Orange Ricotta Cookies

Orange Ricotta Cookies are a classic Italian cookie that bakes up moist and tender with a cake-like texture and fresh orange flavor.

A Classic Italian Cookie for The Holidays (or any day)

Classic Italian foods always make an appearance on our family table at the holidays. For my husband Jack and his big Italian family – of course, that makes sense!  But for me, coming from a large Polish family, in between the pierogi and the stuffed cabbage, we also had quite a few Italian foods at the table thanks to my Aunt Bertha.

Bertha was married to my Uncle Pete – an Italian – so the menu at her house was always a wonderful blend of two delicious culinary cuisines! She made a terrific lasagna, but I also remember the cookie tray – a combination of treats including anisette cookies with colorful sprinkles, pizzelle (some with, and some without powdered sugar), as well as some delicious soft, frosted orange ricotta cookies.

Those Orange Ricotta Cookies were my favorite – and Jack loved them too! So we set out to recreate them here.

Why You'll Love Orange Ricotta Cookies

• They’re soft and tender with a lightly-sweet, fresh orange flavor.
• These cookies are a nice change of pace when you want a variety of cookies on the dessert tray.
• Our Orange Ricotta Cookies are easy to make and very versatile. You can change up the flavors by adding in other citrus flavors or different extracts.
• They freeze very well – so you can bake up a batch ahead of time. Then thaw before serving at the holidays.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

• Whole-Milk Ricotta – We strongly suggest using whole-milk ricotta both for its higher fat content and flavor. A lower-fat ricotta will change the texture a bit.
• Fresh Orange – You’ll include orange zest in the cookie dough, and both orange zest and orange juice in the glaze.
• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Granulated Sugar
• Unsalted Butter
• Eggs
• Vanilla Extract – See other flavor options below.
• Powdered Sugar – Mixed with orange juice for the glaze.

Other Ricotta Cookie Flavor Options

• Ricotta cookies are often flavored with lemon instead of orange. Simply swap in lemon zest and lemon juice in place of the orange.
• One reader suggested swapping in almond extract for the vanilla and orange flavors. You can certainly do that if you’d like! (Just add it slowly to taste – almond extract is a much stronger flavor.)
• Another reader suggested swapping in flori di sicilia for the vanilla extract. It’s an Italian extract that has a combination of citrus, vanilla, and floral essences and is often added to panettone. (We’ve used it in this recipe as well as this recipe.) I love the idea of making ricotta cookies with this extract.

How do I Make Orange Ricotta Cookies?

1. Preheat oven and position rack in the upper third of the oven.
2. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. Sift dry ingredients together into a bowl.
4. Mix sugar and butter in a mixing bowl. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after adding each one.
5. Add ricotta, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix again.
6. Pour in flour mixture, then mix on low speed just until combined. Be careful not to over mix.
7. Scoop the cookie dough onto the parchment lined baking sheets.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or so, until the cookies are puffed and light and tender.
9. Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper right onto the cooling racks. Cool cookies completely.
10. Mix glaze in a bowl.
11. Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze, then turn back over and place on wire rack so the glaze drips down.
12. Let cookies dry for about 2 hours so the glaze firms up.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I make Orange Ricotta Cookies ahead of time and freeze them? Yes! These cookies freeze very well. We suggest freezing them without the glaze/frosting, then thaw and glaze just before you plan to serve them.
• Can I swap in other flavors? Yes, lemon is traditional, but you can swap in almond extract or flori di sicilia for an authentic Italian flavor.
• Can I swap in lower fat ricotta cheese in these cookies? You can, but we don’t recommend it. The full fat ricotta will give these cookies a moist and tender texture.

This Orange Ricotta Cookie recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in December 2013 and has become one of our most popular cookie recipes ever since. We’ve updated the photos and post, but the delicious recipe remains the same.

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Orange Ricotta Cookies

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Orange Ricotta Cookies are a classic Italian cookie that bakes up moist and tender with a cake-like texture and a distinctive orange flavor.

• Author: A Family Feast
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 3 dozen 1x
• Category: cookies
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the cookies

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 8 ounces fresh whole-milk ricotta
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 large orange (about 2 teaspoons)

For the glaze

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place oven rack in top third of the oven. Line three cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the sugar and softened butter and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the first egg to the mixing bowl and mix well. Then add the second egg, and again mix well, scrape the bowl and mix again.
5. Add the ricotta, vanilla and orange zest and mix to combine.
6. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until all ingredients are just combined – being careful not to over mix.
7. Using a one-ounce scoop, drop the dough onto the parchment lined cookie sheets about two inches apart, 12 per pan (3X4). Have a little bowl of water and dip the scoop in the water between each scoopful of batter so that the next scoop releases from the scoop.
8. Bake cookies one pan at a time for 20 to 22 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and lightly golden, rotating the pan half way through. Remove from the oven and slide the parchment onto a wire rack. Once cool enough to handle, pick up each cookie and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
9. When ready to glaze, in a small, wide bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest and mix into a smooth glaze.
10. Holding the cookies with your fingers, dip the top of the cookies in the glaze and then immediately turn back over and place on a wire rack to dry. Do this over a piece of parchment to catch drips.
11. Allow cookies to dry for about 2 hours until completely set before storing.