Blood Orange Ricotta Cookies

Blood Orange Ricotta cookies are moist and soft, with the lovely flavor of orange, and just a bit of sweet icing. Make them with lemon, too. Delicious!

I have some of the kindest and most generous friends.

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A few days ago, I received a text from my friend Gail, telling me she’d left a bag of blood oranges from her tree on my front doorstep. This is not the first time she’s done this. Gail knows I love pomegranates so she has left me bags of pomegranates on my front doorstep, too.

This would be a nice gesture if she only lived two doors away, but the fact that she is an extremely busy attorney who is also caring for her elderly mother and mother-in-law, and drives out of her way to bring these bags of fruit to me, is what I would consider going above and beyond the call of friendship duty!

Of course, having these beautiful specimens of citrus which were so juicy, sweet, and full of baking potential, compelled me to create something with them.

Another way to use blood oranges: a whole blood orange cake!

After a dismal failure with a cake, I had success with a cookie I have made several times in the past: lemon ricotta cookies. However, this time I made blood orange ricotta cookies. With an adaptation of a combination of two recipes, and the use of the blood oranges, these cookies turned out beautifully!

They are almost like miniature cakes as the ricotta makes the cookies immensely moist. The added blood orange juice and rind in the cookie, as well as in the icing lends a wonderful flavor and it is very difficult for me to decide whether I like the lemon or blood orange flavor better.

One bonus in using the blood oranges is that they turn the icing a delicate pink color. You can absolutely substitute lemon in place of blood orange to make the original flavored cookie.

And if you have leftover ricotta after making these cookies, you can always whip up these beauties.

Blood Orange Ricotta Cookies

adapted from a combination of Biscotti di Ricotta from Lidia Bastianich and
Lemon Ricotta Cookies from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 1 stick (115 g) good quality unsalted butter, Kerrygold, if you can find it
• 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups (340 g) ricotta
• grated rind of one blood orange
• 3 tbsp blood orange juice
• (optional: 2 drops orange oil, if you prefer a stronger orange flavor)
• 2 1/2 cups (310 g) all purpose (plain) flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Icing

• 1 1/2 cups (190 g) powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
• grated rind of one blood orange
• 3 tbsp blood orange juice

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)

Place the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until light and creamy (2 or 3 minutes), then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between additions.

Next, add the ricotta, blood orange rind and 3 tbsp of the blood orange juice (and the orange oil, if using).

Mix well, then stir in the dry ingredients until an even dough is formed.

Drop tablespoonfuls onto a parchment or silicone sheet lined baking tray.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or just until the edges are beginning to brown. Remove the Blood Orange Ricotta cookies from the oven. Allow to cool on tray for about 5 minutes before placing on a cooling rack.

Repeat with remaining dough, until all the cookies are baked. Allow to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, combine the 1 1/2 cups powdered (confectioner’s) sugar, grated rind of one blood orange
and 3 tbsp blood orange juice and stir until a smooth icing forms.

Dip each cookie into the icing…

then place back on cooling rack until icing is set.

Once completely dry, store the cookies in an airtight container.

The cookies are very cake-like inside and have a wonderful orange flavor!

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Blood Orange Ricotta Cookies

Servings: 28 cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 16 minutes minutes

Total Time: 26 minutes minutes

A light, cake-like cookie with a lovely citrus flavor and sweet icing.

4.9 from 34 votes

Print Rate Pin

Special Equipment

• 1 baking sheet
• 1 stand mixer

Ingredients

• 4 oz unsalted butter (good quality)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups ricotta
• 1 blood orange rind (grated)
• 3 Tbsp blood orange juice
• 2 drops orange oil (optional, if you prefer a stronger orange flavor)
• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt

Icing:

• 1 ½ cups powdered (confectioner’s sugar)
• 1 blood orange rind (grated)
• 3 Tbsp blood orange juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cookies:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
• Place the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until light and creamy (2 or 3 minutes), then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between additions.
• Next, add the ricotta, blood orange rind and the blood orange juice (and the orange oil, if using).
• Mix well, then stir in the dry ingredients until an even dough is formed.
• Drop tablespoonfuls onto a parchment or silicone sheet lined baking tray.
• Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or just until the edges are beginning to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool on tray for about 5 minutes before placing on a cooling rack.
• Repeat with remaining dough, until all the cookies are baked. Allow to cool completely before icing.

Icing:

• Combine the powdered (confectioner’s) sugar, grated rind of one blood orange and blood orange juice and stir until a smooth icing forms.
• Dip each cookie into the icing then place back on cooling rack until icing is set.
• Once completely dry, store the cookies in an airtight container.

Notes

• See my lemon ricotta cookie recipe, for a lemon-flavored cookie.

Nutrition

Serving: 2 cookies | Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 189IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg

Did you Make this Recipe?

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Author: adapted by Christina Conte

Course Bread, Cookies & Pastries

Cuisine Italian

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