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Portuguese Black Olive Cookies

portuguese black olive cookies

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

Servings 16 to 20 cookies
Author Rosemary Stelmach

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted & chopped (about 1/3 cup when chopped)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. 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.)

  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, 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.

  3. Fill a small bowl with sugar.  Scoop the dough into rounded tablespoons and roll into balls. Roll each in sugar.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. Repeat the rolling/baking process with the remaining cookie dough balls.  Once cooled, store cookies in an airtight container for several days.