Pink Frosted Cookies
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These soft ricotta cookies are tender, fluffy, and irresistibly pillowy—practically melting in your mouth with every bite. Topped with a pretty pink buttercream frosting made with berry jam, they’re as beautiful as they are delicious, perfect for holidays, showers, birthdays, or springtime baking!
The ricotta cheese works magic in the cookie dough, creating a moist, tender crumb with a subtle richness and cake-like texture in every bite. Whip up a fresh batch in just 30 minutes for entertaining or when you crave a scrumptious treat!
The strawberry jam lends a gentle fruity sweetness and natural pink tint in the frosting, though a drop of red food coloring can deepen the color to whatever shade of pink you desire.
What are pink frosted cookies?
Pink frosted cookies are soft, cake-like cookies made from a rich ricotta-based cookie dough, which gives them a moist and tender texture similar to a buttery sugar cookie. They are topped with a signature pink buttercream frosting that gets its fruity flavor from strawberry jam and can be enhanced with a drop of red food coloring for a brighter shade of pink!
Decorated with pretty pink sprinkles, these cookies are as delightful to look at as they are to eat – perfect for celebrating special occasions or whenever!
Why you’ll love these pink frosted cookies
- If you love incredibly soft and tender cookies, you’re in for a treat! The ricotta cheese cookie dough practically dissolves on your tongue.
- You only need to spare 15 minutes and let the oven do the rest of the work.
- The pretty, soft pink frosting makes these cookies the perfect addition to baby and bridal showers, birthdays, Valentine’s Day spreads, or an afternoon tea with the girls! Also the ultimate Easter and Mother’s Day cookie!
- Use what “berry” jam you have in the fridge – we’ve made these with strawberry and raspberry jam.
Ingredients needed to make pink frosted cookies
- Butter: Softened for easy mixing. I prefer unsalted butter, but salted butter works too – just omit added salt in the ingredients list.
- Granulated sugar: For sweetness and crisp edges.
- Large eggs: Allow the eggs to reach room temperature for a smooth blending into the rest of the ingredients.
- Ricotta cheese: Whole milk ricotta adds rich flavor and creamy texture. I don’t recommend using low fat ricotta for these pink frosted cookies.
- Vanilla and almond extract: I’ve used vanilla and almond extract in this pink cookies recipe for depth of flavor. Feel free to omit the almond extract and only use vanilla, if you prefer.
- All-purpose flour: Spoon and level to avoid dense cookies.
- Salt: Balances and enhances flavors. Skip if using salted butter.
- Baking soda: Helps to create the perfect rise in these ricotta cookies.
- Frosting: This butter frosting combines softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and almond extract, strawberry jam (or raspberry jam), 2% milk, and red food coloring (optional use for a deeper pink color).
- Sprinkles: optional!
How do you make these pink frosted cookies
Make the cookie dough:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease baking sheets.
- Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl for about 5-7 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add 1 egg at a time, beating well between.
- Beat in the ricotta and extracts.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix until just combined.
Bake the cookies:
- Drop a tablespoon of cookie dough per cookie onto the prepared sheets, making sure to leave 2-inches between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F for 11-14 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Transfer the baked cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Frost and decorate the cookies:
- Add the frosting ingredients to a large bowl to cream together, adding just enough milk to achieve a spreadable consistency. Adjust as needed.
- Add a drop of red food coloring to the frosting if you want a deeper “pink” frosting.
- Frost the cooled cookies and decorate them immediately with the pink sprinkles to serve or store.
Serving
These pink frosted cookies are scrumptious and so pretty – perfect for Valentine’s Day, baby showers, birthdays, or any special occasion!
Enjoy them for dessert alongside a scoop of Strawberry Nutella Ice Cream or Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream. They’re also a fun addition to this Funfetti-Inspired Cake Board with various other sweet treats and snacks.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Keep leftover pink frosted cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Unfrosted ricotta cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: For longer storage, freeze the cooled cookies (without the frosting) in a single layer before transferring to a freezer-safe bag or container – they’ll last for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature and then frost and decorate with pink sprinkles before serving again.
- Extracts: I love the combination of almond and vanilla extract in these ricotta cookies, but you could omit the almond extract and just use vanilla instead, if you prefer.
