Description
These orange chocolate chip ricotta cookies are unbelievably soft and tender, flavored with fresh orange zest and studded with mini chocolate chips. Topped with a sweet citrus icing, they stay soft for days and make a bright, melt-in-your-mouth winter treat.
Ingredients
- 2 and 3/4 cups (344g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for shaping
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 10 ounces (283g) full-fat ricotta cheese, at room temperature*
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons fresh orange zest
- 1 Tablespoon (15g/ml) fresh orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (180g) mini chocolate chips
Icing
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2-3 Tablespoons (30-45g/ml) fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Make the cookies: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, then add the ricotta cheese, vanilla extract, orange zest, and orange juice. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips. Beat on low speed just until incorporated. Do not over-mix. Dough will be very creamy, sticky, and thick.
- Cover dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 2–3 days. I prefer refrigerating overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.)
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Scoop 1 scant Tablespoon of dough for each cookie, using the Tbsp measuring spoon and a lightly floured finger to nudge the dough onto the baking sheet. Lightly flour your finger again and reshape each portion into a ball. Cookie size is important; see recipe Note below.
- Bake for 13–14 minutes, or until the top of a cookie springs back when lightly pressed with your finger. The cookies shouldn’t brown much at all.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before glazing.
- Make the icing: In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice until smooth. Add an extra 1 or 2 teaspoons of juice to thin out, if desired. Spoon over the cookies. If applied lightly, the icing will set within a couple hours.
- Iced cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days. Baked cookies, cooled but unglazed, freeze well for up to 3 months. (For best taste and texture, icing should be fresh!) Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before glazing.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Ricotta Cheese: We strongly recommend using whole milk/full fat ricotta cheese.
- Can I Use Regular Chocolate Chips Instead of Mini? We don’t recommend it. Regular chips are too large for these delicate cookies and weigh down the dough, causing uneven spreading. Mini chips distribute more evenly and preserve the soft, cakey texture.
- Cookie Size Makes a Difference: Carefully measure out 1 scant Tablespoon of cookie dough per cookie. You can use a small cookie scoop, but anything larger than 1 Tablespoon yields particularly flat cookies. Or let me reword that… orange ricotta pancakes.
- Expect a Sticky Dough: Have some flour on hand when you’re scooping and shaping the cookies. You may need to flour your hands periodically, or even wash them a few times as you go. Totally normal and expected.
- Can I Halve This Recipe? Absolutely. Simply halve all of the ingredients for fewer cookies. The instructions, chill time, and bake times stay the same.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.