Italian Ricotta Cookies
While we can all kid ourselves into thinking that the holidays are about gifts and family…let’s face it, it’s all about the cookies.
Families all over the globe have their own recipes and traditions when it comes to holiday cookies. Some like a traditional chocolate chip cookie or peanut butter, some love those Christmas sugar cookies that you can cut out and decorate, and even the Jewish folks have their classics like rugelach.
For the Italians, sure, rainbow cookies are a favorite, but a true cookie lover would go head over heels for these wonderful ricotta cookies topped with an almond glaze. Adding ricotta to a cookie might seem bizarre; in fact, adding any cheese to a cookie sounds odd, but what the milky, creamy ricotta does is make the cookies incredibly soft while offering a unique texture.
And, let’s not forget that ricotta is used in a wide range of sweet applications, from cannoli filling to tiramisu and even for sweet ravioli filling.
I don’t know, but I think that this would be a perfect way for the Italians to celebrate the holidays with something sweet and delicious.
Italian Ricotta Cookies
Makes about 40 cookies
For the Cookies:
2 sticks (8 ounces) of unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups of sugar
1 (15-ounce) container of whole milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
For the Glaze:
4-5 tablespoons of milk
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of almond extract
Sprinkles, for decorating
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with either parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy. Add the ricotta, eggs, and vanilla, then beat to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, then beat on low to combine into a smooth, stiff dough.
Roll or scoop the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and lay onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart, lightly pressing down on the cookies to flatten.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are firm on the edges but still soft in the middle, then let them cool for about 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Remember, these cookies will firm up as they cool.
To make the glaze, whisk together 4 tablespoons of milk with the powdered sugar and almond extract until a thick, spreadable glaze forms. If it’s too thick, then add more milk.
Once the cookies are fully cooled, dip each cookie into the glaze to coat, making sure to shake off the excess. Top each cookie with sprinkles immediately after applying the glaze.
These cookies remind me of those soft, frosted supermarket cookies, you know which ones I’m talking about, but they taste so much better!
That ricotta gives the cookies an incredibly soft texture plus a slight milky flavor that works well with the butter in the dough, plus that sweet almond glaze takes them over the top!