- Uniform-sized cookies: Use a cookie scoop to create uniform sized cookies that will bake evenly at the same rate and look more appealing.
- Cool before frosting: Make sure that the cookies have cooled completely as any residual heat and steam will make the frosting runny.
- Chilling cookie dough: This recipe doesn’t require the dough to be chilled before baking, but you can if you prefer. Chilling cookie dough is a common baking technique that helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much. That way, you’re guaranteed to get soft and pillowy cookies every time.
- Add sprinkles immediately: Make sure to add the pink sprinkles over the strawberry frosting before it sets so that the sprinkles stick. This still applies if you’ve decided to add a pink glaze or melted chocolate drizzle. In the event that the frosting has dried before adding the sprinkles, simply press the sprinkles down with your fingers into the frosting.
Variations:
- Funfetti frosted cookies: Use funfetti sprinkles instead of pink sprinkles for a birthday theme. The sprinkles can also be mixed into the cookie dough for more vibrant coloring, if you like.
- Brighter shades of pink: Add a drop of red food coloring to the frosting for a more intense pink color. I like to start off with just one drop and then adjust until I get the shade of pink I’m trying to achieve.
- Pink frosted raspberry cookies: Swap the strawberry jam with raspberry jam for the frosting, if you prefer.
- Add-ins: Fold chopped nuts, white mini chocolate chips, or finely chopped freeze-dried strawberries into the cookie dough for extra texture and flavor.
- Gluten-free pink frosted cookies: Replace the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Holiday-inspired ricotta cookies: Adjust the color of frosting and sprinkles to match a specific holiday you want to celebrate, such as St Patrick’s day (green, yellow and gold), Easter and baby showers (pastels), 4th of July (red, blue, and white), or Halloween (orange, black, purple, and green).
- Pink chocolate-coated ricotta cookies: Drizzle melted white chocolate (colored with red food coloring) over these ricotta cookies as a decadent alternative!
- Pink glazed cookies: For a lighter option, mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of milk, 1/2 teaspoon extract, and a small amount of red food coloring. Drizzle over the cooled cookies and decorate with the pink sprinkles.
A simple frosting or glaze can elevate an ordinary cookie into an exciting treat! If these pretty pink cookies won your heart, you’ll also love our Banana Meringue Cookies and Pumpkin Sugar Cookies.
More scrumptious cookies you may want to try:
- Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
- Lemon Powdered Sugar Cookies
- Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peach Cobbler Cookies
- Key Lime Cookies
Get the Recipe:
Pink Frosted Cookies
Celebrate any occasion with these melt-in-your mouth pink frosted cookies. These soft ricotta cookies are topped with a pretty pink butter frosting and matching sprinkles!
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 15 ounce ricotta cheese, full fat
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
For the Frosting
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- Strawberry jam or raspberry jam
- 3 to 4 TBSP 2% milk
- Red food coloring, optional
- Pink colored sprinkles, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease baking sheets.
- Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl for about 5-7 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add 1 egg at a time, beating well between.
- Beat in the ricotta and extracts.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix until just combined.
- Drop a tablespoon of cookie dough per cookie onto the prepared sheets, making sure to leave 2-inches between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F for 11-14 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Transfer the baked cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
- Add the frosting ingredients to a large bowl to cream together, adding just enough milk to achieve a spreadable consistency. Adjust as needed.
- Add a drop of red food coloring to the frosting if you want a deeper “pink” frosting.
- Frost the cooled cookies and decorate them immediately with the pink sprinkles (optional) to serve or store.
Notes
Sandy’s tips:
- Storage: Keep leftover pink frosted cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Unfrosted ricotta cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: For longer storage, freeze the cooled cookies (without the frosting) in a single layer before transferring to a freezer-safe bag or container – they’ll last for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature and then frost and decorate with pink sprinkles before serving again.
- Uniform-sized cookies: Use a cookie scoop to create uniform sized cookies that will bake evenly at the same rate and look more appealing.
Calories: 134kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 130mg, Potassium: 21mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 187IU, Vitamin C: 0.002mg, Calcium: 7mg, Iron: 1mg
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Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
