This Soft Ricotta Cookie recipe came to me from one of my dad’s coworkers. She got the recipe from a lady from Italy who said it was okay to share the recipe. I’m so glad, because these cookies are really good. Really good, like I ate so many this weekend and my jeans are threatening not to zip. Like I ate the last five cookies for breakfast this morning just so I wouldn’t be tempted anymore! Does anyone else use that logic? And good thing they are so soft, with no noisy crunching required, because yes I did eat five cookies for breakfast in the same room as my boys, without anyone suspecting a thing. Some may call it sneaky, I call it discreet. It’s just one of my many talents, I guess!
I did make one little addition to the recipe, and that is real vanilla bean in the cookies and glaze. You know those petite vanilla scones you can get at Starbucks? I really like those, but depending on the time of day I buy them, they can be a little dry. These cookies taste like I wish those scones did. So I decided to mimick the vanilla bean glaze just like the Starbucks scones.
The vanilla flavor is just right, and I love how the cookies have such a soft, tender texture.
If you’ve never used a real vanilla bean in your baking before, you will need to slice the pod open, and then scrape it with a knife to extract the vanilla caviar. It’s pretty fun, and you can pretend you’re on a cooking show.
David Lebowitz says, Vanilla is the salt of the pastry world, but sometimes it’s nice to let it come out of the background and into the spotlight, so it can have the attention it deserves. And these cookies do just that!
Soft Ricotta Cookies With Vanilla Bean Glaze
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 5 dozen 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
These cookies are super soft and full of real vanilla flavor. I ate way more than my quota this weekend!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 15 ounces Ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Caviar of one vanilla bean pod
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Caviar of one vanilla bean pod
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar and eggs on medium speed.
- Add Ricotta cheese and mix until smooth. Add vanilla extract and vanilla caviar and blend.
- In a medium bowl, mix flour with baking powder and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients on low speed until a dough is formed.
- Drop the dough by level tablespoons onto a baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Cookies will just be started to get golden around the bottom edges.
- Remove from baking sheet and place on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath.
- Spoon glaze onto cookies and allow it to fully set before storing.
Glaze
- Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and vanilla caviar in a small bowl until smooth.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 107
- Sugar: 9.4g
- Sodium: 86mg
- Fat: 3.9g
- Saturated Fat: 2.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.2g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 1.9g
- Cholesterol: 17mg
Alicia Morrell says
These are very good! I just made them :-0
Julie says
Awesome, thanks Alicia!
Julie says
I just made these and they came out perfectly. I love using the vanilla bean and vanilla extract. They are soft, delicious and beautiful. I use a frosting recipe of 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, 1 Tbsp light corn syrup, 1 Tbsp softened butter, 2 Tbsp 1/2 & 1/2 or milk, and a 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Mix all together well and you can add food coloring if you like.
This recipe will now be my go to recipe for these cookies. I love your site!
Julie says
Sounds wonderful Julie. Thanks so much!
Jean says
Just made these and they came out flat. What did I do wrong?
Julie says
Hi Jean, I wish I could be there to help you more, but the three things that could cause these not to rise is not enough egg, old baking powder, or not enough flour. Hopefully this will help you troubleshoot.
Jean says
Thanks, will try again.
DONNA says
Do these cookies need to be refrigerated after glazing?
Thanks
Julie says
Hi Donna, no they do not. Enjoy!
JoAnne says
OMG I made these and brought to the office today. Everyone loves them. Thank you for providing such a yummy recipe. I love your blog. Happy New Year to you!!
JoAnne
Julie says
Thanks so much JoAnne! Happy New Year!
Jennifer Brie says
Just made these! The flavor in amazing! BUT…the dough didn’t spread at all in the oven. I ended up rolling the dough into balls and flattening each one a bit, to give the cookies a nice looking final shape. They’re very dense…like biscuits or scones. Does it sound like I may have done something wrong, or is that how yours came out also?
Thanks for the recipe! My husband loves them 🙂
Julie says
Hi Jennifer! So glad you liked them. It sounds like your dough may have had a bit too much flour. It should be pretty sticky, and not really one you could roll into a ball very easily. Sometimes just the way we measure our flour out can affect the dough. I keep mine in a large jar, and I always fluff it before scooping it out (gently so as not to pack it). They are sort of a cross between a scone and a cookie though. Hope this is helpful!
