Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. If your ricotta seems watery, place it in a fine-mesh sieve and let drain for 10 minutes while you gather other ingredients.

In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. The mixture should look pale and almost creamy.

Add ricotta, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat on medium-low until just combined. The batter will look slightly curdled at first but will smooth out.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed until a soft, sticky dough forms. Do not overmix. The dough will be much softer than typical cookie dough, more like thick cake batter.

Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop or two spoons, drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. The cookies spread very little.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until cookies are puffed and just set. They should not brown on top, only very lightly on the bottom edges. They will look slightly underdone in the center but firm up as they cool.

Let cookies rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before glazing, about 30 minutes. Warm cookies will melt the glaze.

Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract until smooth and pourable, like thick cream. Dip the top of each cooled cookie into the glaze, letting excess drip off, then return to racks. Add sprinkles immediately while glaze is wet. Let set for 30 minutes before serving.