These glazed ricotta orange cookies are soft and lightly sweet, with a bright citrus flavor that feels fresh without being overpowering. The ricotta cheese gives the cookies their soft, creamy, cake-like texture, while orange zest and juice add balanced citrus flavor. A simple orange glaze finishes each cookie with just a little extra orange sweetness.
These cookies are soft and pillowy thanks to the ricotta cheese, with a bright orange flavor from both the zest and juice. The light glaze adds just a little extra citrus, making them especially appealing to orange lovers.
Ricotta adds moisture and a soft, creamy texture to cookies. If you enjoy baking with ricotta, you may also like these lemon ricotta cookies and ricotta fig and honey cookies.
A Quick Look: Glazed Ricotta Orange Cookies
Recipe Name: Glazed Ricotta Orange Cookies
Ready In: About 3 hours (including chill, cooling, and glazing)
Yield: 36 cookies
Texture: Tender, moist, with a soft cake-like crumb.
Flavor Profile: Orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla
Difficulty: easy
Why You'll Love This Cookie
- Soft and cake-like texture. Ricotta cheese keeps these cookies tender and moist with every bite.
- Bright orange flavor. Fresh orange zest and juice add a light citrus flavor to both the cookies and the glaze.
- Easy to make. No special techniques are required, making these cookies a great choice for bakers of all skill levels.
- Perfect for sharing. Their soft texture and sweet orange glaze make them a favorite for holidays, brunches, showers, or an afternoon treat with coffee or tea.
Ingredients
Cookies
- Ricotta Cheese - I recommend using Whole Milk. Whole milk gives a richer flavor and a softer fluffier texture to your cookies.
- Ground Cardamom - This spice gives a warn and slightly citrusy flavor.
- Poppy Seeds - I didn't want a big crunch since I was using the ricotta cheese, so I went with the small poppy seeds. They give a mild nutty and a crunch without interfering with the texture of the cookies.
Glaze
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Ingredient Tips
Ricotta Cheese - I purchase the Maggio Whole Milk brand for my cookies. This ricotta tastes a little sweeter to me, so I really love it for cookies. But as long as it is whole milk, you can certainly use your favorite brand.
Orange and Vanilla Extracts - So many companies sell extracts, so it's hard to decide what to use. I have used McCormick extracts in the past, which is easily find at your local store. My theory is use what you like for extracts. I show you what I use but you have to decide based on taste and cost.
Spices in General - Every grocery store has an aisle that sells spices in a jar. It is really hard to figure out if you are getting the best quality for your money. I have started to switch over to The Spice House.
If you really want to ramp up the spices in your cabinet, consider purchasing online and different brands for different spices. I found a website called bonappetit.com Where to Buy Spices.
Making Glazed Ricotta Orange Cookies
Prep
Step 1: The first thing I do is zest and juice an orange.
Step 2: Now I weigh or measure the flour into a medium-size bowl. Add to the flour the baking powder, kosher salt, ground cardamom, and the poppy seeds. I whisk and blend the dry ingredients together.
Step 3: Next, I weigh or measure the sugar add the sugar to a bowl.
Step 4: Zest and juice the orange, setting the juice aside for later. Add 1 packed tablespoon of the orange zest to the sugar. Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, rub the zest into the sugar until it becomes slightly moist and fragrant. Set the bowl aside.
Mix and Chill
Step 5: Cube the butter into a mixer bowl and depending on how cold your butter is, this will determine how long it take to cream the butter. Mix on a medium mixer speed for a minute or two.
Step 6: You want the creamed butter to look fluffy and creamy.
Step 7: Add the orange-sugar combo to the creamed butter and mix for 3 minutes on a medium mixer speed.
Step 8: I break one egg into a small dish to make sure I do not have any egg shells in the dish. Then add it to the sugar-butter mixture. Incorporate the first egg before adding the second.
Step 9: Add the ricotta cheese, orange juice, the vanilla extract, and the orange extract, to the bowl. Mix until the ricotta cheese has been blended into the mixture.
Step 10: All the wet ingredients have been added and it will be very soft.
Step 11: The final part is scraping down the bowl and turn the mixer to a low speed. Add about a third at a time of the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated about a minute. The longer you mix in the flour, the cookies can turn out tough.
Chill
Step 12: Cover and chill for an hour.
Scoop and Bake
Step 13: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line two cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. I used a medium cookie scooper to get even-sized cookies.
Step 14: Place twelve scoops of cookie dough on a prepared sheet pan and bake for 13-15 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly brown. Once out of the oven, move them to a cooling rack. Start the glaze after the cookies are cooled.
