Salty, sweet & savory, laced with bits of oil-cured black olives and a hint of orange zest.
Original recipe from David Leite. Adaptation from Emma Laperruque at FOOD52
Position a rack in the upper half of the oven. Preheat to 375°F. Cut two sheets of parchment to fit a sheet pan. (You'll bake the cookies 1 sheet pan at a time.)
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, chopped olives, baking powder & 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, should hold together when squeezed.
Fill a small bowl with sugar. Scoop the dough into rounded tablespoons and roll into balls. Roll each in sugar.
Place one 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 piece of parchment on top. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the cookie into a 3-to-4-inch circle (you don’t need to apply a lot of pressure, especially if your pin is heavy since the dough is so soft). You'll end up with ragged edges which is normal. Repeat with 3 more cookies. Lift off the top layer. Transfer the parchment with the cookies to a sheet pan.
Bake the cookies until pebbly on top, for 10 minutes. Let cool for 1 to 2 minutes, until you can use a spatula to transfer them from the pan to a cooling rack.
Repeat the rolling/baking process with the remaining cookie dough balls. Once cooled, store cookies in an airtight container for several days.