Italian Olive Oil Cookies
Light and dairy-free Italian olive oil cookies made with simple ingredients and fresh citrus zest. Easy, crispy, and perfect for everyday baking.
These Italian olive oil cookies are light, fragrant, and made without butter.
They’re perfect if you’re lactose intolerant, dairy-free, or simply want to bake without butter without giving up delicious homemade cookies.
The dough is made with flour, eggs, sugar, citrus zest, and olive oil instead of butter. The result? Cookies that are light, crisp, and full of flavor!
With one simple dough, you can create so many variations.
Add vanilla or lemon and orange zest, fold in chocolate chips or chopped nuts, or glaze them once baked. You can even sandwich them with jam for an extra treat.
I love using olive oil in my baking. It’s something I grew up with in Sicily, and it adds such a lovely flavor to sweet treats.
If you’ve tried my ciambellone cake, my Italian olive oil orange cake, or my olive oil pie crust, you already know how incredible olive oil is. It makes cakes fluffy, pastry flaky, and cookies light and crispy.
These olive oil cookies are soft with a lovely crumb, and they keep well for days, making them perfect for everyday baking!
Ingredient Tips
For this olive oil cookie recipe, you only need simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen!
Here are my top ingredient tips to help you get the best results every time:
- Extra virgin olive oil: I like to use a light extra virgin olive oil for a delicate flavor. A good quality regular extra virgin olive oil works great too — just choose one you enjoy the taste of.
- Citrus zest: Use organic lemon or orange zest for the best flavor. The zest adds a fresh, bright note that makes these cookies extra special.
- Egg: Use 1 medium egg at room temperature. This helps everything mix together smoothly.
- Sugar: I like to use raw cane sugar for a slightly deeper flavor, but regular caster sugar works perfectly too.
- Baking powder: Just a pinch is enough to give the cookies a little lift and keep them light.
- Add ons: Add chocolate chips to make olive oil chocolate chip cookies, or add chopped roasted hazelnuts or pecans for a crunchy note.
How to make Italian olive oil cookies
As I mentioned, these olive oil cookies super easy to make, even if you have never baked cookies before!
Here below you can find the simplified recipe with step-by-step pictures, scroll down until the end of the post for the full printable recipe.
- STEP 1: Whisk the sugar and egg until light and pale. Slowly add the olive oil, then mix in the citrus zest. Stir in the flour and baking powder until a dough forms.
- STEP 2: Wrap the olive oil cookie dough in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
- STEP 3: Dust with flour and roll between two sheets of parchment paper. Transfer to a baking tray and freeze for 10 minutes, then cut out the cookies.
- STEP 4: Arrange the cookies on a lined baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 170°C (340°F) for 12 minutes or until golden. Cool completely, then serve.
Storage Tips
- Room temperature: Keep cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Fridge: If your kitchen is warm, store them in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freeze unbaked: Unbaked cookies freeze really well! Freeze on a tray, then store in bags. Bake from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes of baking time.
- Freeze baked: Store the plain cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge then sprinkle with powdered sugar when ready to serve.
Did you try this recipe?
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Recipe
Italian Olive Oil Cookies
Ingredients
- 70 g sugar, approx ⅓ cup
- 1 medium egg
- Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
- 75 g extra virgin olive oil, approx ⅓ cup
- 240 g all-purpose flour, approx 2 cups
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and egg until light and pale. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking. Stir in the lemon zest. Add in sifted flour and baking powder, then mix and knead until an elastic, dough forms.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Lightly flour the dough and roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper. Transfer the dough (with the parchment) onto a baking tray and freeze for 10 minutes to firm up. Cut out the cookies with your favorite cookie cutter.
- Preheat oven at 170°C (340°F) and arrange the baking tray onto the middle shelf.
- Arrange the olive oil cookies on a baking tray covered with parchment paper and bake for about 12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
The best dairy-free cookies I have made, my kids loved them!