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Orange Ricotta Cookies are a classic Italian cookie that bakes up moist and tender with a cake-like texture and fresh orange flavor.
Table of Contents
A Classic Italian Cookie for The Holidays (or any day)
Why You’ll Love Orange Ricotta Cookies
Reader Review
Other Ricotta Cookie Flavor Options
Special Tools You’ll Need
How do I Make Orange Ricotta Cookies?
Baking Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
You might enjoy these other Italian Cookie Recipes
Italian Anisette Cookies
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Pasta Frolla Christmas Jam Cookies
Italian Almond-Orange Cookies
Click here for more delicious Cookie Recipes!
Orange Ricotta Cookies
For the cookies
For the glaze
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.
Reader Review
“They were absolutely delicious and my parents could not stop raving about them. They even claimed that these cookies could put a bakery we know that sells ones just like them out of business because of how much better these were. They were super easy and super good. Thanks so much for the recipe!” -Camille
- 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.
Special Tools You’ll Need
- Cookie Sheets
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Flour Sifter or Fine Mesh Strainer
- Medium Bowl
- Stand Mixer or Mixing Bowl and Hand Mixer
- Various Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Rubber Scraper
- Citrus Juicer
- Zester or Microplane
- 1-Ounce Scoop
- Spatula
- Small Bowls
- Whisk
- Cooling Racks
How do I Make Orange Ricotta Cookies?
- Preheat oven and position rack in the upper third of the oven.
- Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift dry ingredients together into a bowl.
- Mix sugar and butter in a mixing bowl. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after adding each one.
- Add ricotta, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix again.
- Pour in flour mixture, then mix on low speed just until combined. Be careful not to over mix.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto the parchment lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 20 minutes or so, until the cookies are puffed and light and tender.
- Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper right onto the cooling racks. Cool cookies completely.
- Mix glaze in a bowl.
- Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze, then turn back over and place on wire rack so the glaze drips down.
- Let cookies dry for about 2 hours so the glaze firms up.
Baking Tips
- These orange ricotta cookies are really quite easy to make – but a word of caution: As you mix in the flour, just be sure to avoid over-mixing the cookie dough. This will ensure that your ricotta cookies are light and tender.
- Bake the cookies on a rack in the upper third of the oven. This will help prevent the bottoms from browning too quickly.
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.
You might enjoy these other Italian Cookie Recipes
Italian Anisette Cookies
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Pasta Frolla Christmas Jam Cookies
Italian Almond-Orange Cookies
Click here for more delicious Cookie Recipes!
See the Recipes
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Orange Ricotta Cookies
Orange Ricotta Cookies are a classic Italian cookie that bakes up moist and tender with a cake-like texture and a distinctive orange flavor.
Yield: 3 dozen 1x
Prep: 20 minsCook: 20 minsTotal: 40 minutes
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Ingredients
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
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place oven rack in top third of the oven. Line three cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the sugar and softened butter and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- 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.
- Add the ricotta, vanilla and orange zest and mix to combine.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low until all ingredients are just combined – being careful not to over mix.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Allow cookies to dry for about 2 hours until completely set before storing.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
© Author: A Family Feast
Cuisine:ItalianMethod:baking
Martha
Martha is part of the husband-wife team that creates A Family Feast. She loves to cook and entertain for family and friends, and she believes that serving a great meal is one of the best ways to show someone that you care. Martha is a self-taught home cook, who loves to read cookbooks and try new recipes. After a decades-long career in business and online marketing, she now runs A Family Feast full-time. Her specialties are baking, desserts, vegetables and pasta dishes.
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Updated: 12/14/23
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Jill says These remind me of cookies my grandmother made. She also made a chocolate cookie with orange flavor (that I remember), how much cocoa would I add to this recipe because this seems the closest to what she made thanks!
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- Martha says
Hi Jill – We haven’t made this recipe with cocoa so I’m really just guessing! I’d suggest cutting back a bit on the flour (maybe to two cups) and then adding in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cocoa powder depending on how chocolatey you want the cookies. You might also need to adjust the sugar too if you are using unsweetened cocoa. Hope that helps – let us know how they come out for you!
