The two star flavors of these lemon ricotta cookies hail directly from southern Italy, where both are in abundance. As they say, “If they grow together, they go together,” so it’s no surprise that the pair work perfectly in this one-bowl take on a classic cookie. You will find ricotta cookies around the Christmas holidays, often decorated with sprinkles. This recipe swaps the sprinkles for a shower of lemon zest that balances the sweet glaze and the rich ricotta, delivering a cookie that you can enjoy year-round.

Because of the short ingredient list in this recipe, each one plays an important role. Organic lemons are great to use here, as the recipe includes every part of the fruit — most notably, the skin. Whole-milk ricotta, rather than skim-milk varieties, will bring out the best texture in the cookies as well. You can use either all-purpose flour or cake flour with excellent results. While lemon ricotta cookies are the perfect dessert to end a meal, they also make themselves at home next to a cup of tea or espresso in the afternoon, and even as a sneaky breakfast treat.

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Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Makes 28 (2.5-inch) cookies

For the cookies:

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 cups cake or all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

Finely grated zest of 2 medium lemons (about 2 tablespoons)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 1/2 medium lemons)

1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

1 large egg

1 1/4 teaspoons lemon extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

For the glaze:

1 1/2 medium lemons, divided

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Make the cookies:

1. Whisk 3 cups cake flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt together in a medium bowl.

2. Place 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar and the finely grated zest of two medium lemons in a large bowl. Rub the zest and sugar together with your fingers until the mixture is fragrant.

3. Whisk in two sticks melted and cooled unsalted butter. Whisk in 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup lemon juice, one large egg, 1 1/4 teaspoons lemon extract, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth.

4. Fold in the flour mixture into the sugar mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.

5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out the dough in 2 1/2-tablespoon portions (40 grams each) and place on one of the baking sheets. Refrigerate for 15 minutes so they firm up again. Meanwhile, arrange two racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 350 F.

6. Roll each portion between your palms into a smooth ball (if your hands get sticky as you are rolling, wash and dry your hands before continuing). Arrange the dough balls on the baking sheets, spacing them about two inches apart, up to 12 per baking sheet. Refrigerate the remaining dough balls.

7. Bake for 11 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets between racks and from front to back. Bake until the cookies are golden-brown on the bottom (the tops will remain pale in color), nine to 10 minutes more.

8. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for five minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. Bake the remaining dough balls; you can reuse the parchment on a cooled baking sheet. Let the cookies cool completely before glazing, about 15 minutes more.

Make the glaze:

1. Finely grate the zest of one medium lemon. Alternatively, if you want to have larger pieces for decorating the top instead, remove wide strips of peel from the lemon with a vegetable peeler. Cut the strips crosswise into very thin shreds.

2. Juice the zested lemon and another 1/2 lemon as needed until you have 3 tablespoons. Whisk the juice and 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar together in a medium bowl until smooth. (If the glaze is too thick as you start to dip the cookies, whisk in more lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon at a time.)

3. Dip and decorate the cookies in batches of 10 (the glaze hardens quickly): Dip the top of a cookie in the glaze and keep the cookie upside down while gently shaking so excess glaze drips back into the bowl. Return the cookie to the rack, glaze-side up. Dip the next nine cookies, then sprinkle with the lemon zest. Let sit until the glaze sets, 10 to 15 minutes.

(Anna Billingskog is a contributing writer for TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to editorial@thekitchn.com.)

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