Description
These soft-baked Italian Ricotta cookies get their signature taste and texture from creamy ricotta cheese (spoiler alert: drain it first!) and a hint of fiori di sicilia extract, my secret ingredient, which whispers hints of fresh orange, lemon and vanilla!
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened*
- 2/3 c. sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 c. whole milk ricotta cheese, drained overnight
- 1/4 tsp. fiori di sicilia extract**
Dry ingredients
- 1 1/2 c. flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
Glaze
- 3/4 c. powdered sugar, sifted
- 3 tbsp. milk
Decorations
- 1 large bottle (7.5 oz) mixed red, white & green sprinkles
* To quickly soften butter, microwave for 10+ seconds adjusting the time as needed.
** You can order Fiori di Sicilia extract online through King Arthur Flour and Amazon, or purchase at Sur La Table or Italian specialty shops. Substitute with 1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp. almond extract if you prefer.
*** I use a small cookie scoop, 1 1/2″ diameter to evenly portion the dough
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add the softened butter, sugar, and egg. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the ricotta cheese and extract. Mix well to combine.
- In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix only until combined.
- Portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheet using a cookie scoop.
- Bake in the center of the oven for about 25 minutes. Note: I prefer to bake my cookies one pan at a time. Repeat this process when the first batch is done.
- Remove from the oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack. Cool completely before decorating.
- To make the glaze, sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a glaze has formed.
- Set up your decoration station: grab 2 bowls and cut a long piece of parchment paper. One bowl is for the sprinkles and the other bowl will remain empty ( to catch the sprinkles as you decorate). Place the parchment paper on the table for the glazed cookies to dry.
- To decorate, dunk 1/2 of each cookie into the glaze, allowing the excess to drip off. Working over your empty bowl, top the glazed half with sprinkles. Do not dunk the cookies into the sprinkles; the glaze will fall off and the sprinkles will get wet.
- Place the decorated cookies onto the parchment paper. Dry completely before serving.
Notes
* If you’d like to make these cookies in advance, I recommend baking only 1 day head of time. They become softer as they sit. Store in an air tight container.