Black Olive Cookies Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Sheet Pan

by: Emma Laperruque

February5,2018

4

4 Ratings

  • Makes 16 cookies
Author Notes

These cookies are sweet, salty, and savory, all at the same time—crisp, rich with olive oil, marbled with black olives. Plenty of orange zest provides some zip and zing, while a tumble in sugar pre-bake keeps the saltiness in check. Serve these with afternoon tea or coffee—or, my favorite, with a cheese plate. The recipe is adapted, with permission, from "The New Portuguese Table" by David Leite.

Featured In: "These Cookies Love Olive Oil Almost As Much As We Do". —Emma Laperruque

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 1/4 cupsugar, plus more, for coating
  • 2 tablespoonsgrated or microplaned orange zest, preferably organic
  • 1 1/2 cupsall-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cupoil-cured black olives, pitted and chopped (about 1/3 cup chopped)
  • 1/4 teaspoonbaking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoonkosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cupextra-virgin olive oil
Directions
  1. Position a rack in the upper half of the oven. Preheat to 375° F. If you have two silicone mats, get them ready! If not, cut two sheets of parchment to fit a sheet pan. (You'll bake the cookies 1 sheet pan at a time.)
  2. Combine the sugar and orange zest in a bowl. Pinch together with your fingertips until the sugar begins to blush (this intensifies the citrusy flavor). Add the flour, olives, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a fork until everything is evenly distributed. Add the egg to the measuring cup with the olive oil and beat with a fork until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and stir first with a fork, then your hands until a dough forms—no dry spots, holds together when squeezed.
  3. Fill a small bowl with sugar. Scoop the dough into rounded tablespoons—you should get 16 or so—and roll into balls. Roll each in sugar.
  4. Place one silicone mat or piece of parchment on a work surface. Add a dough ball a few inches inward from one corner. (You’ll be baking 4 cookies on the pan—one in each quadrant—any more and you won't be able to roll them out.) Place the other mat or piece of parchment on top. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the cookie into a 4ish-inch circle (you don’t need to apply a lot of pressure, especially if your pin is heavy, since the dough is so soft). Ragged edges are fine, good even! Repeat with 3 more cookies. Lift off the top layer. Transfer the mat/parchment with the cookies to a sheet pan.
  5. Bake the cookies until pebbly on top, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool for 1 to 2 minutes, until you can use a spatula to transfer them from the pan to a cooling rack.
  6. Repeat the rolling/baking process with the remaining cookie dough balls. (You may need to replace the baking parchment at some point, if it gets too greasy.)

Tags:

  • Cookie
  • Olive
  • Sheet Pan
  • Appetizer

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Alex Gabriel

  • Analida Braeger

  • rosemary | a hint of rosemary

  • Emma Laperruque

Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

Popular on Food52

6 Reviews

Alex G. December 7, 2023

These have become a favourite cookie in our house and neighborhood!

I remove black olives from the brine and let them soak in good olive oil for a few days. I can't find oil-cured olives (Pacific Northwest). The owner of a Greek specialty store told me they're likely preserved in another oil if you do find them.

Susan M. June 9, 2019

So easy to make! Unsuspecting diners at my house enjoy trying to guess what the flavors, and are always surprised with the reveal. I serve them with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzled with a few drops of olive oil. They do not last long in my house!

Emma L. June 11, 2019

Yum! Serving them with olive oiled vanilla ice cream sounds delicious!

mela June 10, 2018

I'm confused. The quote from Leite says he wanted to add olives and lemon because they're so classically Portuguese but this recipe calls for orange zest instead.

Analida B. February 10, 2018

I love the sweet and savory flavor mixture in lots of dishes and these cookies look fantastic! This would make a great addition to my next tapas party. If you like unusual cookies here is a shortbread pistachio rosewater cookie: https://ethnicspoon.com/pistachio-rosewater-cookies/

rosemary |. February 6, 2018

Whoa ...these look amazing! My family is in love with olives. Can't wait to try these and serve them (as you brilliantly suggested) as part of a cheese plate!

Black Olive Cookies Recipe on Food52 (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Delena Feil

Last Updated:

Views: 5588

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (45 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Delena Feil

Birthday: 1998-08-29

Address: 747 Lubowitz Run, Sidmouth, HI 90646-5543

Phone: +99513241752844

Job: Design Supervisor

Hobby: Digital arts, Lacemaking, Air sports, Running, Scouting, Shooting, Puzzles

Introduction: My name is Delena Feil, I am a clean, splendid, calm, fancy, jolly, bright, faithful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.