Description
Soft & pillowy Limoncello Ricotta Cookies with bright lemon flavor and sweet glaze. Easy Italian-American recipe perfect for spring gatherings, holidays, or afternoon tea. Ready in 50 minutes!
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup ricotta cheese, drained well and at room temperature (whole milk or part-skim works)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (pure, not imitation)
- Zest of 1 lemon, plus extra for garnish (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2–3 tablespoons limoncello liqueur (adjust to taste preference)
- 1–2 tablespoons whole milk (optional, only if batter seems dry)
For the Glaze (Optional but Highly Recommended):
- 1–1½ cups powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 2–3 tablespoons limoncello (or substitute fresh lemon juice for alcohol-free)
- 1–2 teaspoons milk (to thin as needed)
- Fresh lemon zest for garnish
Optional Decorations:
- Colored sugar in yellow or white
- Pearl sprinkles
- Additional lemon zest
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. This prevents sticking and ensures even browning on the bottom of your cookies.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set this bowl aside—you’ll add it to the wet ingredients later.
In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed for 2–3 minutes. The mixture should look light, fluffy, and pale in color. This creaming process incorporates air for a tender cookie.
Add the well-drained ricotta cheese and egg to the butter mixture. Beat on medium speed until smooth and fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Don’t worry if it looks slightly curdled—that’s normal.
Stir in the vanilla extract, fresh lemon zest, and limoncello until evenly distributed throughout the batter. The kitchen should smell absolutely amazing at this point!
Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed or folding with a rubber spatula until just combined. Don’t overmix—stop as soon as you no longer see flour streaks. If the dough seems too dry or crumbly, add 1–2 tablespoons of milk to bring it together.
For thicker, puffier cookies that hold their shape better, cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 15–30 minutes. This step is optional but recommended if you have time.
Use a cookie scoop (1½ to 2 tablespoons) or a regular tablespoon to drop rounded balls of dough onto your prepared baking sheets. Space them about 2 inches apart—they’ll spread slightly but not dramatically.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the cookies are set at the edges and very slightly golden on the bottom. The centers will look soft and almost underdone—that’s perfect! They’ll continue to firm up as they cool.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes (this prevents them from breaking apart), then carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before glazing.
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, limoncello, and 1 teaspoon of milk until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable—add more milk to thin it out or more powdered sugar to thicken it up as needed.
Drizzle or spread the glaze over the completely cooled cookies using a spoon or small offset spatula. Immediately sprinkle with fresh lemon zest, colored sugar, or pearl sprinkles before the glaze sets (it dries quickly!). Let the glaze set for 15-20 minutes before serving or storing.
Notes
Don’t Overbake – These cookies should look slightly underdone in the center when you pull them out. They’ll continue cooking on the hot pan. Overbaking = dry cookies!
Uniform Size = Even Baking – Use a cookie scoop for perfectly sized cookies that all bake at the same rate. A 1½-tablespoon scoop is ideal.
Glaze Only When Cool – If you glaze warm cookies, the icing will melt and absorb into the cookie instead of creating that pretty coating.
Double Lemon Flavor – Add ½ teaspoon lemon extract along with the limoncello for even more intense lemon flavor.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 145
- Sugar: 13g
- Sodium: 95mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 22mg