Name: Lemon Olive Oil Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 19 min
Ingredients: ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, neutral tasting (150g); 1½ cups granulated sugar (300g); 2 large eggs (100g); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1½ tsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt; zest 2 lemons; 2¾ cup all-purpose flour (385g)

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These ultra simple Lemon Olive Oil Cookies are made with extra virgin olive oil rather than butter, along with lemon zest for a sweet and zingy lemon cookie that’s chewy and soft.

They can be whipped up in 10 minutes using one bowl. No creaming butter and sugar, and no chilling. They’re like a delicious ray of bright lemony sunshine!

Other Lemon Olive Oil Deserts: Olive Oil Cupcakes, Olive Oil Scones, Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake.

Lemon Olive Oil Cookies arranged on a plate on a white background decorated with yellow accents, lemons, and flowers.

Extra virgin olive oil has antioxidants, heart-healthy fats, and anti-inflammatory properties, and it adds flavor and moisture. I love to use olive oil in baked goods rather than butter, and in many recipes, it works seamlessly. It can be used in muffins, like Olive Oil Blueberry Muffins, or cakes like Italian Olive Oil Cake or Olive Oil Carrot Cake.

When used in cookies, olive oil works differently since, unlike butter, it is liquid at room temperature. In a typical cookie, butter and sugar are creamed to create little pockets of air, which lends to cookies that are chewy with a slightly crispy edge. These cookies, however, are chewy and soft throughout, the perfect pairing for the flavors of lemon and the slight herby note of the olive oil.

Even with 30 lemon and olive oil cookies, cakes, muffin recipes, and more, I tested this recipe twice to ensure that the directions are easy to follow and that the ingredients are in the exact right proportions (with weight measurements included for precision).

Ingredients

Below are the ingredients needed to make Lemon Olive Oil Cookies.

Olive Oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil, preferably neutral tasting. However, if you love the flavor of a certain olive oil, feel free to use that here as well. The flavor will shine through into the cookies.
Sugar: Use granulated sugar rather than brown sugar for a simpler flavor, allowing the lemon and olive oil to shine.
Eggs: Use large eggs, pasture-raised if possible.
Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla. Wholesale stores like Costco sell large bottles for a low price per unit volume.
Lemons: Using lemon zest rather than lemon juice gives you all the lemon flavor without any of the acidity, sourness, or water content of the juice. Lemon zest can also be used in Lemon Curd Cookies, Lemon Sandwich Cookies, Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies, and Lemon Blueberry Cookies.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: For leavening.
Salt: To bring out and balance flavor.
Flour: Use all-purpose, unbleached flour.

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to make Lemon Olive Oil Cookies

Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Lemon Olive Oil Cookies.

Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.

A large white mixing bowl with extra virgin olive oil and granulated sugar before and after being combined.

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Step 1. Olive Oil and Sugar: In a large bowl, combine the extra virgin olive oil and sugar.

The bowl with the remaining wet ingredients added including eggs and vanilla extract along with lemon zest and the cookie dough after adding baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Step 2: Remaining Wet Ingredients: Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon zest, and whisk to combine.

Step 3. Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt: Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and combine.

The Lemon Olive Oil Cookie dough before and after incorporating all-purpose flour.

Step 4. Flour: Add the all-purpose flour and gently combine with a large spoon or spatula.

Step 5. Shape and Bake: Use two tablespoons of dough to roll into a ball for each cookie. Place 12 cookies per baking sheet.

Bake for 9 minutes at 350°F. The cookies should look set on the edges, yet poofy, and not fully set in the middle. They will continue cooking on the pan after removing them from the oven.

Lemon Glaze (optional): For an easy upgrade, drizzle the cookies with a lemon glaze, like in this recipe for Blueberry Crumb Cake with Lemon Glaze.

Tips for Making the Best Cookies

Fully Preheated Oven: Allow the oven to preheat for an additional 15 minutes beyond when the oven says that it has preheated. Many ovens take longer to fully preheat than indicated.
Measuring Flour: For best results, use a kitchen scale to measure the flour. I use a conversion of 140g per cup of flour. If you do not have a kitchen scale, use America’s Test Kitchen approach, “dip and sweep” to measure the flour with a measuring cup.
Test Cookie: Whenever making a new cookie recipe, I always recommend doing 1 test cookie first. This will help you to make adjustments to the baking time and temperature, or add more flour if the cookies spread.
Olive Oil: The flavor of the olive oil will shine through into the cookies. I like to use a neutral tasting extra virgin olive oil to ensure that the lemon flavor shines through and is not overpowered by the flavor of the olive oil.
Lemon Zest: Zest only the outermost bright yellow portion of the lemon, not the white pith.
Round Cookies: For cookies that have an even round shape, shape the cookies into a ball before baking. This will give you round cookies with slight variations that keep them looking homemade. Shaping them into a ball also creates surface tension, which prevents spreading.

Storage and Freezing

To Store: Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. They are best up to three days.
To Freeze: Before baking, shape the cookies into balls and freeze in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time. To freeze the already baked cookies, place them in a gallon-sized freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.