Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cookies
The first time I had these salted dark chocolate olive oil cookies was at Levee Baking Co. here in New Orleans. Christina is a friend and has always inspired me. Her bakery has some of the absolute best breads and pastries here in the Big Easy. Funny enough, I actually didn’t get into making my own sourdough until she came over one day and brought me some of her starter. It was then that my life changed forever because she taught me a basic sourdough bread recipe. Since then, I have been making sourdough 2-3 times a month and I absolutely love it. But that’s not why we are here today. We’re here to talk about a cookie. A salted dark chocolate olive oil cookie to be exact. Drooling yet?
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THESE COOKIES
Going back to when I first had this cookie, upon my first bite my eyes rolled into the back of my head and I squealed. My mouth was overwhelmed with a crispy, chewy texture that was rich and oh so chocolatey. Large chunks of flaky salt melted onto my tongue, intensifying the flavor. It was decided at the moment to be my favorite cookie ever. And it still is.
KEY INGREDIENTS
Luckily, Christina agreed to let me share her recipe on the blog for all of you! I did make just a few tweaks because you know I can be fussy if I don’t have my way, but the recipe is very similar to the one she currently serves at the bakery. I added some coffee because Ina Garten taught me that trick when I was a teenager (it brings out the flavor of the chocolate in a big way.) Also added just a dash of almond extract because I just can’t help myself. You don’t really taste it but it’s definitely there.
A FEW MORE TIPS
What else… oh yeah, I like to make mine on the bigger, thinner, crispier, and chewier side. So I like to divide the dough into 12 big cookies and bake for 16 minutes. Of course, you could go smaller but I think these work really well when they are big and impressive. I also decided to omit the chocolate chips but I have made that an option in the notes. This just depends on how much you like chocolate! Lastly, don’t skimp on the flaky salt. It’s what makes the cookies.
Big thanks to Christina from Levee Baking Co. for letting me share this chocolate olive oil cookie recipe. Definitely give her a follow on Instagram, her feed is gorgeous.
WANT TO TRY OTHER SEASONAL TREATS?
ENJOY THESE SALTED DARK CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL COOKIES!
If you do make the recipe, let me know, and please leave a comment below. It greatly helps the health of my site and makes me oh so happy to read. If you post this on social media please tag me, I love to see what you all are up to! Thank you for being here and happy baking, y’all.
-Timothy
Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed, regular or golden
- ¼ cup full-fat oat milk
- 2 tablespoons black coffee, left-over or cold-brewed
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 280 g
- ¾ cup cocoa powder, dutch-processed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 2 cups sugar, vanilla infused if you have it!
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- Flaky salt, for topping cookies
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flaxseed meal, oat milk, and coffee. Mix well and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. (When measuring the flour, fluff it up with a fork and then scoop it into a measuring cup using a spoon. It needs to be 280 g and no more than that or the dough will be too crumbly!) Set aside.
- Now that the flax mixture is ready, in the same bowl, add in the olive oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix well. Slowly add the dry ingredients, a few scoops at a time. Do not overmix.
- Once the mixture is combined, mound into a ball and shape into a rounded rectangle. The dough should be cohesive and shiny. You should easily be able to form it into a ball at this point. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or up to 3-4 days).
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line one large baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough and cut into 12 even squares. Using your hands, round individual squares into thick circular discs.
- Place the discs on the baking sheet and gently press down with your fingers. (Refer to the image above to see how!) These cookies will spread and need a good amount of space so only bake off 6 at a time, in batches. Once flattened, generously sprinkle some flaky salt on top.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 16 minutes for a crispy, chewy texture. If you want them a little more gooey, try 14 or 15 minutes. You can also opt to not flatten them as much as I do for an even more gooey interior.
- Let the cookies sit on the pan for about 2 minutes. Then, using a very thin spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to a cooling wrack. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!
These look delicious, perfect for Veganuary I can’t wait to try them.
I hope you love them!! Happy holidays, t
Happy to say these cookies turned out well! ^_^
The first 1/2 batch I baked spread sooo much it looked like a delicious disaster (all stuck together, very crispy after 16 minutes) – they were all eaten of course!
For the second half batch the day after (the dough does keep very nicely in the fridge!), I divided the dough in a higher number of smaller cookie portions. They still spread but into lovely, big independent cookies. I also left them around 12-13 minutes and checked them before letting them cool for a chewier texture. I used 1.5 cups sugar and soft whole wheat flour.
Great with Maldon salt flakes and a glass of cinnamon sprinkled oat milk 🙂
Thank you for this, Sophie! Very happy to hear you liked them! I want a glass of cinnamon oat milk now.
These are like brownies for grown ups. Crispy outside and a little gooey inside, and so rich! I like that I can bake a few fresh each night for dessert. A great holiday treat. Thank you!
So lovely to read this! Thank you for letting me know, Natalie!
These taste similar to brownie brittle but better- the fudgey center gives it the extra flavor and texture to make these absolutely incredible. Came across these cookies when looking for a vegan recipe based in olive oil- sure it’s just the first of many times I make it! Thanks in advance for making my family’s Thanksgiving sweeter this year 🙂
Hey Leah! Thank you so much for this comment. I agree, the crispy and chewy texture makes these cookies super special. Happy holidays and thank you for being here!
I see this recipe has been up for a while, but I just come across it and had to give it a try. They’ve just come out of the oven and are a real hit. I’m wondering if the dough would store well in the freezer. We’d like to be able to make these at a moment’s notice, by just pulling a piece or two out of the freezer and baking them up! I know that works well with some doughs, but I don’t know if it is a universal. What do you think? Thanks for the recipe!
