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Baking · Italian

Italian Ricotta Cookies

Soft, cakey little cookies under a thick vanilla glaze and a shower of sprinkles.

Hands-on
30 min
Hands-off
2 h 45 min
Oven preheat
15 min
Total
3 h 15 min
Makes
24 cookies (5 cm / 2 in)
Serves
24

15 minutes to mix, at least 2 hours chilling (heat the oven during the last 15), two sheets baked one after the other at 15-17 minutes each, then cooling and about 15 minutes of glazing. Allow about 3 1/4 hours in all; the dough can chill overnight.

Oven 180 °C · 160 °C fan (350 °F)

Pan 2 baking sheets, lined with parchment (US: 2 baking sheets, lined with parchment)

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • christmas
  • holiday
  • cookie-tray
  • make-ahead

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Italian Ricotta Cookies
Amount
Units
Oven

Ingredients

You need: stand mixer or hand mixer · medium and large bowls · whisk · 2 baking sheets · parchment paper · rounded tablespoon cookie scoop · sieve · wire rack · oven mitts

Contains: wheat · milk · egg

Method

  1. Mix the dry ingredients

    Weigh the flours, or spoon them into the cup and level off. In a medium bowl, whisk 150 g (1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour, 41 g (1/4 cup) semolina, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt.

    Ready when: Not a heat step: just whisk until the mix looks even, with no lumps of baking soda or powder.

  2. Beat butter and sugar

    In a large bowl, beat 85 g (6 tbsp) soft butter with 149 g (3/4 cup) sugar on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. It won't turn pale and fluffy, and that's fine.

  3. Add egg, ricotta and flavouring

    Beat in the egg until combined, scrape the bowl, and beat briefly again. Add 227 g (1 cup) ricotta, 1 tsp vanilla and 1/8 tsp Fiori di Sicilia (or the zest), and mix briefly.

  4. Add the flour and chill

    Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix slowly until no dry streaks remain. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.

    Otto tried this firstOtto tries to bake the soft dough straight away 'to save time'. Chill it the full 2 hours: the dough is too soft to scoop neatly before then.

  5. Get the oven ready

    Near the end of chilling, put a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

    Ready when: The oven has reached 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F); most ovens signal this with a light or beep.

  6. Scoop

    Scoop the cold dough into generous tablespoon portions, about 12 per sheet, spaced evenly.

  7. Bake

    Bake one sheet at a time on the centre rack for 15 to 17 minutes.

    Ready when: The edges are just starting to turn light brown; the tops stay pale and look set, not wet.

  8. Cool completely

    Let the cookies cool completely before glazing; glaze slides off warm cookies.

  9. Make the glaze

    Sift 255 g (2 1/4 cups) confectioners' sugar into a large bowl. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla and 28 g (2 tbsp) milk and stir. Add up to 1 tbsp more milk only if it's too stiff: it should be thick, like cold honey.

  10. Glaze and decorate

    Spoon 1 to 2 tsp glaze onto each cookie and spread it to the edges. Add sprinkles or zest straight away, while the glaze is wet. Work 2 or 3 cookies at a time, because the glaze sets quickly.

Swaps

  • Instead of semolina flour (41 g / 1/4 cup): use 180 g (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour in total and leave out the semolina verified; no other changes needed
  • Instead of Fiori di Sicilia (1/8 tsp): the zest of 1/2 orange or 1 whole lemon
  • Instead of all-purpose and semolina flours: 180 g (1 1/2 cups) cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend verified; bake thoroughly, gluten-free cookies may need a little longer. Check that the other ingredients are gluten-free too.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
The dough can chill in the fridge overnight before baking.
Storage
Keep glazed cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze the cookies before glazing, then glaze after thawing.

If something goes wrong

  • Glaze runs off the cookies Why: Too much milk, or the cookies were still warm.
    Start with 2 tbsp milk and add more only if needed; it should be thick like cold honey. Glaze only fully cooled cookies.
  • Glaze sets before you can spread it Why: Glazing too many cookies at once.
    Work 2 or 3 cookies at a time and add the sprinkles immediately.

Good to know

  • A teaspoon-size cookie scoop is the easiest way to portion the glaze.
  • Let the glaze set before stacking the cookies; a sugar glaze like this can take around 2 hours to harden.

Safety

  • Don't taste the raw dough: it contains raw egg and raw flour.
  • Baking sheets and the oven are very hot. Use oven mitts, and kids should let an adult move trays in and out.
  • Sprinkles can contain allergens or colourings; check the label.