Italian Christmas Cookies

Italian Christmas Cookies are rich and sweet, made with butter, ricotta cheese, and almond extract. They’re finished off with a sweet almond glaze.

If you’re looking for a classic Christmas cookie to serve this holiday season that’s off the beaten path from standard butter or sugar cookies, then you’ve found it. These rich cookies are a holiday staple in our home, and they’ll be the same in yours when you try them.

These Italian Christmas Cookies are my new favorite Christmas cookies!! These soft cookies are flavored with almond and have a quick glaze and festive sprinkles. The secret ingredient to these super soft cookies is ricotta cheese! These are great for gifting and are perfect for a Christmas cookie tray.  No chill and a quick bake make these great for the holidays! 

These cookies are honestly the softest cookie I have ever had!  The light almond and vanilla flavor makes them delicious.  The ricotta keeps them moist and is the secret to them being so soft!

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• They’re incredibly easy and come together quickly.
• The butter, ricotta, and almond extract make incredibly rich cookies loaded with almond flavor.
• They come together quickly, so you’ll have more time with family and friends.

🛒Ingredients

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

These cookies only use a handful of simple ingredients that are readily found at your local grocery store. Below, you’ll find the major ingredients that make these cookies what they are. You can find the completely ingredient list along with amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.

For the Cookies

• Ricotta cheese
• Almond extract
• Butter

For the Glaze

• Powdered sugar
• Almond extract
• Sprinkles

🔪 How to Make Italian Christmas Cookies

Making these cookies is a breeze. They come together so quickly, and they’re ready in a snap.

Step 1: Prep

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Combine the Wet Ingredients

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Then, add the ricotta, vanilla extract, almond extract, and egg and mix until combined. Finally, stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Step 3: Bake

Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, place balls of dough on the lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Then, bake for 15 minutes until the bottom being to turn light brown. Cool the cookies completely on a wire rack.

Step 4: Make the Glaze

Whisk the powdered sugar, water, and almond extract together until smooth.

Step 5: Glaze the Cookies

Spoon the icing over the cookies and top with sprinkles immediately.

📝Variations

Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!

• Butter Cookies: Omit the almond and make plain butter cookies.
• Vanilla Icing: Replace almond extract with vanilla extract to make vanilla icing.
• Lemon: Use lemon juice in place of almond extract to make almond cookies.
• Chocolate Chips: Try adding a handful of mini chocolate chips to the batter.

If you love iced or frosted cookies like these, then you’ll enjoy these pumpkin sugar cookies with buttercream frosting.

🥄 Equipment

You’ll only need a few basic pieces of kitchen equipment to make this recipe.

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Whisk
• Mixing bowl

🥫 Storage

You can store these cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.

💭 Tips

This simple recipe is so easy even beginners can make it. To make things even simpler, we have a couple of tips here for you.

• You can adjust the glaze’s thickness using powdered sugar to thicken it or more water to thin it to get the proper consistency.
• Be sure to remove the cookies as soon as the bottoms begin to brown so they don’t burn.
• Fully soften your butter so it creams well.

⁉️ FAQ

Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.

🍽 More Recipes

Do you enjoy cookies? Then try these delicious recipes:

• Pumpkin Reese’s Pieces Cookies
• Crispy Blueberry Cookies
• Funfetti Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Melting Snowman Cookies

📌 PIN IT!!

🧾Recipe Card

Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.

Italian Christmas Cookies

These Italian Christmas cookies are buttery, almond cookies made with ricotta and topped with a sweet, almond glaze.

4 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 30 Cookies

Calories: 101kcal

Equipment

• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• baking sheet
• parchment paper
• Whisk
• Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• Sprinkles

Instructions

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
• Add in the ricotta, vanilla, almond extract and egg and mix until combined.
• Stir in the flour and baking powder and salt.
• Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop and place the dough onto the sheet about 2 inches apart.
• Bake for 15 minutes just until the bottoms turn light brown.
• Cool the cookies on a rack until they are completely cool.
• Make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, water and almond extract until smooth.
• Spoon the icing over the cookies and immediately top with sprinkles.
• Serve!

Notes

• Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
• You can use lemon juice instead of almond if you prefer.
• You can also add sprinkles to the dough if you like.
• You can also add a handful of mini chocolate chips to the dough.
• If the glaze is too thick add a teaspoon more water at a time until your desired consistency.
• If the glaze gets too thin add a bit more powdered sugar.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cookie | Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 89IU | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 0.5mg