Light and flavorful soft cookies with a cake-like texture, these chocolate and orange ricotta cookies are a crowd pleaser.
One of my favorite Food Network chef’s to watch is Giada de Laurentis. If you have ever watched one of her shows, may it be “Giada at home” or “Everyday Italian” then you probably know she always ends her show with a dessert. That’s my favorite part of the show. I’m always looking forward to her easy to make treat. I’ve tried a couple of her recipes, both savory and sweets, and always have been pleased with the results.
A while back, on her Everyday Italian show she made lemon ricotta cookies with lemon glaze. They sound so good I had to give them a try. Few days later I found myself getting a container of Sargento ricotta cheese out of the fridge and whipping up the cookies in no time.
Maybe because I was still in my early baking stages and didn’t know much, but I remember having a little problem creaming 1 stick of butter with 2 cups of sugar. Regardless, the final results were so good I immediately forgot about my little creaming incident.
This time, to make sure I don’t repeat the history, I started with 1 cups of sugar slowly adding the remaining cup followed by the eggs, ricotta cheese, orange juice and flour.
The results were the same, an irresistible cookie with a cake-like texture and a great citrus aroma.
While scooping the cookie batter on the baking sheets the idea of adding some chocolate chips hit my like a lightning. I had to try it.
Oh, yes! that’s was a bright idea! The mini-chocolate chips paired delightfully with the light refreshing ricotta citrus cookies.
One quick note. Use mini chocolate chips, the cookies spread and they are not to thick to snugly hold regular chocolate chips.
Also, since the cookie batter makes around 4 1/2 dozen of cookies I kept two trays in the fridge while the first two baked.
Both ways the cookies turned out amazing, but with just a slightly difference in looks. The ones that were chilled for 10-15 minutes before baking hold their shape better and didn’t spread that much. Either way, you really should give these cookies a try. You won’t be disappointed.
Yields 4 1/2 dozens
Chocolate and orange ricotta cookies - irresistible soft cookie with a cake-like texture.
10 minPrep Time
12 minCook Time
1 hrTotal Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 15 oz Sargento whole milk ricotta cheese
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- zest from 1 medium orange
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 to 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- In the large bowl combine the butter and 1 cup of sugar and mix until light and fluffly slowly adding the remaining cup of sugar.
- When all the sugar is incorporated, add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well. Add the ricotta cheese, orange juice, and orange zest. Mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly, 1/2 cup at a time, add to the creamy mixture. Mix until combined.
- With a spatula fold in the chocolate chips.
- Drop spoonfuls of cookie batter on baking sheets covered with parchment paper and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes depending on their size. The cookies will have slightly golden edges.
- Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before letting them cool completely on wire racks.
Other adaptations of Giada’s recipe
Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze at Taste and Tell
Lemon Ricotta Cookies at A Bitchin’ Kitchen
Lemon Ricotta Cookies at Alaska from Scratch
Meyer lemon ricotta cookies at Ask Chef Dennis
Sending love your way,
Roxana
these look amazing! your photography is really mouth watering…so inspiring for me! being italian we always made ricotta cookies and using a hint of orange is a great idea with the mini chips. Thanx for this post !!!
These cookies look so delicious! Obviously adding chocolate chips was an inspired idea :).
Orange is a fruit, good for you. Chocolate, always good. Together, BLISS!! Can’t wait to try these on my hubby for Valentines baking week. (totally blows my workout but ahhh whatever. ) 🙂 Thanks for the recipe.
Orange and chocolate is one of my favorite sweet combinations. I’ve never tried ricotta in cookies, but it sounds like a tasty addition.
I love that show! I always look forward to her desserts too. Especially the ones with chocolate! These cookies are gorgeous Roxana!
These look fantastic! I love the combination of chocolate and orange, it’s better than PB and chocolate in my opinion. BTW, I just came across your blog and am completely in love:)
For being a self-taught baker and wanna be photographer, it looks like you mastered both! 🙂
I love your cookies…..and everything you do!!!!
thanks for the mention Roxanan! Those were some wonderful little cookies!
Ooooh. I love these. My grandma used to make a variation on these. Chocolate chips are a fab addition.
Thanks for linking to me! I am obsessed with the chocolate and orange combination you did here – such a fabulous idea!
Oh my lovely!!! These are so gorgeous!!!
So I’m not crazy about Giada, but I do loooove her lemon ricotta cookies. I have made them one too many times. 🙂 Now I need to start making your lovely cookies… they look incredible. I love that stack! I wish I could fit it all in my face right about now!
Your pictures look AMAZING!!! Oooh, that chocolate looks heavenly. 🙂
These are the most gorgeous cookies ever! I could sure use a dozen of these right now, and I just had a HUGE breakfast too!
Love that this uses miniature chocolate chips too – I prefer them over the regular sized ones!
These are stunning. I saw them on Pinterest, and I can’t stop thinking about them. I must make them!
That melting chocolate just looks amazing!
These look so moist and flavorful! I love the pairing of citrus and chocolate!
I love these cookies, I will give them a try, very tempting for me:) I really like the ingredients used.
Love orange and chocolate together! These cakie cookies were lovely to make, and eat!
Oh wow…I am just drooling over your pics as always, Roxy! Great recipe and I do also like Giada!
Roxanna, this is incredible, and your photography! I could just reach into the screen for one of those gorgeous cookies. The mini chocolate chips were a great idea!
I am so baking these today!! I love orange and chocolate together. Will post after we taste!
Yum, yum, yum.dipped half of each cookie in chocolate too!
Oh these cookies look absolutely scrumptious! We both adore chocolate with orange flavor and could eat the whole stack right now…
I’m going to go make these cookies right now, and I want to double the batch!
Can any extra be frozen?
Hi Anne,
I have never made the dough and froze it. I don’t know how it will turn up.
Happy baking,
Roxana
These are pretty great. My boyfriend said they should be called muffin tops, because of their texture (and if they’re muffin tops, then we can have them for breakfast, right? ). Thank you for the great recipe!