Glaze
Step 15: This glaze is the perfect complement to the ricotta orange cookies. Zest and juice another orange, setting the juice aside. Add the powdered sugar to a mixing bowl, then stir in the orange zest and vanilla bean paste.
Step 16: Using a whisk, stir in 3 tablespoons of the orange juice until smooth. Add another tablespoon and check the consistency. Continue adding more juice a little at a time if needed. You can always add more orange juice, but you can't take it back once it's in the bowl. My glaze used the full 4½ tablespoons of orange juice.
Step 17: Glazing cookies can get a little messy, so place a sheet of parchment paper under the wire rack to catch any drips. Wax paper works just as well if that's what you have on hand, making cleanup much easier. Using a teaspoon, drizzle the glaze over the top of each cookie.
Step 18: I let them sit for about 45 minutes or until the glaze has set before putting them into a container.
Enjoy!
Storage Tips
I store these in a plastic container right on my counter (Rubbermaid TakeAlongs 1 gallon at Walmart). I also put parchment paper between the layers so they do not stick to each other. You can refrigerate them, but if they are going to be eaten within 5 days I do not. If you put the lid on tight and your glaze becomes too soft just lay the lid slightly off to the side so the cookies can get some air.
FAQs
I do not drain my ricotta for these cookies. I have not had issues with excess moisture when using whole milk ricotta. If you do drain the ricotta, just know the cookies may turn out firmer in texture.
You do not need to add the glaze, but it adds moisture and boosts the orange flavor. You can also make a simple vanilla glaze by replacing the orange juice with milk and increasing the amount of vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract to at least 1 teaspoon, more if you really love vanilla.
Mixing the zest with the sugar helps release the natural oils in the zest so the flavor is absorbed into the sugar. This helps spread the orange flavor evenly throughout the dough, giving every cookie a bright citrus taste.
Still Have Questions?
Need help with ingredient swaps or wondering if these cookies freeze well? I've added a few extra baking helpers below for common home baker questions.
Looking for More Orange Cookies
If you tried this Glazed Ricotta Orange Cookies recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and share your thoughts in the comments. Thanks!
Recipe
Glazed Ricotta Orange Cookies
Ingredients
COOKIES
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) Sugar white
- 1 Tablespoon Orange zest
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Tablespoon Orange juice
- ¼ teaspoon Orange Extract
- ¾ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 15 oz (453.59 g) Ricotta cheese
- 3 cups (375 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon (1 g) Ground cardamom
- 1 Tablespoon (9 g) Poppy seeds
GLAZE
- 2 ¼ cups (270 g) Powdered sugar
- 4 ½ Tablespoon Orange juice
- ¾ teaspoon Vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Making Cookies
- Zest and juice one orange into small bowls, then set both aside. Weigh or measure the sugar and add the orange zest. Mix by hand until the sugar is moist from the zest, then set the bowl aside.
- Next, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and poppy seeds into a medium bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients together, making sure the poppy seeds are evenly distributed. Set the bowl aside.
- In a stand or hand-held mixer, cream the butter. This should take about one to two minutes. Add the orange zest sugar mixture and blend on medium speed for three minutes, making sure the sugar is blended into the butter as much as possible.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, orange extract, ricotta, and orange juice, and blend until combined. Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the flour mixture, about a third at a time. Mix just until the flour is incorporated. I mix mine for about one minute total. Overmixing can lead to tough cookies. Cover and chill for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Scoop out twelve mounds of dough using a medium cookie scoop. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes. After baking, move the cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before starting the glaze.
Orange Glaze
- Add the powdered sugar, orange juice, and vanilla bean paste to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Spoon 1 teaspoon of glaze onto the top of each cooled cookie and gently spread it with the back of the spoon. Let the cookies sit until the glaze sets. I let mine sit for about one hour before moving them to a container.
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Notes
- Use whole-milk ricotta for the best texture and flavor.
- If your ricotta seems very wet, drain off excess liquid before measuring. Too much moisture can make the dough overly soft.
- Fresh orange zest provides most of the orange flavor in these cookies, so don't skip it.
- Fresh orange juice gives the glaze a brighter flavor than bottled juice.
- Cardamom adds a subtle warmth that complements the orange without overpowering it.
- Poppy seeds are optional but add a nice texture and visual appeal.
- These cookies are soft, moist, and cake-like because of the ricotta cheese.
- Avoid overbaking. The cookies should be lightly colored and still soft when removed from the oven.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before glazing.
- The orange glaze should set in about 40 minutes.
- For a stronger orange flavor, add a little extra zest to the glaze.
NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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