Hey! So I have tried making these from dough that has been in the fridge for up to 5 days and it worked great. I have not tested freezing it but I BET it would work. I can’t say for certain but I would suggest pre-rolling some balls and freezing a few to test out. I really think it would be just fine! Sorry I can’t help more on this topic. -T
I made these at 4am; that’s how excited I was to try them after stumbling upon the recipe in an insomnia-induced frenzy of online recipe window-shopping. And OH BOY are these good. I chopped up some dark chocolate and pressed some chunks into the top of each cookie. I’m genuinely struggling with the effort to not eat the lot of them. Thank you for this divine recipe!
Hi Ren! This makes me so happy to read. These cookies are quite special and I am so happy you like them.
Did this recipe used to Include Rye flour?
I know I bought rye flour for some chocolate cookies and I swear it was these but maybe I’m mistaken!
Hi! This recipe did not but that sounds lovely!!
I’ve been following your Blog for a while and very much enjoy your book. The chocolate cookies are perfekt for chocolate Junkies like me.
I could even convince my carnivore family with your recipies. keep it up!!!
Aww, thank you for the sweet comment and for being here! That makes me so happy to hear. I certainly will keep it up!!
These sound delicious. One question – I don’t make coffee, but have some espresso powder that I put in chocolate cake recipes. If I use that, should I add a little more liquid? I’m also gluten free so will use my 1 to 1 substitution blend. I think they’re going to be amazing.
You can absolutely use that and just add the 2 tablespoons of water to replace the liquid from the coffee, I’m sure that would work just fine! I hope the GF blend works for you- lmk please! Happy baking!
Sounds super yummy! Is there a preferred Olive Oil for the cookies?
Hi there! So I just use whatever full-bodied olive oil I have on hand for sautéing. No need to use an expensive finishing olive oil here. Enjoy!
I made these for Christmas and they were such a hit! I left out the coffee (kids) but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and the cookies were unique, not too sweet and there were no leftovers!
Loved reading this! So happy you and the fam enjoyed them. Happy New Year!
Mannnn I couldn’t help it, I made these the literal day after I got the email newsletter and they’re so good that I’m MAD! lol I was skeptical about the almond extract but dayum! Good call. SO SO GOOD. Thank you for sharing! Can’t wait to try the pumpkin sausage pasta next. Happy Holidays!
Amazing! To the person who asked about mint extract – 2 teaspoons for sure. In addition to vanilla. Do it!
hi there! quick-ish question: what is “full fat oat milk”? i generally buy oat milk with no extra fillers (e.g., oils added) and am confused. that said, i’m wondering if I might simply make these with almond milk….well, I guess I can just try!!!
these look fabulous!!
Hi there! So Oatly has a full-fat milk which is just more creamy and delicious. But you could certainly use any plant-based milk here. Happy baking!
thank you for the reply – very appreciated! i avoid Oatly as they add in oils (low erucic acid rapeseed oil) which do make it deliciously creamy; but, i avoid for a health reasons. it’s all good – making these with plain old almond milk worked so well!
Was so excited to make these but I don’t know what I did wrong, mine flattened out way too much in the oven and were so thin and crispy/burnt on the edges. I’m gonna try baking off the rest of my dough in the next few days but it seems they were too wet although I followed the recipe exactly. 🙁
Hi Laura, I am so sorry to hear this. I am not sure what’s wrong! The dough should be quite thick and dense like in the pre-bake picture. There is not very much liquid in this recipe in comparison to the dry ingredients. There is only 1/4th a cup of oat milk.. The only other thing I can think of is trying to chill the dough overnight to get it nice and cold… hope this helps.
so…..I made it with almond milk & it was AMAZING!!! i also left out the almond extract as i didn’t have any one hand. i can not say enough how gorgeously delectable these cookies are. i will make them exactly they way i did when i make them again – THAT GOOD! thank you, thank you for posting such a fabulous recipe.
This recipe makes the world’s best cookies. Actually, nothing I can buy even approaches the deliciousness of these cookies. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
I have a question: if I wanted to do a mint variation, what measurement of mint oil would you recommend adding?
Lydia! This makes me so very happy to read. Thank you!! So mint oil is very strong so I would say start with ½ a teaspoon- mix well and give it a taste. Add more if you’d like!
Added salted peanuts to the top halfway through baking and they’re perfection. Super decadent and BIG cookies but we all still managed to eat two ?
Love this!! Sending you lots of love!
This sounds fab!! Sending you lots of love!
Thank you for this recipe. We tried it this weekend and it worked like a charm!
Your plant based recipes are all so beautiful and tempting, you make vegan cooking look delicious (and of course, it is!).
Aww, lovely to hear! Thank you!
I’m hoping to make these tomorrow but don’t have flaxseed – any ideas for substitutions?
I haven’t tested this recipe with any other kind of binder but my first rec would be chia seeds and then an egg replacer like from Bob’s Red Mill. Other than that, I’m sure some apple sauce or a banana would work but it would change the flavor. Once again, I haven’t tested anything other flan flax, so I can’t give you a certain answer. Hope it works out!
I used powdered egg replacer when I made these and they turned out great. I just mixed the “egg” and added it to the wet ingredients.
OMG I have found my perfect cookie!!! These are the absolute best and I will be making them again and again. Although I didn’t know each cookie would be as big as my face. But who’s complaining…. Thank you!!
I am so happy you liked them!! Thanks for letting me know!
A sincere THANK YOU for this recipe. I do not get to bake a lot of vegan treats these days. I had time to make these for a family gathering of vegans and non vegans – everyone loved them (especially my 1.5 yr old grandson and my 75 yr old dad!) We will be making these for all special occasions to come. The cookies were PERFECT! following the recipe on the first try and so much bigger than I thought they would be – not complaining just pleasantly surprised! (I did sub powdered egg replaced for the ground flax egg because that is what we had)
Awesome! So happy you enjoyed them!! Thanks for the love.