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    Home » Desserts » Cookies

    Published May 30, 2021 (Updated Feb 26, 2025) by Heather Bilyeu

    Soft Lemon Ricotta Cookies with 2 Ingredient Glaze

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    Light, soft, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, these lemon ricotta cookies are the perfect sweet Southern treat for summer. Made with both fresh-squeezed lemon juice and zest, they’re bursting with bright citrus flavor in every bite. Baked at 350°F for just 12 minutes and finished with a simple two-ingredient glaze, they’re irresistibly soft with just the right touch of sweetness! Yields 44 small cookies.

    lemon cookies lined up with lemon slices in between them.

    I love lemon-flavored anything!

    In my personal opinion, lemon anything is HIGHLY underrated! Especially lemon desserts! Soft lemon blueberry cookies with a cream cheese frosting or lemon and blueberry ricotta pound cake or creamy 5 minute lemon fruit dip ... GIMME ALL OF THEM! These sweet little tender lemon cookies are no exception and perfectly paired on a summer Southern afternoon eaten on the back porch washed down with a glass of sweet tea. Bliss!

    These cookies are a nice change of pace from your normal chocolate chip cookie. They are super tender and cake-like. Made with zest and juice from a lemon and topped with a simple glaze made from just two ingredients - lemon juice and powdered sugar. Let me show you how I like to bake these up in my kitchen.

    A small plate of 3 lemon ricotta cookies on it.

    Lets bake cookies together!

    First - preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with some parchment paper.

    A stand mixer with butter and sugar inside.
    In a stand mixer, mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (for 3-4 minutes).
    A stand mixer with butter, sugar, and eggs inside.
    Add in eggs and mix until just combined (about 30 seconds).
    A stand mixer mixing together the wet ingredients for cookies.
    Add in the ricotta cheese and vanilla, and mix until incorporated.
    bowl on sugar and butter being beat together
    Add in the flour, salt, and baking powder and mix until combined. The dough will be quite sticky and thick.
    ingredients for lemon ricotta cookies in a clear bowl
    Add the zest and juice of 2 lemons, and mix together with a spatula until all mixed into the dough.
    lemon ricotta cookies scooped out on a baking sheet before going into the oven.
    Scoop out onto a baking sheet using a cookie scoop and place in the oven to bake for 12 minutes.
    lemon ricotta cookies cooling on a cookie rack.
    Once finished, remove from oven and let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
    Mixing together a lemon glaze in a small bowl with a spatula.
    While the cookies are cooling, mix the lemon juice and zest in a bowl with powdered sugar. Whisk until smooth with no lumps remaining.
    drizzling on a lemon glaze on a cooling rack full of lemon ricotta cookies
    Drizzle the lemon glaze over the cooled cookies and enjoy!
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    Recipe

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    lemon ricotta cookies on a blue table with 4 lemon wedges in a diagonal next to the cookies

    Soft Lemon Ricotta Cookies with 2 Ingredient Glaze


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    • Author: Heather Bilyeu
    • Total Time: 27 minutes
    • Yield: 44
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    Description

    Light, soft, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, these lemon ricotta cookies are the perfect sweet Southern treat for summer. Made with both fresh-squeezed lemon juice and zest, they’re bursting with bright citrus flavor in every bite. Baked at 350°F for just 12 minutes and finished with a simple two-ingredient glaze, they’re irresistibly soft with just the right touch of sweetness! 


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 Stick Butter
    • 1 ½ Cup Sugar
    • 2 Eggs
    • 1 ½ Cups Whole Milk Ricotta
    • 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste
    • 2 ½ Cups Flour
    • 1 Teaspoon Salt
    • 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
    • Zest and Juice of 2 Lemons

    Glaze

    • Juice and zest of ½ lemon
    • 1 Cup Powdered Sugar


    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
    2. In a stand mixer, mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (for 3-4 minutes)
    3. Add in eggs and mix until just combined (about 30 seconds).
    4. Add in the ricotta cheese and vanilla, and mix until incorporated.
    5. Add in the flour, salt, and baking powder and mix until combined. The dough will be quite sticky.
    6. Add the zest and juice of 2 lemons, and mix with a spatula until all mixed into the dough.
    7. Scoop out onto a baking sheet using a cookie scoop and place in the oven to bake for 12 minutes.
    8. Once finished, remove from oven and let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
    9. In a small bowl add in the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and juice and whisk until smooth with no lumps remaining.
    10. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the cooled cookies and enjoy!
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 12 minutes
    • Category: Dessert - Cookies
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: American

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 cookie
    • Calories: 101
    • Sugar: 9.7 g
    • Sodium: 64 mg
    • Fat: 3.5 g
    • Carbohydrates: 15.7 g
    • Fiber: 0.2 g
    • Protein: 2 g
    • Cholesterol: 18.3 mg

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    Tag @fuelingasouthernsoul on Instagram and hashtag it #fuelingasouthernsoul

    Please rate and review below!

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    Filed Under: Cookies, Easter, Summer Tagged With: Lemon

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    Hi, I'm Heather! Grab a glass of wine, a blanket, and a cozy seat on your back porch. I am so glad you are here! Born and raised in Kentucky and with proper southern roots, my love for entertaining and hospitality runs deep within my soul. There is nothing that I love more than having people around my table and loving them through food and drink!

    More about me →

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