by These soft Ricotta Pumpkin Cookies with a luscious cream cheese frosting are the perfect indulgence for cozy Autumn days.
Infused with the warmth of pumpkin spices and puree, this easy ricotta cookie recipe will surely become a new Fall favourite treat.
Ricotta is a cherished ingredient in both Italian desserts and savoury dishes. Its soft and fluffy texture adds moisture and a light consistency to baked goods.
It’s perfect for whisking up a batch of Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole, creating a delicate filling for a Ricotta Tart, or even incorporating it into an Italian Crumble Cake.
But, if you’re a fan of lemon ricotta cookies, you’ll love how incredibly easy it is to switch up the zesty lemon flavour with a blend of warm pumpkin spices and puree. Every morsel is like a little soft and fluffy pumpkin cloud!
With these pumpkin cookies, the ricotta works magic by creating a soft, tender cake-like crumb that is truly exceptional. It’s a perfect way to elevate classic pumpkin cookies and give them an Italian twist all dressed up for the season.
The pumpkin spices add a unique flavour variation, and you’ll love how easy it is to switch up the zesty lemon flavour with a blend of warm pumpkin spices and pumpkin puree.
You’ll still have the delightful creaminess the ricotta imparts, but the pumpkin puree and spices bring a comforting seasonal flair to these delicious soft cookies.
What better way to compliment the soft cake-like texture than with a swirl of luscious cream cheese frosting and a dusting of cinnamon as a crowning finish!
You can spread the frosting with an offset spatula or pipe it into pretty rosettes. Whichever way you choose, it adds the right amount of creaminess to every blissful bite.
Let’s get baking!
Ingredients For Ricotta Pumpkin Cookies
Aside from the customary flour, sugar, butter and egg, the key ingredients are:
- Ricotta: Choose a full-fat ricotta.
- Pumpkin Puree: Not to get confused with pumpkin pie filling.
- Pumpkin Spice: If you can’t find pumpkin spice, see below for instructions on how to make your own blend.
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend
If you can’t find pumpkin spice in your local supermarket, don’t worry because it’s very easy to make your own. This blend of spices you may already have in your pantry can be customized to your tastes. Especially if you’re not a fan of cloves or nutmeg, you can simply reduce the amount.
You’ll need:
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground all spice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Store the pumpkin spice blend in an airtight container away from sunlight for up to one year. This quantity is enough to make a few batches of these pumpkin cookies but you can use it whenever pumpkin spice is called for in a recipe.
How To Make Pumpkin Ricotta Cookies
1- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar together for two minutes and then mix in the ricotta, egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
2- Mix in the pumpkin puree until combined.
3- Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and pumpkin spice in a medium-sized bowl.
4- Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin batter mixture.
5- Scoop the cookie dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, spacing the cookies two inches apart. I used a one and 1/2-inch round cookie scoop. The cookie dough balls weighed approximately 20 grams each.
6- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for approximately 14 minutes. Take care not to overbake the cookies. Allow the cookies to cool completely before topping them with the cream cheese frosting.
7- For the cream cheese frosting you will need, powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract.
8- Mix the frosting ingredients in a medium-sized bowl until creamy. You can mix the ingredients using a food processor for a quick and easy alternative.
9- To pipe pretty rosettes, use a piping bag with a star tip. I used the 1M star tip from Wilton.
10. Top the rosettes with a light dusting of ground cinnamon.
These cookies are wonderful served alongside your favourite hot beverage and make a perfect afternoon or anytime treat.
For a festive touch, you can top them with some holiday sprinkles as an extra indulgence. Just be sure not to overbake these soft cookies—keeping them light and fluffy is the key to their irresistible texture.
Whether you love all things pumpkin or want to try something new, these easy-to-make ricotta cookies are sure to please both young and old.
Whip up a batch today and have the aroma and flavours of Fall baking permeate the air. And let me know how they turn out for you in the comments below.
Happy Baking!
More Recipes With Pumpkin Puree
Classic Pumpkin Roll Cake is an impressive, show-stopping dessert! It has all the wonderful aromas of Fall with aromatic pumpkin pie spices such as ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. The outer layer is studded with chopped walnuts, and the inside is filled with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins are so moist, delectable and crowned with a lovely cinnamon streusel topping. I’ll bet you can’t eat just one!
Ricotta Pumpkin Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or hand-held mixer with mixing bowl
- 2-3 Baking Sheets depending on their size
- Parchment paper
- 1 Piping bag with a star tip (1M tip)
Ingredients
For The Ricotta Pumpkin Cookies
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar (245 grams)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened, 115 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 8 oz whole milk ricotta cheese (228 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (113 grams)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (270 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
For The Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ½ ounces cream cheese (127 grams)
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 360 grams powdered sugar (3 cups)
- 6 ounces unsalted butter (170 grams)
- ground cinnamon (for dusting over the frosted cookies)
Instructions
RICOTTA PUMPKIN COOKIES
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar together for two minutes and then mix in the ricotta, egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Mix in the pumpkin puree until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and pumpkin spice.
- Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin batter mixture.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, spacing the cookies two inches apart. I used a one-1/2-inch round cookie scooper, which yielded approximately 20 grams per cookie dough.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for approximately 14 minutes. Take care not to overbake the cookies. Allow the cookies to cool completely before topping them with the cream cheese frosting.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- Mix the frosting ingredients in a medium-sized bowl until creamy. You can mix the ingredients using a food processor for a quick and easy alternative.
- To pipe the cream cheese into pretty rosettes, use a piping bag with a star tip. I used the 1M star tip from Wilton.
- Top the cream cheese rosettes with a dusting of ground cinnamon.
I’ve made pumpkin cookies in years past, but I’ve never decorated them before!!! So pretty.