I loooooooove lemon olive oil cake. That said, a cake is a commitment. Tim doesn’t eat a lot of dessert, even healthy desserts, so I’m responsible for making sure it doesn’t go to waste. Ahem. I am a saint, right? But even though I live for desserts, even I cannot eat a whole cake, and I’m not a fan of freezing them because I forget them, only to find a frosty brick of something unidentifiable three years later.
In comes a cookie. I make A LOT of cookies because you can eat as many as you want, and then give a few away to various friends and relatives. Cookie recipes are also much easier to scale down if you decide to just make enough for your snack (like one dozen). This is one of those recipes. It is perfect for a couple of days of dessert/recovery treats, especially because everything in them is actually good for you. These cookies are gluten free, dairy free, high protein, and refined sugar free – truly my favorite kind of sweet snack, especially after a day of training.
The other thing that makes this recipe fantastic is that it only has a few ingredients, all mixed in one bowl, at one time. You aren’t waiting for butter to soften, no need to sift and combine dry ingredients before adding to the wet, and no risk of over-mixing and ending up with a tough cookie.
Basically, these cookies are quick, healthy, and fool-proof. What else could you ask for?
Lemon Olive Oil Cookies
(adapted from Sweet Laurel)
2 cups almond flour
1/3 cassava flour (or coconut flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
juice and zest from one lemon
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
1/4 maple syrup (can sub in agave or coconut sugar)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet (half sheet) with parchment paper.
Blend all ingredients together in a stand mixer, or very well by hand. Dough will be very soft.
Place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a cylinder, about 8 inches long. Twist ends, and roll wrapped cylinder until you have an evenly round log – like a giant Tootsie Roll. Unwrap and slice 10 -12 even disks of dough. Place on cookie sheet, leaving a couple of inches between.
Using the bottom of a measuring cup, gently press down on the dough disks until you have a flat circle cookie (about 1/4 inch thick).
Bake 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before glazing.
Glaze
1/3 cup arrowroot powder
Juice from one lemon, plus zest reserved for sprinkling at the end
3 tablespoons olive oil
Combine all ingredients except the zest. Mix vigorously, as the juice and the oil want to separate. Once you have a pourable glaze, work quickly to pour over cookies. Sprinkle with lemon zest.
Mom, ultrarunner, four-time US 24 Hour National Team member, adventure athlete, food writer. Graduate of the Pro Cooking Program at the New School of Cooking, Los Angeles. Will run for food.
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