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- Trish says
Hi – How long do these cookies stay fresh? My sisters and I are making cookies tomorrow for our own Christmas cookie trays so they probably won’t get eaten until Christmas Eve or so. Do you think that would be okay? They look scrumptious!!
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- Martha says
Hi Trish – If you are making these cookies so far in advance, I’d probably recommend baking the cookies – but hold off frosting them. Then freeze them (well wrapped) until a day or so before you are ready to serve them – frosting them once they have thawed. They are good for a few days but will probably not be so good baked this far in advance!
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- Leigh says
I made the Orange Ricotta Cookies for part of a platter to take to my little sister’s Christmas play… simply amazing! They were gone so quickly! My mom also tried them (she’s my guinea pig since I’m allergic to so many things and couldn’t try them myself… not that I had to twist her arm haha) she said they were delish and that we’d be adding them to our yearly baking list. The recipe was easy to make, ingredients were easy to find… and thy baked up beautifully. Will be making more of these for Christmas day… maybe Easter too since they are so delish! Mom also noted that the cooler they were the more you could taste the Ricotta… not that that’s a bad thing. Thanks for sharing!!
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- Martha says
Thanks Leigh – we’re so glad you enjoyed the cookies!
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- Teresa says
Just made these today, yum! However, I did have a lot of glaze leftover (I had 29 cookies, well 28 after quality control), so next time I’ll start with a half-recipe of the glaze. I added some almond extract in addition to the vanilla and the flavor is awesome.
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- Martha says
Thanks for the feedback Teresa!
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- Kimberly says
This recipe sounds lovely! I want to make a batch for this Christmas. Do you think it’ll still come out good if I make the batter a few days before serving them, and refrigerate? Thanks for sharing!
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- Martha says
Hi Kimberly – I’d recommend baking the cookies and storing them in the freezer for a few days if you need to make them ahead of time. Then glazing them the day you plan to serve them. I’m not sure that uncooked batter will bake up correctly if it’s left to sit in the refrigerator for a few days. Hope that helps! Enjoy the recipe!
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- anna says
If I triple this recipe, do I triple each ingredient?
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- Martha says
Yes Anna – I would follow it exactly and triple all ingredients!
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- monica says
I love this recipe and plan to try it. I was jotting down all the ingredients and noticed you have vanilla extract list but I don’t see where you would add it. I’m thinking maybe when you mix the sugar and the butter? Since I work with a large group of people, I’d like to make this for work. Thanks for the recipe.
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- Martha says
Oh my gosh – thank you Monica! We appreciate you letting us know about the error in the recipe! You would add the vanilla extract along with the ricotta and orange zest. Thanks again and I will update the recipe right now.
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- Gretchen says
My five year old son and I made these cookies today. They are delicious, and so easy! What a great find on Pinterest 🙂 I’m sure we will be making three regularly. Thank you!
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- Martha says
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe Gretchen! Thanks for visiting us today!
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- Toni says
Hi Tanya,
Ricotta cookies are among my favorite also and are part of my wonderful childhood memories. Last Christmas I made chocolate/orange ricotta cookies (reminiscent of that segmented-orange, foil-wrapped candy that came in the blue box–sorry can’t remember the name.) Wonderful! Enjoy the cookies and your Christmas!Reply
- Martha says
I know exactly what you are talking about Toni – I love the combination of orange and chocolate together! (Will have to try that the next time we make ricotta cookies!) Merry Christmas and thanks for visiting today!
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- 2 collies says
Terry’s chocolate orange!!!
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- tanya says
I love ricotta cookies, I think they are so soft and so versatile! Beautiful Martha! Oh and it would be Christmas if my mom didn’t make stuffed cabbage too!
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- Martha says
Thank so much Tanya! There are definitely those certain foods (and smells) that really make a family holiday!! Thanks for stopping by today!
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