These Italian Orange Ricotta Drop cookies taste like a mini scone that melts in your mouth after one bite. They are buttery, creamy and packed full of fresh orange juice and zest. I love pairing them with coffee or tea in the morning. They also make the perfect treat for a book club gathering or small event.
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Why you will love this Cookie Recipe
- Zero artificial flavors
- Made with simple and fresh ingredients
- Taste like a mini scone
- Simple to bake
- No mixer required
Ingredient Notes
Flour: Use a good quality All Purpose Un Bleached Flour for the cookies like Wheat Montana White Flour or King Arthur Organic All Purpose Flour. I always bake with Unbleached because it doesn’t contain the chemicals used in bleached flour to whiten it. Instead the flour is milled to oxidize on its own overtime. Read this article by King Arthur, Bleached vs. Unbleached to decide what flour is best for you. I always choose the quality ingredient. Not only for nutrients but because it provides the most flavor and taste is everything. Especially with baking.
Butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt used but feel free to use salted butter too. Just add less salt to the dough. Refer to the recipe card for measurements.
Sugar: You can use regular granulated sugar or Wholesome Organic Cane Sugar in the cookie recipe. I always choose organic sugar because it gives me peace of mind knowing that it is less processed and free of glyphosate. Tap this link to learn more about glyphosate. Same goes for the powdered sugar in the glaze. I try and buy organic but regular is fine too.
Vanilla Extract: Choose a pure vanilla bean extract. One that only contains vanilla beans extractives in alcohol. It gives your baked cookies the best flavor without the harmful and cheap additives. I love Watkins Pure Vanilla Extract or the pure vanilla extract from costco.
Ricotta Cheese: I love the ricotta cheese in these cookies! It adds a nice and creamy note. However you can replace the ricotta with blended cottage cheese, plain greek yogurt or plain yogurt without sacrificing any flavor.
Recipe Variation
Instead of using an orange try using a lemon instead. You can equally swap the orange juice and orange zest with lemon juice and lemon zest for a fun variation. Both are tasty cookies!
How to make the Italian Orange Cookies
- Start by preheating the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to use later.
- Next to a large mixing bowl add softened butter and sugar and beat with a wooden spoon or hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy.
- Add in the egg, ricotta cheese, orange zest, orange juice, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix until just combined.
- To a small mixing bowl add dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and salt. Lightly mix with a fork.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold the flour in with a wooden spoon or spatula until the last bit of flour disappears.
- Using a 1.5 oz cookie scoop, scoop 6-8 cookie dough balls evenly onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the cookies 350 F for 9-12 minutes until the bottoms are lightly golden.
- Cool the cookies and place onto a cooling rack.
- Continue to scoop and bake the dough until all the batter is gone.
- Once all the cookies are baked and cooling prepare the orange glaze.
- Start by adding the powdered sugar, melted butter, freshly squeezed orange juice and zest to a bowl. With a whisk, beat until there are zero lumps and the glaze is silky smooth.
- Take a cooled cookie and swirl the top of the cookie in the glaze and place back onto the wire cooling rack. Continue until all the cookies have been frosted. Top with extra orange zest if you would like.
- Let the glaze set then enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter, out of the sun for 1-2 days.
Italian Orange Ricotta Drop Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Whisk
- 1-3 Baking Sheet
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup softened butter unsalted
- ¾ cup organic granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest or 1 lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract optional
- 2 tablespoon fresh orange juice or fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cup room temperature ricotta cheese full fat
- 1 egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt use 1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter
- 2 cup all purpose unbleached flour
Frosting
- 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tablespoon melted butter
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice or fresh lemon
- 1 teaspoon orange zest lemon zest
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Then line two standard baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl begin adding softened butter and sugar.
- Mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy using a hand mixer or wooden spoon for about 2-3 min.
- Crack in the egg, room temperature ricotta cheese, orange zest, orange juice, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix until combined.
- In another bowl add flour, baking soda, and salt and mix with a fork.
- Next pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold the two into each by using a rubber spatula.
- Do not over mix the cookie dough. Once the flour dissolves into the dough stop stirring.
- Now with a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough and place no more than 6-8 cookies on a baking tray at a time, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 9-12 min or until the bottom of the cookies are golden brown and centers are puffy and light.
- Continue the previous step until all the cookies are baked.
- While the cookies are cooling prepare the citrus glaze.
- First grab a large mixing bowl and add powdered sugar, melted butter, orange juice and or lemon juice or orange zest and or lemon zest.
- With a whisk, whisk the frosting until smooth and silky.
- Grab a cooled cookie and dunk the top into the glaze and then place onto a cooling rack. I like to place a baking sheet under the cooling rack to avoid a huge mess on the counter top.
- Finish Icing all the cookies and let the glaze set. Then serve and enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter, out of the sun for 1-2 days for maximum freshness.