These lemon ricotta cookies are extra soft and spongy from the addition of ricotta cheese. Filled with sweet ricotta frosting, you can’t eat just one!
Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Oh my gosh I love lemon cookies! I love cookies, period. But there’s just something about lemon cookies that is so refreshing and different from the chocolate and peanut butter standards, especially in the warmer months.
This recipe is an adaptation of my lemon cookies with cream cheese frosting, but this time I wanted to add ricotta cheese.
I love the velvety texture and mild flavor of ricotta. It’s the perfect ingredient to balance the sweetness of the cookies and tartness of the lemon.
Plus, it gives the cookies a wonderfully soft and spongy texture. They’re almost like whoopie pies!
I also have to admit that I love using boxed cake mix to make cookies. I first tried cake mix cookies with a box of red velvet and I’ve been hooked ever since!
I love making food completely from scratch, but I like how super fast they are to whip up with a mix, and I can’t resist the incredible results. The addition of fresh lemon zest gives these cookies that homemade taste.
I sandwiched these cookies with a sweet and fluffy ricotta frosting to really highlight the ingredient. I could eat this frosting with a spoon!
I’m not even what you would call a frosting fanatic, but when you add cheese to the mix it’s a whole other ball game. It starts to taste more like cheesecake – or in this case cannoli cream filling. Yes please, sign me up for that!
I took a container of these cookies with me to a potluck where they disappeared like a pot of gold. I think it’s safe to say I’m not the only one who loves the lemon-ricotta combo! Try these lemon ricotta sandwich cookies yourself and see!
Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Fluffy lemon cookies that start with a cake mix. The ricotta cheese keeps them extra soft, plus it makes an excellent cheesecake frosting!
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 box Lemon Cake Mix
- 1 cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
- 1 large Egg
- zest of one Lemon
For the Frosting:
- 2 ounces Cream Cheese, Softened
- 2 tablespoons Butter, Softened
- 2-3 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 cup Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- In a large bowl, beat together cake mix, ricotta cheese, egg, and lemon zest for 2 minutes. Drop rounded teaspoons of cookie dough 2-inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until set and bottoms are lightly golden.
- Beat the cream cheese, butter, and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Add the ricotta and vanilla and mix until blended. Add additional powdered sugar to thicken, if necessary. Place in refrigerator to chill and set.
- After frosting has set, spread or pipe onto the bottom of half the cookies. Top with remaining half of cookies. Refrigerate cookies until ready to serve.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 189Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 152mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 0gSugar: 29gProtein: 2g
Nutritional information provided is an estimate only. Please consult the labels of ingredients you use for more accurate results.
Annie
Monday 6th of March 2023
Does the Ricotta cheese need to be room temperature for any part of the recipe? or straight out of the fridge?
Rebekah
Wednesday 8th of March 2023
No, I use it cold.
Nicole
Friday 22nd of June 2018
Was going to try the recipe with the cream cheese frosting but then saw the link for this one and knew I HAD to try it (I love both lemon and ricotta!!). I didn't have any lemon cake mix, so I used vanilla mix and added the juice of the lemon that I got the zest from. The "cookies" ended up looking more like cream puffs. Maybe I should have flattened them instead of trying to round them out. And I did not wait long enough for the frosting to set, so they kept slip-sliding around. So for appearance, I failed miserably. But as for flavor, I'd say these were super tasty. Thanks for a delicious recipe!