Extra Virgin Olive Oil For Your Hanukkah Desserts
If you are looking forward to Hanukkah celebrations with family and friends and want to choose a healthy fat for your celebrations, opting for an extra virgin olive oil is a great way to bring a treat to the taste buds at this happy time.
Opting for extra virgin olive oil as your fat of choice during Hanukkah is not just restricted to the savoury dishes. This healthy fat is also a great option for the many sweet treats to be enjoyed at this time of year. These Olive Oil Cookies from Motherwouldknow are a simple and crowd-pleasing option:
Chanuka Olive Oil Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup roasted pistachio meats (5 ounces)
- 1 + 2 tablespoons cup all purpose flour (5 ounces)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate finely chopped (1 ounce)
- 2 pinches kosher or fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup Morocco Gold extra-virgin olive oil + a bit extra for brushing on before the optional coating
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 each cup roasted pistachios and semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate finely chopped or mini chips
Instructions
- Grind the pistachios in a food processor to a medium-fine, pebbly consistency. Combine the ground pistachio meats, flour, baking powder, chopped chocolate and salt in a small bowl and mix them thoroughly with a large fork.
- In a larger bowl, combine the extra virgin olive oil, egg, vanilla and sugar. Mix them to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ones, and mix with a large fork until well combined. The mixture will be like pebbly sand.
- Press it into a lump and put it on a piece of parchment paper. Using the parchment to help roll the dough, make it into a log 12 inches long.
- If using the optional outside coating, brush the extra oil over the log and roll it in the pistachio and chocolate mixture. Press that mixture into the roll slightly, to hold it in place, and roll the parchment paper over the log. Don't be afraid to use your hand to roll the log or to press in the coating, which doesn't stick unless you apply pressure by rolling it.
- Chill the log in the freezer for about one hour. It should be firm to the touch, and well chilled.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- With a sharp knife, cut the chilled log into 1/2 inch thick pieces (24 total) and lay them out on 2 rimmed cookie sheets lined with parchment or silicone. It's easiest if you cut the log in half, then cut each half into half again, followed by cutting each of those quarters into thirds. The cookies will not be perfectly shaped, but you can press them back into roundish shapes if they get too odd-looking after you slice them.
- Bake the cookies for about 13-15 minutes, rotating the pans from front-to-back and switching their places on the oven racks about halfway through to promote even baking. As they bake, the cookies will rise slightly, but if they were well chilled, they should not spread out much.
- Remove the chanuka olive oil cookies to wire racks and cool them thoroughly before serving.
