Place the flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.
Place butter and maple sugar into a bowl and cream on high until there are no lumps from the maple sugar.
Slowly add the ricotta cheese to the bowl. Mix on low until there are no lumps and until the ingredients are creamed.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix on low until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add the dry ingredients and mix on low, slowly until the flour is completely incorporated. Then stop mixing.
Remove half of the dough and press it into a flat disk, it will be pretty soft. Wrap the disk in cling wrap, and use a rolling pin to evenly flatten the dough. Do the same thing with the other half of the dough. Then place them in the fridge for 30 minutes or until the dough is firm.
To roll out the dough, remove one disk from the fridge and remove the cling wrap. Lightly flour your countertop as well as one side of the dough. Place the dough flour side down and lightly flour the top of the disk.
Roll the dough to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with leaf shaped cookie cutters and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. When the cookies are frozen, place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 11-13 minutes, or just until the corners and edges start to brown.
Allow cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting the cookies.