Limoncello Ricotta Cookies with Limoncello Glaze are a delicious treat to have for any occasion. Made with ricotta cheese and Limoncello Liqueur, this fluffy and flavorful cookie is sure to be your new favorite!

Limoncello Ricotta Cookies on a plate with Limoncello liqueur.

If you love lemon and limoncello, then this cookie is for you. This light and airy cookie is so full of delicious flavor and stays super moist thanks to the addition of ricotta cheese.

Limoncello Ricotta Cookies are easy to put together and perfect for every occasion. Make these for the holidays, cookie exchanges, showers, parties, you name it! Guests are going to love the tasty flavors and light texture of these Italian cookies. And, if you love Nutella, don’t miss these Nutella Sandwich Cookies!

Limoncello Ricotta Cookies stacked on a white plate.

Moreover, these cookies are super simple to make and are topped with a delicious and easy limoncello glaze. Simply dunk the top of the cooled cookies in the glaze and let dry.

Don’t miss the perfect Italian cookie with these Limoncello Ricotta Cookies! Also, if you are limoncello obsessed like me, be sure to try my Limoncello Ricotta Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. And, don’t miss my super simple Soft Lemon Cookies! For another fun Italian-inspired cookie, try these frosted Tiramisu Cookies!

Limoncello Ricotta Cookies Recipe

Making these cookies couldn’t be easier. Also, before you start, be sure to plan your time around the two hour chill time required for these cookies. Chilling will help ensure that the cookie rises and makes the batter easier to handle.

In total you will need one lemon for this recipe. I recommend zesting the entire lemon, which should yield about two teaspoons of zest. You will need one teaspoon for the batter and one teaspoon for the glaze.

Firstly, cream together the sugar, room temperature butter, and teaspoon of lemon zest. Then add in the ricotta, egg, and limoncello. (There is no need to whip the ricotta cheese like you would normally do in other recipes.) Add in the dry ingredients and mix to combine.

The batter will be slightly thick and sticky. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours. This will make it easier to handle and will give you rounder and puffier cookies.

Cookie Batter rolled into balls on a white plate.

Once chilled, use a cookie scoop or spoon to measure out about a tablespoon of the dough and roll into balls. Note that the dough will be slightly sticky, but should be dry enough to handle.

Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment or baking mats leaving about two inches around each cookie. Bake for about 12-14 minutes, or until the bottom of the cookies are light brown. However, the cookie itself will not change color much, so be careful not to over bake.

Cookies cooling on a wire rack.

Cool cookies on the baking sheet for five minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Limoncello Glaze for Limoncello Ricotta Cookies

What really makes this cookie special is the limoncello glaze. Easy to make and so full of flavors, you don’t want to skip this step.

To make, simply whisk together the powdered sugar, limoncello, lemon juice, and zest. Take a cooled cookie, turn it over, and dip the top of the cookie in the glaze. Then return to wire rack to firm up.

glazed cookie drying on cooling rack.

Once the glaze hardens, you can store these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for up to a month.

Limoncello Ricotta Cookies on a wire baking rack with limoncello liqueur in the background.

This recipe makes about 40 cookies and is a great treat to bring to parties or as a gift. Just be sure not to overcook them and let the glaze firm up before stacking them on top of each other.

Can you substitute the Limoncello?

Don’t have limoncello or prefer to make the cookie without the liqueur? You can absolutely substitute the limoncello in this recipe.

To do so, just use lemon juice instead of the limoncello. However, because lemon juice is going to be stronger and tarter than limoncello, you may want to substitute half water and half lemon juice.

Additionally, if you are looking for a more intense lemon flavor in this cookie, you could add lemon extract. However, because the extract is so strong, I would recommend starting with only ¼ teaspoon to see how the flavor is before adding anymore.

Baking with Ricotta Cheese

If you are a fan of This Delicious House, you’ll know that I love baking with creamy cheeses such as ricotta, mascarpone, and cream cheese. However, ricotta is my absolute favorite and I urge you to try baking with it if you never have.

the inside of a limoncello ricotta cookies

Depending on how you treat it, ricotta can make your baking moist and fluffy, or dense and creamy. For instance, in my Almond Ricotta Cake and my Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake, the recipe asks for the ricotta to be creamed with sugar for 5 minutes before adding in the additional ingredients. This adds air to the cakes making them light and fluffy.

