Ricotta Cinnamon Cookies

Ricotta is baked into these Ricotta Cinnamon Cookies to help keep them soft and fresh. Even though at first glance these cookies might look rather plain and boring, their flavour is tremendous! Perfectly light, airy, and cinnamon-y, it’s hard to eat just one of these delicious treats!

If you lived in the Thomas-Ewing household, you would either already love the taste of cinnamon, you’d have to learn to love it, or you’d have to move out. Sounds mean, doesn’t it? The fact remains though, it’s probably true! These Ricotta Cinnamon Cookies are delightful and made just the way we like them – soft, moist, and packed with the comforting and warming flavour of cinnamon!

I loved the thought of adding ricotta to a cinnamon cookie and I couldn’t wait to try it! I mean, really – cinnamon, cheese, brown sugar, butter – yummy! The first time I made these, I brought a batch of them to work, as I used to do with most of my baked goods, and they were my boss’ favourite. I didn’t necessarily agree with my boss much, but on this, I could concur wholeheartedly!

Now, just one more thing before we get to the recipe, if you’re much like John.e, you can handle cinnamon like nobody’s business. Even though the recipe below lists three tablespoons, feel free to add four tablespoons of cinnamon.  After all, there’s nothing wrong with more cinnamon-y goodness!

WHY BAKE WITH RICOTTA?

I think ricotta is probably one of the most unappreciated cheeses there is here in North America. And, I think the Italians are brilliant for incorporating the ingredient into way more dishes than we do! Ricotta is light and fluffy, and that’s exactly what it’s going to do in your baking. Cookies, cakes, scones, pancakes, etc., can all use ricotta to give height, lightness, and of course moisture!

Baking aside, there are two recipes I have that use ricotta and I cannot get enough of them. The first is this Whipped Honeyed Jalpeno Ricotta. I shared this recipe as a part of my Christmas appetizer series and it was a hit! The second recipe was this Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Chicken. It remains to this day one of my favourite ways to prepare chicken! By the way, when you open a container of ricotta, there may be some liquid floating on top. This does not mean it’s spoiled. Just use a whisk to blend it back into the rest of the cheese.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare these Ricotta Cinnamon Cookies. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! To be perfectly honest, I have made these with both salted and unsalted butter and there’s no difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done. Use what you have on hand.
• Brown Sugar – First of all, it has way more flavour! And, in this recipe, brown sugar helps to keep the cookie moist and soft.
• Sugar – Yes, white sugar is needed as well. Further down this page, you can read all about why you need to use both brown and white granulated sugar.
• Egg – One large egg is all you need. Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Ricotta – This is the key to this cookie recipe. Not only does it add flavour, but it keeps these cookies soft and pillow-y.
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Baking Powder – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
• Cinnamon

HOW TO MAKE RICOTTA CINNAMON COOKIES

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a Silpat liner or parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and both sugars until they become light and fluffy. Add the egg and incorporate well. Add the ricotta and beat into the mixture.

Add the dry ingredients, and on low speed, blend into the wet mixture. Just mix until combined; do not over beat the cooking dough. Use a 1.5 tablespoon ice-cream scoop to portion the cookie dough. Roll into balls and roll the balls into the extra half cup of sugar. Place the balls onto the cookie sheet, leaving room for growth. Bake for 13 minutes. Allow to cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

DO I NEED TO USE BOTH WHITE AND BROWN SUGAR?

When it comes to regular granulated sugar and brown sugar, you should certainly use both of them if a particular recipe calls for it. And there’s good reason to use both too! White sugar will caramelize when baked, which will help to brown the cookie, help the cookie to spread, and will create a crispness to the bottom of the cookie. In this particular recipe though, the addition of the brown sugar will contradict some of these things.

Brown sugar, which is made with molasses, will help to offset the crispiness, because it helps to keep a cookie soft and moist. Brown sugar will make a firmer dough, which will prevent the cookie from spreading too much, but at the same time will make the cookie soft and chewy.

So, yes, use both! If you use all of one or the other, you won’t end up with an inedible cookie, but it certainly won’t be well balanced like it would have been if you had used both granulated sugar and brown sugar.

DON’T HAVE RICOTTA?

The good news is that you can substitute the ricotta. You can easily substitute it with cream cheese. The bad news is that it will change the taste slightly, but not in a bad way. Be sure to use whipped cream cheese, not spreadable, and certainly not brick!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!