to be softly domed, not crisp slice-and-bake rounds.
The twenty-four-cookie yield and soft center still need a trial with a measured ricotta brand and scoop size.
Ricotta changes moisture
Use whole-milk ricotta and drain obvious free liquid before measuring if a container is watery. Different brands can change the dough's spread.
Keep lemon zest in the dough and lemon juice in the glaze. Adding unmeasured juice to the dough changes hydration and bake behavior.
Ingredients for 24 cookies
| Ingredient | Amount | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Unsalted butter, softened | 1/2 cup | Cookie dough. |
| Granulated sugar | 3/4 cup | Cookie dough. |
| Large egg | 1 egg | Cookie dough. |
| Whole-milk ricotta, drained if watery | 1 cup | Cookie dough. |
| Finely grated lemon zest | 2 teaspoons | Cookie dough. |
| Vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon | Cookie dough. |
| All-purpose flour | 2 cups | Spoon and level. |
| Baking powder | 1 1/2 teaspoons | Whisk with flour. |
| Fine salt | 1/2 teaspoon | Whisk with flour. |
| Confectioners' sugar | 1 cup | Glaze. |
| Fresh lemon juice | 2 tablespoons | Glaze. |
Step-by-step method
- Heat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets. Cream 1/2 cup softened butter and 3/4 cup sugar, then beat in one egg, 1 cup whole-milk ricotta, 2 tsp lemon zest and 1 tsp vanilla until combined.
- Whisk 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Fold dry ingredients into the ricotta mixture just until no flour remains; the dough should be softer than slice-and-bake dough.
- Scoop twenty-four similar mounds with space between them. Bake in two sequential batches roughly 12–14 minutes each until tops are set and bottoms lightly golden. Transfer to a rack and cool approximately thirty minutes.
- Whisk 1 cup confectioners' sugar with 2 tbsp lemon juice into a spoonable glaze. Spread a thin coating over fully cooled cookies and let stand approximately thirty minutes before stacking. Verify spreading, ricotta moisture, glaze coverage and yield in a kitchen trial.
Mix a soft dough
Cream butter and sugar, add egg, ricotta, zest and vanilla, then fold in whisked flour, baking powder and salt. Stop once combined rather than beating a sticky dough smooth.
Scoop similarly sized mounds and leave room on the pan. A tester should record whether these need a brief chill for the chosen ricotta.
Set the tops, then glaze
Bake one tray at a time until the tops lose their raw look and the bottoms are lightly golden. Let the cookies cool completely before spreading a thin lemon-sugar glaze.
Sally's Baking provides a ricotta-lemon reference. The thirty-minute glaze set and this formula's yield are estimates, not tested facts.
Serving and storage
Wait for the glaze to firm before stacking. A gift box needs a separate handling test because the moisture-rich crumb and lemon glaze may change in storage.
No exact shelf life, freezing performance or shipping stability has been confirmed for the working batch.
Ricotta cookie questions
Are these crisp?
No. The intended texture is soft, pending a kitchen trial.
Where does the lemon juice go?
Into the glaze; the dough uses lemon zest.
Can I omit the glaze?
That changes the measured lemon-sweet balance; test it before presenting it as the same result.
Further reading and related Chefly recipes: Sally's Baking lemon ricotta cookies. These are relevant references and other dishes, not evidence that this proposed formula was tested.
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Lemon Ricotta Cookies. Category: Cookies. 24 cookies. Prep approximately 25 minutes; cooking approximately 28 minutes; additional cooling/chilling approximately 60 minutes; total approximately 113 minutes excluding preheat. Not kitchen-tested; nutrition not calculated.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened; 3/4 cup Granulated sugar; 1 egg Large egg; 1 cup Whole-milk ricotta, drained if watery; 2 teaspoons Finely grated lemon zest; 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract; 2 cups All-purpose flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon Fine salt; 1 cup Confectioners' sugar; 2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice.
Instructions: Heat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets. Cream 1/2 cup softened butter and 3/4 cup sugar, then beat in one egg, 1 cup whole-milk ricotta, 2 tsp lemon zest and 1 tsp vanilla until combined. Whisk 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Fold dry ingredients into the ricotta mixture just until no flour remains; the dough should be softer than slice-and-bake dough. Scoop twenty-four similar mounds with space between them. Bake in two sequential batches roughly 12–14 minutes each until tops are set and bottoms lightly golden. Transfer to a rack and cool approximately thirty minutes. Whisk 1 cup confectioners' sugar with 2 tbsp lemon juice into a spoonable glaze. Spread a thin coating over fully cooled cookies and let stand approximately thirty minutes before stacking. Verify spreading, ricotta moisture, glaze coverage and yield in a kitchen trial.
Allergens: Wheat; Egg; Milk; Check packaged ricotta and confectioners' sugar labels. Review packaged ingredients and cross-contact before serving.
Print
Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Total Time: 113 minutes
- Yield: 24 servings 1x
Description
Twenty-four soft lemon ricotta drop cookies with measured lemon glaze.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 egg Large egg
- 1 cup Whole-milk ricotta, drained if watery
- 2 teaspoons Finely grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Fine salt
- 1 cup Confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets. Cream 1/2 cup softened butter and 3/4 cup sugar, then beat in one egg, 1 cup whole-milk ricotta, 2 tsp lemon zest and 1 tsp vanilla until combined.
- Whisk 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Fold dry ingredients into the ricotta mixture just until no flour remains; the dough should be softer than slice-and-bake dough.
- Scoop twenty-four similar mounds with space between them. Bake in two sequential batches roughly 12–14 minutes each until tops are set and bottoms lightly golden. Transfer to a rack and cool approximately thirty minutes.
- Whisk 1 cup confectioners' sugar with 2 tbsp lemon juice into a spoonable glaze. Spread a thin coating over fully cooled cookies and let stand approximately thirty minutes before stacking. Verify spreading, ricotta moisture, glaze coverage and yield in a kitchen trial.
Notes
Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.
Additional chilling, resting or cooling time: 60 minutes, included in the total.
Untested estimate: two 12–14-minute sequential trays, 30-minute cooling and 30-minute glaze set; preheat excluded.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Chilling, resting or cooling: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Category: Cookies
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One roughly two-inch cookie