What Are Olive Oil Cookies? Everything You Need to Know.

If you’ve never tried olive oil cookies, you may be wondering what makes them different from traditional cookies—and whether you can actually taste the olive oil.

Olive oil cookies are exactly what they sound like: cookies made with olive oil instead of some or all of the butter or shortening traditionally used in cookie recipes. But they are much more than simply a butter-free version of a familiar dessert.

When a cookie recipe is developed specifically for olive oil, the result can be incredibly soft, chewy, rich and flavorful. Olive oil works especially well with chocolate, brown sugar, oatmeal, citrus, nuts, vanilla and warm spices, making it surprisingly versatile in baking.

From olive oil chocolate chip cookies to oatmeal, chocolate brownie, lemon and orange cookies, olive oil brings a new dimension to a classic treat.

So why are more bakers making cookies with olive oil? Here’s what makes them special.

What Are Olive Oil Cookies Made With?

Most traditional cookie recipes rely on butter or shortening as their primary source of fat. In cookies made with olive oil, olive oil takes on that role. If you’re curious about how the two fats compare, see our guide to butter vs. olive oil in cookies.

The basic ingredients may still look very familiar:

• Flour

• Sugar or brown sugar

• Chocolate chips or chunks

• Eggs

• Baking soda or baking powder

• Vanilla

• Salt

• Olive oil

The important difference is how the recipe is formulated.

Butter contains both fat and water, while olive oil is essentially all fat. Because of that, you generally can’t take every butter-based cookie recipe and replace the butter with an equal amount of olive oil and expect exactly the same result.

The best olive oil cookie recipes are developed from the beginning with olive oil in mind, balancing the flour, sugar, eggs and other ingredients to create the desired texture.

What Do Olive Oil Cookies Taste Like?

One of the first questions people ask is: Do olive oil cookies taste like olive oil?

The answer depends on the type of olive oil and the recipe.

A mild olive oil can provide richness and moisture without producing a strong olive flavor. In many cookies, you may simply notice that the flavor seems deeper or more interesting.

A more robust extra virgin olive oil can contribute subtle fruity, grassy or peppery notes. Those flavors can work remarkably well in desserts.

Chocolate and olive oil are a particularly good pairing. The deep flavor of chocolate complements the natural fruitiness of olive oil, which is why olive oil chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chunk cookies have become such popular introductions to olive oil baking.

Brown sugar also pairs beautifully with olive oil, creating caramel-like flavors and a soft, chewy texture.

Why Make Cookies With Olive Oil Instead of Butter?

Olive Oil Creates a Soft, Moist Cookie

Because olive oil remains liquid at room temperature, it can help cookies retain a soft and tender texture after baking.

Depending on the recipe, olive oil cookies can have slightly crisp edges with a rich, chewy center.

There’s No Butter to Soften

Traditional cookie recipes often begin with softened butter.

That means planning ahead—or attempting to quickly soften a cold stick of butter when you suddenly decide you want cookies.

Olive oil is ready to use directly from the bottle.

Olive Oil Adds Flavor

Olive oil isn’t simply a substitute for another ingredient.

A good olive oil contributes its own flavor to the cookie, particularly when it is paired with chocolate, vanilla, citrus, cinnamon, oatmeal, nuts or dried fruit.

Olive Oil Opens Up New Flavor Combinations

Once you start baking with olive oil, traditional cookie flavors can take on a completely different character.

Olive oil works especially well with chocolate chunk, dark chocolate, lemon, orange, oatmeal and cranberry, pistachio, almond, cinnamon and brown sugar.

This versatility is one of the reasons olive oil baking has become so interesting to both home bakers and professional bakers.

Are Olive Oil Cookies Healthier Than Butter Cookies?

Olive oil cookies are still cookies, so they’re best thought of as a dessert rather than a health food.

However, olive oil and butter have different fat profiles.

Olive oil is naturally high in monounsaturated fats, while butter contains considerably more saturated fat. Extra virgin olive oil also contains naturally occurring plant compounds, including polyphenols.

That doesn’t mean an olive oil chocolate chunk cookie suddenly becomes a health food. Cookies still contain ingredients such as sugar, flour and chocolate, and nutrition depends on the complete recipe and serving size.

Instead, many people simply appreciate having another option for baking cookies—especially one based around an ingredient they may already use regularly in their kitchen.

What Is the Best Olive Oil for Baking Cookies?

The best olive oil for cookies depends on the flavor you want to create.

For classic flavors such as chocolate chip, chocolate chunk, oatmeal or brown sugar cookies, a mild to medium olive oil is often a good place to start. It provides richness without overwhelming the other ingredients.

Extra virgin olive oil can also be excellent for baking, especially when its flavor is intended to be part of the finished cookie.

Infused olive oils create even more possibilities.

Vanilla bean-infused olive oil pairs naturally with chocolate chunk and other rich cookie flavors. Orange-infused olive oil can bring bright citrus character to a cookie, while lemon-infused olive oil can add freshness to lighter desserts.

Choosing the olive oil becomes part of creating the flavor of the cookie rather than simply selecting a cooking fat.

Can You Substitute Olive Oil for Butter in Chocolate Chip Cookies?

You can, but the results will depend on the recipe.

Simply replacing one cup of butter with one cup of olive oil can change how much the cookies spread, how they brown and how they feel when you bite into them.

That’s because butter and olive oil behave differently during baking.

A recipe developed specifically for olive oil will usually produce a more predictable result.

This is particularly important when making olive oil chocolate chip cookies, where small changes in the ratio of flour, sugar, eggs and fat can dramatically change the finished cookie.

If you’re new to olive oil baking, starting with a recipe or olive oil cookie mix specifically designed for olive oil can make the process much easier.

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Want a deeper comparison? Read our guide to Butter vs. Olive Oil in Cookies.

That sentence will link to the separate article once we publish it.

Olive Oil Cookies Are More Than a Butter Substitute

The most interesting thing about olive oil cookies is that they don’t need to be viewed as traditional cookies with something removed.

Olive oil can be an intentional ingredient.

Think about the popularity of brown butter cookies. Bakers use brown butter because they want the nutty, caramelized flavor it adds.

Olive oil can be approached the same way.

Its flavor, aroma and texture become part of the character of the cookie.

That’s the idea behind the Olive Oil Scratch Cookie Mixes from Georgie’s Cookies. Rather than taking an ordinary butter cookie recipe and simply replacing the butter, the mixes are created specifically for baking with olive oil.

Flavors including Olive Oil Chocolate Chunk, Olive Oil Chocolate Brownie and Olive Oil Oatmeal allow home bakers to make artisan-style olive oil cookies without having to develop their own recipe from scratch.

Just mix, bake and discover a different way to make one of America’s favorite desserts.

Why Olive Oil Cookies Are Worth Trying

Butter will always have a place in baking, but it isn’t the only way to make a great cookie.

Olive oil can create cookies that are soft, chewy, rich and full of flavor. It also introduces flavor combinations that you may never have considered when making traditional cookies.

Start with something familiar, such as an olive oil chocolate chunk cookie, and the difference may surprise you.

So, what are olive oil cookies?

They’re cookies intentionally made with olive oil as the primary baking fat instead of traditional butter or shortening.

But once they’re made well, that definition doesn’t quite capture them.

Olive oil cookies are a different way to experience a classic dessert—one that combines familiar ingredients with the distinctive flavor and texture that olive oil can bring to baking.

And for many people, one olive oil cookie is all it takes to rethink the way cookies should be made.

Want to try one for yourself? Explore fresh-baked olive oil cookies and other Georgie’s Cookies favorites online.