Italian Ricotta Christmas Cookies (Soft, Cakey & Glazed)

Italy’s Gift to the Christmas Cookie Tray

These Italian ricotta Christmas cookies are the softest, most pillowy cookies on any holiday tray. Ricotta cheese gives them a tender, almost cake-like crumb that stays moist for days, while lemon zest and vanilla keep the flavor bright rather than heavy. Each little mound gets dunked in a sweet glaze and finished with festive sprinkles — simple, nostalgic, and completely irresistible.

This recipe comes from the Italian-American tradition of holiday baking, where ricotta cookies appear on cookie tables at Christmas and weddings alike. I have made them every December for years, and they never survive more than a couple of days in my house. The dough comes together in one bowl with no chilling required, so you can go from craving to cooling rack in under an hour — a genuine weeknight holiday bake.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Pillowy-soft texture. Ricotta creates a cake-like crumb that stays tender for days — nothing dry or crumbly here.
• No chilling required. Mix, scoop, and bake immediately. No waiting, no planning ahead.
• One-bowl dough. Minimal equipment and minimal cleanup for a busy holiday season.
• Beautiful on a cookie tray. The glossy glaze and colorful sprinkles look festive with almost no effort.
• Freezer-friendly. Bake a double batch now and freeze for effortless holiday gifting later.

Ingredients

For the Cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the Glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 to 4 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla)
• Holiday sprinkles, for decorating

A few notes on key ingredients: Whole-milk ricotta is essential — low-fat or part-skim ricotta is watery and produces a gummy cookie. If your ricotta looks wet, drain it in a fine-mesh strainer for 20 minutes first. Ricotta is highly perishable, so keep it refrigerated until baking time and follow USDA safe food handling guidance for fresh dairy. The lemon zest is subtle but important; it lifts the rich dough and keeps the cookies from tasting flat. Almond extract in the glaze is traditional and delicious, but use vanilla if you are serving anyone with nut allergies — almond extract contains no actual nuts, but the flavor association worries some guests.

How to Make Italian Ricotta Christmas Cookies

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. These cookies are soft and can stick, so parchment is worth it.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. This aeration keeps the cookies light despite the rich ricotta.
4. Add eggs, ricotta, and flavorings. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the ricotta, vanilla, and lemon zest on medium speed until smooth and creamy. The batter will look like a thick cake batter — that is exactly right.
5. Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed just until no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix; the dough is soft and sticky, more like a thick batter than a typical cookie dough.
6. Scoop the cookies. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough (a small 1-tablespoon cookie scoop works perfectly) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. The cookies spread very little, so you can fit 12 per sheet comfortably.
7. Bake until just set. Bake at 350°F for 12 to 14 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly golden but the tops still look pale and soft. They should look slightly underdone — they firm up as they cool. Do not let the tops brown or they will be dry.
8. Cool completely. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully, about 30 minutes. Glazing warm cookies melts the glaze right off, so full cooling matters.
9. Make the glaze. Whisk the sifted powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons of milk and the almond extract until smooth. You want a thick but dippable consistency — like honey. Add the remaining tablespoon of milk if it is too thick to dip.
10. Dip and decorate. Working one at a time, dip the top of each cooled cookie into the glaze, let the excess drip off for a few seconds, then set it back on the rack. Immediately add sprinkles while the glaze is wet — it sets within minutes.
11. Let the glaze set. Allow the glazed cookies to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes until the glaze is firm to the touch. Then they are ready to stack, pack, or serve.

Pro Tips for the Best Results

• Drain wet ricotta. Ricotta varies hugely by brand. If liquid pools on top when you open the container, drain it in a strainer for 20 minutes. Wet ricotta is the number one cause of flat, gummy cookies.
• Do not overbake. Pale tops are correct. The moment the bottoms turn light gold, they are done — even if the tops look soft and unfinished.
• Use a scoop for uniform cookies. Even 1-tablespoon mounds bake evenly and look professional on a tray. Freehand dollops bake unevenly and look rustic (which is fine, but scoops are better for gifting).
• Glaze in small batches. The glaze thickens as it sits. If it gets too thick to dip smoothly, whisk in milk a teaspoon at a time to loosen it back up.
• Sprinkle immediately. The glaze starts setting within 2 to 3 minutes. Dip a few cookies, sprinkle them, then dip a few more — do not glaze the whole tray before sprinkling.
• Layer with parchment for storage. The glaze can stick to cookies stacked directly on top of each other. Parchment between layers keeps them pristine.

Variations

• Orange ricotta cookies. Swap the lemon zest for orange zest and the almond extract for orange extract in the glaze. The citrus-floral combination is wonderful.
• Chocolate-dipped. Skip the glaze and dip half of each cooled cookie in melted semisweet chocolate. Let set on parchment — elegant and delicious.
• Anise (traditional). For the classic Italian bakery flavor, replace the vanilla in the dough with 1 teaspoon of anise extract. It is polarizing but deeply traditional.
• Mini cookie sandwiches. Bake smaller 2-teaspoon mounds, then sandwich pairs with a thin layer of Nutella or raspberry jam instead of glazing. A fun twist for cookie exchanges.

Storage & Reheating

Store glazed cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, with parchment paper between layers. They stay remarkably soft thanks to the ricotta. For longer storage, freeze unglazed cookies in a single layer until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature and glaze fresh. You can also freeze fully glazed cookies with parchment between layers — thaw uncovered at room temperature for the prettiest finish. No reheating needed; serve at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my Italian ricotta Christmas cookies come out flat?

Flat cookies usually mean wet ricotta or overmixing. Drain watery ricotta before measuring, spoon and level your flour instead of scooping, and mix the dough just until combined. Also check that your baking soda is fresh — it loses power after about 6 months opened.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

The baked cookies keep better than the raw dough. This dough does not require chilling and actually bakes best fresh, since the baking soda starts reacting once mixed. If you must prep ahead, mix the dough, refrigerate up to 24 hours, and let it sit at room temperature 20 minutes before scooping.

Do I have to use the almond extract?

No. Vanilla extract works beautifully in both the dough and the glaze. Almond extract is traditional and adds a distinctive bakery flavor, but the cookies are delicious either way. For nut-allergy households, vanilla is the safer choice.

Can I color the glaze?

Yes. Divide the glaze and tint portions with gel food coloring — red and green are classic for Christmas. Gel coloring works better than liquid because it does not thin the glaze. Dip, sprinkle, and let set as usual.

How many cookies does this recipe make?

About 36 cookies using a 1-tablespoon scoop. For holiday gifting or cookie exchanges, double the recipe — it scales perfectly, and the cookies freeze so well that extras are never a problem.

These Italian ricotta Christmas cookies are the kind of recipe that becomes a family tradition — soft, sweet, and impossibly easy for how impressive they look. Bake a batch this December and watch them vanish from the tray. Building a full holiday cookie spread? Add our soft gingerbread cookies for spice and our pumpkin oatmeal cream pies for something a little different. For more seasonal inspiration, browse our best comfort food recipes.