Pillowy soft Italian Christmas Cookies are dipped in a sweet sugar glaze then topped with colorful sprinkles. They are the perfect festive treat for the holidays!

Made with ricotta cheese and just a few other simple ingredients, this easy melt-in-your-mouth recipe makes soft, cake-like cookies with a delicious buttery flavor.

red, white and green sprinkles on top of round Italian sprinkle cookie - cookies stacked on a plate

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Italian Christmas Cookies

It’s Christmas time, and you know what that means! Holiday baking is in full swing! These cookies, sometimes called Italian Wedding Cookies, are a wonderful way to share homemade treats with friends and family.

From holiday cookie trays at your holiday get-togethers to swapping at the annual cookie exchange, this Italian cookie recipe is loved by everyone!

They aren’t just for the Christmas holiday season! The best part about these Italian Ricotta Cookies is how versatile they are. We love to make them for Valentine’s Day with red sprinkles and for Easter with pastel sprinkles.

With a flavor similar to classic sugar cookies, but with a cake-like texture, this is great cookie recipe for holidays and special occasions.

Ingredients Needed for Italian Christmas Cookies

For the Italian Ricotta Cookies

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, unsalted, room temperature
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese

For the Glaze

2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon butter, unsalted, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons milk
Nonpareil sprinkles, Christmas-colored

How to Make Traditional Italian Christmas Cookies

four photos of the process: dough being stirred, eggs being added, flour being stirred in, and finished dough

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until combined and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, until each is combined.
Add ricotta, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in small batches until it’s all combined.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. (It’s easier to work with chilled.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with silpat liners or parchment paper.
Using a small cookie scoop, or two spoons, scoop cookie dough into 1 tablespoon sized small balls and place on prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until bottoms of cookies are golden brown. Remove the cookie sheets from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat until all dough is used.
Make the Icing while the cookies are cooling.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla.
Hold each cookie upside down and dip the tops of the cookies into the icing and return to the wire rack right- side up. Add sprinkles before icing sets. Repeat until all cookies are iced.

Can I Make these Cookies in Advance?

Yes, because you need to chill the dough, you can make these up to two days ahead. Just prepare the batter as directed and place, covered, in the refrigerator.

It would be best to wait and glaze them the day you plan on serving. The colors in the sprinkles can sometimes bleed onto white glaze and while they still taste amazing, they won’t look quite as perfect the next day after decorating them.

Variations of these Christmas Cookies

Other than changing the color of the sprinkles (nonpareil), you can make these your own recipe next time by adding different flavorings to the dough.

Almond extract – If you like the almond flavor of amaretti cookies, you can get some of that same flavor by adding almond extract in the cookie and frosting.
Lemon extract – Make these Italian lemon cookies by replacing the vanilla with lemon extract in either the cake or frosting — or both for extra lemon flavor. You can also substitute fresh lemon juice for the milk in the frosting and add lemon zest in the dough.
Anise extract- Most traditional Italian Christmas cookie recipes include anise. If you are a fan of anise flavoring, add a small drop of this extract to give it just the slightest hint of anise. Too much will overpower the other flavors.

What is a Good Substitute for Ricotta Cheese?

Typically, in savory dishes you can substitute cottage cheese (an example is in lasagna), goat cheese, or even sour cream. We don’t recommend substituting ricotta in this cookie recipe as the texture and flavor will be compromised.

red, white and green sprinkles on top of round Italian sprinkle cookie

Tips for the Best Italian Christmas Cookies Recipe

Clean up – If this is your first time making glazed cookies, an easy clean up tip is to place a sheet of wax paper under the wire rack to keep from dripping icing on your kitchen counter.
Whole milk ricotta – Don’t use a fat free or less fat version of ricotta. You want the richness of whole milk ricotta.
Chill time – You want the cookies to keep that soft fluffy texture so be sure to allow the dough to chill for the allotted time.
Make one batch at a time – To keep the dough chilled, wait to scoop the next batch for the oven until you’re ready for them to go in the oven.
Thick frosting – Be sure the frosting is thick enough that it will drizzle down the side of the cookie, but not so much so that it will fall off the entire cookie.
Store in airtight container – Use parchment or wax paper in between layers so the frosting doesn’t stick to the cookies. They’ll last several days at room temperature or up to a week in the refrigerator

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Italian Christmas Cookies

Italian Christmas Cookies