Olive Oil and Honey Cookies Recipe
By Ben Mims
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Easy
This recipe is extracted from Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World by Ben Mims is published by Phaidon (photography by Simon Bajada)
These Greek syrup-soaked and spiced Christmas-time cookies are perfumed with cinnamon, cloves, orange, and a liquor such as Cognac or brandy. Instead of using butter and molasses, copious amounts of olive oil add a brightness, and citrus-spiked honey syrup soaks the cookies after baking and lightens them considerably. If you were to include semolina flour in this cookie, many bakers would refer to it as finikia, but both names are used somewhat interchangeably for this style of cookie.
While many recipes use only honey for sweetening the syrup, sugar is also used here to lessen the intensity of the honey; if you prefer a more honey-forward profile, use more honey and omit the sugar. The key to the syrup soaking into the cookies is to soak the cooled cookies in it while the syrup is hot. Placing all the cookies in dishes and pouring over the syrup all at once helps prevent the syrup from cooling too much by the time you get to the last cookies. Be sure to sprinkle the cookies with the walnut decoration immediately after soaking them with the syrup, to ensure the nuts stick to the cookies.
Try Ben's recipe for Chocolate & Spice Cookies or Filled Walnut Shaped Cookies!
Ingredients for Olive Oil and Honey Cookies
For the cookies
- 935 g all-purpose (plain) flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 415 ml plain olive oil (not extra-virgin)
- 100 g caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cognac or other brandy
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 120 ml fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
For the syrup
- 200 g caster sugar
- 340 g honey
- 250 ml water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2–6 whole cloves
- ½ orange
- ½ lemon
To finish
- 115 g walnuts, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
How to make Olive Oil and Honey Cookies
- Make the cookies: Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the olive oil, sugar, Cognac, and vanilla on medium-low speed until smooth and emulsified, about 2 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, and bicarbonate of soda. Once the foaming subsides, pour the orange juice mixture into the olive oil mixture and beat on low speed until evenly combined, 1 minute more. Add the dry ingredients and stir until a dough forms and there are no dry patches of flour remaining.
- Using a 1½-tablespoon ice cream scoop, portion the dough and roll them into egg shapes or American football-shaped ovals. Divide the cookies between the prepared baking sheets, flattening them slightly on the baking sheets and spacing them 2.5 cm apart.
- Bake until light golden brown at the edges and dry to the touch in the centre, 20–25 minutes, switching racks and rotating the baking sheets front to back halfway through.
- Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks. Let the cookies cool on the pans for 1 minute, then transfer them to the racks to cool completely.
- Make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, honey, water, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Using a vegetable peeler, remove strips of zest from the orange and lemon halves and add to the saucepan, then squeeze the juice from the citrus halves into the saucepan as well. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer and let the syrup cook for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place as many cooled cookies as will fit loosely in the bottom of a 23 × 33 cm or similar baking dish and arrange them upside down. Repeat this with the remaining cookies in as many dishes as needed.
- To finish the cookies: In a small bowl, combine the chopped walnuts and ground cinnamon. Ladle the hot syrup gently over the cookies in each dish until completely coated, then flip all the cookies and quickly sprinkle a pinch of the cinnamon walnut mixture over the top of each. Let the cookies stand until the syrup has completely soaked into them, at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.
- The cookies can be made up to 3 days in advance; keep the dishes full of cookies covered with cling film.
About the author
Ben Mims, author of Crumbs, is a baking expert known for turning complex recipes into approachable delights. With his background as a food editor and a passion for all things sweet, Mims shares inventive, flavour-packed creations that make home baking accessible and endlessly enjoyable.
