s

s

Lemon Olive Oil Cookies

Friends, today I set out to share a delicious new cashew cream truffle recipe with you, while trying to juggle a multitude of other tasks. And I failed. Miserably. :\ I won’t go into details, but let’s just say my kitchen was definitely a pathetic sight to see.

But! Then I remembered I had this bag of lemons kickin’ around, and the fresh smell of lemon always pulls me out of a funk. So I cheered myself up by baking a batch of these citrusy morsels. And man, am I ever glad I screwed up those truffles; these cookies are really good.

Soft, tangy, and similar to a snickerdoodle in texture, these cookies are a nice treat on a warm summer day — especially alongside a refreshing scoop of lemon sorbet. If you don’t like the flavor of olive oil and would prefer a milder cookie, feel free to sub it out with melted margarine or coconut oil.

Lemon Olive Oil Cookies~Vegan & Gluten Free

makes 24 cookies

  • 1 cup sweet white sorghum
  • 3/4 cups brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup potato starch
  • 1/4 cup almond meal
  • 1 tsp xantham gum
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated organic sugar
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 ºF.

Sift together sorghum flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, almond meal, xanthan gum, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix in lemon zest, olive oil, and lemon juice until thick cookie dough forms.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls, or roll dough into walnut sized balls,  and place about 2 inches apart on un-greased baking sheet.

Flatten slightly with a fork (like you would with a peanut butter cookie) and sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar.

Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.

 

 

Share with friends!

29 Responses to Lemon Olive Oil Cookies

  1. Wilmarie says:

    My husband and I are the only vegans in our group of friends. I took these to a party and everyone loved them! Thanks for this great recipe.

  2. aubrey t says:

    just made these, they are so delicious. No one knew they were gluten free or vegan. thanks for the great recipe!

  3. Veggie Veg says:

    I’m sorry if this is a silly question, but I don’t need gluten- free (just vegan!), and therefore do not have any of the first 5 ingredients in my pantry. Is it possible to make this recipe with just all-purpose flour? They look amazing, and I’ve been searching everywhere for a gorgeous lemon vegan cookie – these look perfect, but I don’t want to spend a bunch of money on new-to-me ingredients. Thanks so much for your time!

    • allyson says:

      Hey Veggie Veg,

      Not a silly question– I think these would work well with an all purpose wheat flour in place of the other ingredients–if anything, they may (and definitely may not) need a touch more liquid (maybe 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice?) to bring the dough together–or even just a little extra mixing time. The dough should be somewhat like pla-doh consistency. Hope you enjoy!!

      <3

      • Veggie Veg says:

        Thank you so much! I will give them a try!! :)

      • Veggie Veg says:

        Just wanted to let you know that I switched in all-purpose flour (2 1/2 cups), and they came out great! They baked into a nice looking cookie, and they tasted great! Thanks again.

        • allyson says:

          Fantastic! Thanks for letting me/everyone know. I’m sure this will come in handy for others who don’t need to eat gf also.

          :)

  4. I love these cookies. I’ve made them several times and they’re always my go-to cookie for lunches with friends! Well done :).

  5. Tamar says:

    Was looking for a cookie recipe that had ingredients that I happened to have on hand last night (no chocolate chips in the house) I made them for a friend who recently lost her dad. I feel like they are the perfect simple/gourmet/subtle cookie. Thanks so much!

  6. […] Vegan: Mocha Ice Cream Sandwiches + Coconut Basil Ice Cream + Lemon Olive Oil Cookies […]

  7. […] want to make these – and what a shame, my husband doesn’t really like lemony things! More for […]

  8. Dee says:

    I think you are going to be my new BFF. Seriously. I just found your website and I just can’t decide what recipe, that I’ve been drooling over, I’m going to make first. Thank you for sharing….I am going to be the first one to buy your cookbook- that is what BFFs do you know.

  9. Sophie says:

    Hi Allyson! I’ve already tried a couple of your recipes and they have been delicious! I would like to try this one as well but i have a nut allergy, any suggestions for a substitute for the almond meal? Also, for further information does the replacement for almond meal change with the recipe? Or have you found a substitute that works well in most cases?
    Thanks SO MUCH from a gluten, dairy, egg and nut allergy ridden teenager!

    • allyson says:

      Hi Sophie!

      So glad you have enjoyed my recipes so far. Thank you! :)

      You could try using finely ground white cornmeal mixed with maybe a teaspoon or two flaxseed meal in place of the almond meal, or… even sorghum flour mixed with some flaxseed. I actually haven’t tried this though, so I cannot say that it is a perfect substitute, but it seems like it would work well since the almond meal is such a little amount of the flour mix. Generally I use it to add moisture and a nice crumb to baked goods, but it’s not terribly integral to this recipe. Seems like maybe a few extra tablespoons sorghum + a couple of teaspoons flaxseed meal + maybe an extra tablespoon of potato starch may do the trick. Sorry I’m not more helpful on this front… but I wish you the best of luck! <3 <3

      • Laurel says:

        Hi. If the nut allergy doesn’t include coconut you can replace the almond flour with that. It’s not enough to affect the balance of liquid and dry ingredients. Good luck!

  10. andrea devon says:

    These look so lovely! I really would like to try them. Do you think i could nix the xanthan gum and sub with some ground flax or something? I’ve read some not-too-pleasant things about gums and such for gf-baking, and I would really like to avoid them. What are your suggestions? thanks, andrea

    • allyson says:

      Hi Andrea! Thank you!

      … yep, you can just try leaving out the xanthan gum altogether. I’ve experimented quite a bit without it and I just don’t have good results that I notice a lot of folks who use eggs seem to achieve… and between using eggs and gums, I’m all for sticking with the gums. :) . I do know that extra ground flax seems to work pretty good for a few folks, so that might work! Good luck! <3

      • Laurel says:

        And, my unasked for two cents… I’ve found ground chia to work much better than flax and just as well as the gums. Could be a fluke. Could be worth a try. :D

  11. Katrina says:

    This is such a perfect idea! Yum!

  12. Serena says:

    I cannot even tell you how amazing these look! I love the taste of olive oil & I will bet these taste fantastic! :)

  13. Cecil says:

    Hmm, I have a bottle of Meyer Lemon-infused olive oil that I bet would be great for this recipe!

  14. Laurel says:

    I just now opened up ‘FindingVegan’ and saw these truly drool worthy lemon olive oil cookies. My first thought being oh yeah, I bet I can DO THAT! Then I looked down at the link. Well yeah, I shoulda known by now that anything that instantly wakes up my sleepy taste buds has got something to do with that culinary witch at the Manifest Vegan. All I’ve got to say is that it’s a good thing you don’t live in Salem. LOL They look smashing Allyson.

  15. Caitlin says:

    i love these! for sure the next allyson cookie that i make! <3 you.

  16. Jojo says:

    Oh wow, those sound delicious & they look gorgeous too.

  17. Gauri Radha गौरी राध says:

    Lovely presentation!! The cookies look delicious.

  18. such a great idea to use olive oil, i always try to stay away from canola oil.

  19. Celia says:

    Those look lovely. I adore olive oil and lemon in sweet applications. Thanks for the recipe!