Jennifer says
Very helpful!! Thank you 🙂
Diane J Nordyk says
I made these and they were out of this world!! However, I live alone and had cookies coming out of my ears…lol!! Some recipes can’t be cut in half because it throws the measurements off, do you see a problem with doing it with this one?
Julie says
Hi Diane, I’m glad you liked them. Yes, you could definitely half this recipe as it does make a lot of cookies!
Terry says
How many cookies can you get using half the recipe.
Thanks
Julie says
I would say about 2-3 dozen. Sorry that’s not very exact- I haven’t made these in a little while. But they are delicious!
Linda Reale says
I made these today with my grandson, and the family loved them!! Thank you for a great recipe!!
Julie says
That’s wonderful, thank you Linda!
Jenny says
Can these be made ahead a frozen- glazed later?
Julie says
Yes, that would work just fine. Enjoy!
Jessica says
I just made these for a cookie exchange and honestly they’re so good I want to keep them all!
Julie says
Time to make another batch! So glad you like them Jessica!
Becky says
These look amazing! Do you strain the ricotta?
Julie says
Thanks Becky, no you do not need to strain the ricotta.
Terri says
I’m about to make these and was wondering how long do they keep for? Like If i made them on Monday, would they still be just as delicious if served on Thursday or will the taste be affected by then?
Julie says
Hi Terri, to be honest I have never tried making them more than 1-2 days ahead. The glaze does keep them moist, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they tasted great three days later! Hope you enjoy!
Lynn says
Hi I was wondering if I can use vanilla bean paste instead of caviar of the bean? I’m not sure where to buy the beans. Thanks
Julie says
Yes that’s a great substitute Lynn. Enjoy!
Lauren says
These cookies look amazing!!!! I have seen recipes that use confectioners sugar…is that what you used or did you use regular sugar? I’m gosorry NG to be making these for our Christmas cookie party at work!! Thanks!!
Lauren says
Sorry about the typos!!
Julie says
I used granulated sugar in the cookie dough, but powdered sugar in the glaze. I clarified that in the recipe so it is more clear. Thanks for your question! Enjoy!
Le says
Do you use granulated sugar for the recipe? Can’t wait to make these!!! They look so scrumptious!!!
Julie says
Hi! The recipe uses granulated sugar in the cookie dough and powdered sugar for the glaze. I clarified that in the recipe so it is more clear. Thanks for your question. I hope you love these as much as we do!
Nevart says
My husband and grandsons made these a week and a half ago. They were kept covered tightly with plastic wrap on a platter and they taste just as good and have the same texture that they did right after they were made. Still soft, still delicious and the icing didn’t run off nor did the sprinkles melt. Perfect! OH….and we checked all over for any mold, and didn’t see any. No one got sick frome eating them, so as far as I’m concerned…two weeks is not beyond the realm of possibility for storing them!
Wendy says
I just made these to bring for Christmas Eve and was so excited to make them. I don’t know what I did wrong but they taste very flourey and not much other flavor. I followed the recipe to a T. Not sure how to fix 5 dozen cookies quick, any suggestions?
Julie says
Hi Wendy, the cookie itself is pretty basic but the vanilla glaze adds sweetness and flavor. If you feel like they still need a little something more, I would add another layer of glaze flavored to your preference. Adding a little lemon or almond extract would go well with the vanilla. Hope this is helpful for you. Merry Christmas!
Elaina says
These are addictively yummy. Just enough sweet, even without the “dressing” of icing. I enjoy them with my coffee in the morning…. and as a snack after work…. and after dinner… ok, I enjoy them all day. And I don’t feel guilty at all! Thanks for sharing, Julie.
Adolfina says
Wow! This is the winner! Delicious and easy to make. Maybe too sweet for my taste,but that’s not a problem at all. Omg they will be my favourite cookie recipe from now on. Thank you soo much for sharing this!
Paula Eberhard says
These cookies are amazing! I actually did a trial run on freezing the dough. I formed it into a ball and wrapped it good in saran wrap and put it in freezer for one month and there is no difference in taste or shape they were just like I made them from beginning.
Julie says
Good to know, thank you!