In recipes such as this Limoncello Ricotta Cookie and my Amaretto Mascarpone Cheesecake, lightly creaming the cheese is plenty to add the ideal taste and texture.

Be sure to check out these other delicious cookie recipes:

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Limoncello Ricotta Cookies. Be sure to give them a try and leave a comment. Enjoy!

Limoncello Ricotta Cookies on a plate with Limoncello liqueur.

Limoncello Ricotta Cookies

These cookies are light and moist thanks to the addition of ricotta cheese. Topped with a limoncello glaze, it's the perfect Italian cookie for every occassion.
4.95 from 37 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours
Servings: 3 dozen
Calories: 97kcal
Cost: 8-10

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter, room temperature (one stick)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from about half a lemon)
  • 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon limoncello liqueur

Limoncello Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon limoncello liqueur
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (from about half a lemon)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from about half a lemon)

Instructions

  • Line a baking pan with a baking mat or parchment paper; set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium/high to cream together the sugar, butter, and lemon zest, until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the ricotta, egg, and limoncello, and mix until combined. Add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
  • Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refigerator for at least 2 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cookie dough from refigerator and use a cookie scoop to measure out about a tablespoon of batter and roll into a ball. Place on prepared baking sheets leaving about 2 inches between cookie balls.
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the bottom of the cookie starts to brown slightly. Note that the cookies will not change color much. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
  • To make the glaze, in a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, limoncello, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Hold the cooled cookie upside down and dip the top of the cookie in the glaze. Return to the wire rack to dry completely.

Video

Notes

These Limoncello Ricotta Cookies can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. 

Nutrition

Calories: 97kcal
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Recipe Rating




40 Comments

  1. Hi Angela! I followed your recipe exactly but they taste like flour. I sifted the dry ingredients and used a knife to edge off the excess flour. I baked one batch 14 minutes and they seemed under cooked. I rolled out another batch , made them smaller , baked for 12 minutes. Still having a strong flour taste. What could be going wrong for me. Still edible.

    1. Homemade ricotta tends to be a bit wetter than store bought. You can definitely use it, just be sure to drain it well.

  2. Have you ever substituted Almond Flour for All Purpose flour? I adhere to a gluten free diet and was wondering what the texture would be like or other adjustments would need to be made if I made that substitution. Any info would be appreciated.

    1. I think almond flour would make the cake too dense. I would stick to a cup-for-cup gluten free flour like King Arthur.

  3. Recipe was great but needed to add a extra 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice for glaze. Also I sprinkled nutmeg over top of cookies after their glaze.
    Thanks so much for a light tasty dessert.

  4. I am about to try these but picked up part-skim ricotta as it was all that was available. Will this make a big difference inthe outcome?

    1. It should work just fine with part skim ricotta. I’ve used it many times in baking with great results. Enjoy!

  5. I made these today and they did not spread out like the photo they pretty much stayed found I chilled the dough for 2hrs+ Should I be doing something different? Taste were good the limoncello is not overpowering
    Thx

  6. I’ve made these 4x’s since COVID started, all my friends just love them, more so I can’t stop eating them..
    They look beautiful, so light and melt in your mouth.

  7. 5 stars
    Angela,

    I baked these for my wedding to a Sicilian girl in February. Her Italian family from NY went ga-ga over them, many of them reading out to me to get the Lemoncello and the Almond cookies. They froze well unglazed and it was easy the night before to glaze and garnish them, allow them to set, then put them on layers of waxed paper for the cookie table. Thanks so much. Also, your limoncello ricotta cake is to die for!

    1. Thanks so much for the comment! So happy that you loved the cookies, they are a family favorite 🙂

  8. 5 stars
    I baked these cookies last night, and they are fantastic. I love how light they are. Thank you for the recipe. I also made the limoncello ricotta cake, and that was delicious too.Thanks again!

  9. 5 stars
    I’m making them for the second time today! They are delicious! Everyone loves them. Adding to my Christmas Cookie list! They are that good, for me to take my Italian vanilla cookie off my list and add Limoncello! Thank you for this recipe!

  10. 5 stars
    I’ve never used ricotta cheese in a cookie recipe before!! I can’t wait to try these at home – they look delicious!

  11. 5 stars
    My mouth wouldn’t stop watering when I made these for a holiday cookie tray! I love how light but flavor packed they are and the glaze is amazing!