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!
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!
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.
Chill the cookie dough
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
More Delicious Cookie Recipes
Be sure to check out these other delicious cookie recipes:
- Italian Thumbprint Cookies are a traditional Italian cookie made with almonds and fig spread.
- BEST Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are just that… the best you’ll ever have!
- Double Chocolate Pudding Cookies are a chocolate lover’s dream cookie.
- Greek Butter Cookies are similar to shortbread and have so much delicious flavor!
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
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.
Hi. Just wanted to know if this could be made without eggs. If so would just like instruction. Thank you in advance
I have never made this particular recipe without eggs but have done other baked goods using a flax egg. For each egg you want to replace stir together 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 2 1/2 tablespoons water. Stir the mixture together and let thicken for 5 minutes. You can then use this in replacement of eggs in a baked good.
Hope this helps!
Absolutely AMAZING !!! I want to eat all of them myself LOL. A must for the Christmas cookie rotation. Thank you, sending love.
Do you recommend salted or unsalted butter?
I always bake with unsalted butter but salted works too. Just omit any additional salt in the recipe. Enjoy!
Angela, I love all your recipes and have made a lot of your cakes. I am going to make these cookies this week. I know they will turn out to be a favourite. Thank you!!
Thank you so much, Kathy! I hope you love them 🙂
What can I substitute for the lemon cimcello
You can use just omit it and use extra lemon juice.
How do you store these cookies?
In the refrigerator?
And how long will they keep
You can keep them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. You can also freeze them for up to a month.
Tender, lemony and delicious. A big hit with coworkers!
OMG!!! I made these cookies last night and they’re gone. My family said not to lose this recipe. Thank You🌻
So happy you all loved them! 🙂
Love the cookies. However found dough to be too wet. Even after draining the ricotta. How do u manage to roll the little dough balls? Do u use additional flour?
Make sure you chill the dough before rolling them. Also, it helps to use a cookie scoop and damp hands when you roll them. Hope you enjoyed the cookies otherwise!