Low Carb Lemon Ricotta Cookies Recipe
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If you’ve ever had Lemon Ricotta Cookies, you know how delicious these Italian cookies are. But did you know they are super easy to make at home? You don’t have to be an experienced pastry chef to enjoy these delicious cookies from your own oven. But I highly recommend having coffee with them because it’s such a great flavor combination.
What Are Lemon Ricotta Cookies?
Low-carb, keto-friendly Lemon Ricotta Cookies are soft, tender, and slightly fluffy cookies made with ricotta cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice. They are delicate cookies with a cake-like texture served with a lemon and powdered sugar glaze.
Why You Should Make These Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Aside from being low-carb and delicious, these delicate cookies are definitely a crowd-pleaser and great for serving to guests. They are also a fantastic way to use up lemons when they’re in season. Ricotta cookies are also a great treat to share on just about any special occasion. From baby showers to summer barbecues, these cookies are one of those desserts that make a great ending to any meal or even a midday snack!
Another reason to make these is that there is no butter or all purpose flour in them. The Ricotta does all the heavy lifting in this recipe to keep these cookies moist and delicious.
Lemon Ricotta Cookie Recipe Tips
- Ricotta cheese – Be sure to use whole-milk Ricotta to get the best overall texture from your cookies. Using low-fat or nonfat Ricotta will give you drier cookies that do not have that soft, caky texture these cookies need.
- Don’t over mix – This needs repeating; do not over-mix the dough unless you like tough, flat cookies.
- Don’t over bake – These are done baking when they are set but still soft. They should be just barely golden brown around the edges.
- Cool the cookies – Don’t glaze your cookies while they are still warm. Cool them completely before glazing them.
- Let the glaze set – Before storing these, ensure the glaze is completely set; otherwise, things will get messy quickly.
Why Are My Lemon Ricotta Cookies Flat?
There are a few things to look at if your cookies are flat.
- Oven temperature – Our ovens sometimes don’t preheat to the temperature we tell them to. Like many other tools in life, they sometimes need calibration to be accurate. To adjust for this, it’s best to keep an oven thermometer in the oven to be sure you are baking at the intended temperature.
- Over mixing—If you over mix these cookies, you will over-activate the gluten and add extra air that shouldn’t be there. Over mixing will lead to flatter cookies. So make sure you mix just enough to combine the batter.
- Warm dough – If your dough is too warm, your cookies will spread. Make sure you chill the dough long enough to firm it up.
About The Ingredients
Batter
Finely ground blanched almond flour – Do not use almond meal.
Coconut flour – Not desiccated coconut.
Baking powder – Make sure it’s fresh.
Salt – Use whatever kind of salt you normally bake with.
Ricotta cheese – Use full-fat Ricotta and drain it well.
Egg – Room temperature eggs are best.
Granular sweetener – Try a low-carb granular sweetener such as Xylitol or Erythritol.
Lemon – You’ll want both the zest and the juice, plus extra zest for garnish if you want to make them pretty.
Pure vanilla extract – Use the real stuff. Not vanilla flavoring.
Glaze
Confectioners’ sweetener – Swerve makes a good one.
Lemon – Both the zest and juice.
How To Make Lemon Ricotta Cookies
In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, use a rubber spatula to stir together with the Ricotta, egg, granular sweetener, and lemon zest until mostly smooth, using the spatula to smash the ingredients against the side of the bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla until well combined.
Stir the flour mixture into the ricotta mixture a little at a time until well combined, but don’t over mix. Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop up the dough and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 13 to 14 minutes, until the bottoms are slightly golden. The tops of the cookies will be set but light in color. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet: they are fragile when they are hot.
To make the glaze, place the sweetener, zest, and juice in a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the tops of the cookies. Garnish with more lemon zest if desired.
How To Store Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Store these in an airtight container or cookie tin. They can be refrigerated for up to one week.
How Long Can You Freeze Lemon Ricotta Cookies?
Lemon Ricotta Cookies can be frozen for up to one month if packaged well. Make sure the container is airtight. If it’s a plastic freezer bag, be sure to press out as much air as possible before closing the bag.
More Delicious Cookie Recipes To Try
- Low Carb Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Low Carb White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie Bars
- Keto Skillet Chocolate Chip Brookie
Low Carb Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups finely ground blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese well drained
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup granular sweetener
- Grated zest of 1 lemon plus more for garnish if desired
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Glaze
- ¾ cup confectioners sweetener
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a rubber spatula to stir together with the Ricotta, egg, granular sweetener, and lemon zest until mostly smooth, using the spatula to smash the ingredients against the side of the bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla until well combined.
- Stir the flour mixture into the ricotta mixture a little at a time until well combined, but don’t over mix. Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
- Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop up the dough and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 13 to 14 minutes, until the bottoms are slightly golden. The tops of the cookies will be set but light in color. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet: they are fragile when they are hot.
- To make the glaze, place the sweetener, zest, and juice in a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the tops of the cookies. Garnish with more lemon zest if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is included as a courtesy and is calculated to the best of my ability, using my preferred brands. I recommend calculation your own macros, as they can widely vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use.
Author: Natasha Newton (Natasha's Southern Flavor)
Natasha is the founder of Natasha’s Southern Flavor. She has a passion for sharing delicious family friendly low-carb recipes that are easy to make and use readily accessible ingredients. Natasha has published three bestselling cookbooks. Her books and recipes have been featured by CNET, Delish, Mindbodygreen, Parade and Women’s Health. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband, two adult children, and three furbabies.
Read more about Natasha here.