Traditional Italian ricotta cookies inspire this cut-out sugar cookie recipe. This cake-like texture sugar cookie is perfect for decorating any time of the year!  

Prep time: 15 mins

 Chill time: 30 mins

Bake time: 10 mins

Total time: 1 hour 

My middle son, who celebrates his birthday one week before Christmas,  loves to decorate cookies with his friends for his birthday every year.  I always look for new cut-out cookies to make this time of year.   Last year, I created this easy funfetti cut-out cookie recipe, and it was a huge hit!   Italian Ricotta Cookies inspire these ricotta cut-out cookies.  I used the traditional vanilla extract in this recipe, but you could also add lemon extract for more authenticity.

Ingredients

1 cup of whole milk ricotta cheese

1 cup unsalted butter, softened – 2 sticks

1.5 cups of granulated sugar

Two teaspoons of vanilla extract

One large egg

3.5 cups of all-purpose flour

One teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional Ingredients-  You can substitute the vanilla extract with lemon extract or almond extract. You can add a small amount of lemon zest or fresh lemon juice if you like.

Equipment

Electric mixer

Baking sheet or cookie sheet.

Rolling pin

parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

Cookie cutter or a glass to make cookie shapes.

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer for this step.

3. Add the ricotta cheese, egg, and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Mix until well combined.

4. Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix; mix until the ingredients are combined.

5. Divide the cookie dough into two equal portions and wrap each portion in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Chilling the dough will make it easier to handle and cut out into shapes.

6. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. On a floured surface, roll out one portion of the chilled dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the dough. Place the cut-out cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between each cookie.

8. Bake the cookies in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Keep an eye on them to prevent overbaking.

9. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. Once the cookies are completely cooled, you can decorate them with icing, sprinkles, or any other decoration.

Storage:

You can store these in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze these for up to 3 months. If you choose to freeze these cookies, I would store them in the freezer undecorated.

Decorating Ideas- You can decorate these with your favorite frosting or glaze. You can also dust powdered sugar over these cookies!

Print

Ricotta Cut Out Cookies

This cut-out sugar cookie recipe is inspired by traditional Italian ricotta cookies.  This cake-like texture sugar cookie is perfect for decorating any time of the year! 

Servings 40 cookies

Ingredients

• 3.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter at room tempreture two sticks
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1 cup full fat ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer.

3. Add the ricotta cheese, egg, and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Mix until well combined.

4. Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix; mix until the ingredients are combined.

5. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Chilling the dough will make it easier to handle and cut out into shapes.

6. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. On a floured surface, roll out one portion of the chilled dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the dough. Place the cut-out cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between each cookie

8. Bake the cookies in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Keep an eye on them to prevent overbaking.

9. Cool and decorate.

Ricotta cheese is filled with protein and calcium and is an excellent way to use up ricotta cheese leftover from your lasagna!

If you liked this recipe, you should also try:

Buttermilk chocolate chip cookies

Funfetti Cut-out Cookies

M&M Cut Out Cookies

Lemon Cream Cheese Mints

Did you love the flavor of these perfect ricotta Christmas cookies? I would love to hear how these turned out for you! Please let me know how these cookies turned out for you by commenting on this blog post, or you can also tag me on social media. You can find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.