This easy sugar cookies recipe is made with half butter and half olive oil and makes the most delicious and crispy cookies. They can be cut-out or rolled by hand.
This easy sugar cookies recipe with olive oil is simple and straightforward. You cream the fat with the sugar, add one egg and then gently mix the flour. Since it’s made with half olive oil and half butter it will get creamy without much effort, and when I make it I don’t even use my mixer. I just use a bowl and a whisk. Note that these cookies are not meant to be soft (if you want a soft, gooey cookie I strongly recommend you try these chewy tahini and olive oil chocolate chunk cookies, which can also be made vegan) but you should bake them all the way through until they become crispy and your kitchen starts to smell heavenly.
Since there’s olive oil in these sugar cookies, the dough will be soft. But don’t be tempted to add extra flour! Let the dough rest for 15-30 minutes and then shape small balls with your hands, transfer them to the pan and press gently to flatten them out.
The easy way for cut-out sugar cookies
If you want to make cut-out cookies, the easiest way is to cut two pieces of baking (parchment) paper the same size as your pan, and roll the dough between the two papers. Transfer the baking paper with the rolled dough to the baking pan, remove the top paper and cut the cookies with the cutters you prefer. Remove the excess dough between the cut-out cookies and pop the pan in the oven.
The easiest way to temper chocolate
If you want to coat the cookies with chocolate or make chocolate decorations, you’ll have to use tempered chocolate, otherwise, it may never set entirely, or it can develop some white spots on its surface (it will be cocoa butter and it’s called blooming). You can certainly eat it, but it won’t be so shiny and appetizing.
So, the easiest way to temper chocolate (but not a fool-proof one) is to melt the two-thirds of the quantity required in a double boiler and once it is completely melted, remove from the heat, add the remaining one-third and stir until all of it is melted. You may still see a little bit of blooming after the chocolate has set but generally you’ll get good results. Another cookie recipe where I’ve melted chocolate this way is the recipe for these chocolate covered honey cookies (melomakarona), a Greek traditional Christmas recipe.
You can read more about tempering here or watch a video here.
Some notes/tips:
- These cookies turn really great if you add half a cup of chopped roasted nuts to the dough like almonds or hazelnuts. For cut-out cookies, this can ruin the edges though.
- These cookies are best plain or sandwiched with some strawberry jam, but you can also decorate them with some melted chocolate.
- Cream the butter, the olive oil, and the sugar very well until it becomes pale and fluffy (it won’t take long). For the most tender cookies, don’t overwork the dough after you add the flour.
Similar recipes you may like:
Cherry cookies with chocolate glaze (from pies and tacos)
Xmas scented cake with fluffy vanilla buttercream
Greek almond snow cookies (Kourabiedes)
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- 1/2 cup (110 grams) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons orange zest (or lemon zest)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (75 grams) olive oil
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (75 grams) butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (5 grams) baking powder
- Melted chocolate, strawberry jam, icing sugar
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Transfer the sugar, the cinnamon, the zest, the salt, the olive oil, and the butter to a bowl and whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and the vanilla and whisk until incorporated.
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Mix the flour with the baking powder and add it to the olive oil and butter mixture. Mix with a spatula just until the flour is absorbed.
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Let the dough rest, line your pan with baking paper, and preheat your oven to 356°F (180°C).
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Make the cookies and transfer them to the pan, leaving some space between them. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool.
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Eat them plain, sandwich them with some strawberry jam, or decorate with melted chocolate.
Measure the butter and olive oil easily: Use a measuring cup of 3/4 cups size, fill the half with butter (just eyeball it) and the rest with olive oil.
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These cookies look incredible Mako! I look forward to trying this recipe – love the idea of using olive oil in cookies!
Thank you Marilena! I love these, especially with coffee 🙂
These cookies sounds fabulous! Those chocolate dipped cookies are my favorite.
Thank you my friend! 🙂
Hi would these work if I were to incorporate some peanut butter into the dough?
Hi Jane, I really can’t tell since I haven’t tried it. In my opinion it would be much easier to just incorporate some crushed peanuts.
If you feel like experimenting, you can substitute peanut butter for the butter and see how it will go. In that case I wouldn’t add all of the flour at once, but I would reserve some and add it only if the dough turns out too sticky.
Let me know if you try it!!! ☺️
Thanks will try incorporate peanuts- however it Would be great if you could post a peanut butter cookie recipe cause peanut butter is life ?
I will try Jane!
In the meantime you can substitute peanut butter for the tahini in this recipe https://www.thehungrybites.com/big-soft-chewy-tahini-olive-oil-chocolate-chunk-cookies/
If peanut butter is thick warm it up a little.
And if you’re interested, in my Instagram stories you can watch how easy it is to make your own peanut butter (because peanut butter really is life!)
You can bake yummy Christmas cookies with PROLIVE
Can these be made using olive oil only and not butter? I realize the ratio would have to be adjusted for going from butter to oil.
Hi Kim,
Since the amount of butter is small, I would replace it with the same amount of olive oil (so you’ll have a total of 3/4 cups olive oil)