These Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies are crisp, chewy, and naturally dairy-free. They take less than an hour to make and require no stand mixer.
We like to think of these olive oil chocolate chip cookies as the springtime version of our brown butter spelt chocolate chip cookies. The extra-virgin olive oil leaves a hint of fruity and floral notes that pair seamlessly with sea salt and rich dark chocolate.
No need for butter since the oil does all the work to hydrate and uniquely flavor the cookie dough. And as an added bonus, you’ll end up with beautifully crackled tops!
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No Chill Time: No need to wait, just pop them right in the oven!
- Texture: These olive oil chocolate chip cookies have the best of both worlds in terms of texture. Crispy on the edges and soft and chewy on the inside!
- Dairy-Free: Depending on the ingredients in your dark chocolate, this recipe is completely dairy-free.
Ingredient Notes
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you’ll find notes on why we chose certain ingredients as well as any substitutions.
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour: We recommend using a digital scale since it’s easy to overpack when using cups.
- Baking Soda: This helps the cookies to rise and form their distinct crinkly tops.
- Salt: To enhance the other flavors.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Depending on the quality of your extra-virgin olive oil, you’ll either end up with a subtle taste or one that’s more pronounced. We recommend going with a brand that you really like. Barbara Frantoia olive oil is one of our favorites.
- Granulated Sugar + Light Brown Sugar: The granulated sugar helps to get those crispy edges while the brown sugar adds more depth of flavor and chewiness. We don’t recommend using dark brown sugar as that could overpower the taste of the cookies.
- Egg + Egg Yolk: The extra egg yolk adds a bit more richness and chewiness.
- Vanilla Extract: Make sure you’re using pure vanilla extract and not the fake kind.
- 70% Dark Chocolate: As with most of our cookie recipes, dark chocolate works best. It’s not too sweet and it has a richer chocolate flavor. We use Guittard.
Kitchen Equipment
Step-by-Step Instructions
STEP 1: Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
STEP 2: Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together the olive oil with both sugars then mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until everything is well combined.
STEP 3: Fold in the dry ingredients. Use a silicone spatula to fold in the flour mixture until just combined then fold in the chopped dark chocolate. The dough will be on the stickier side.
*Be careful not to overmix the batter.
STEP 4: Scoop the dough. Use a 3 tbsp cookie scoop to portion the cookies and place them onto a lined baking sheet.
STEP 5: Bake. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers look slightly underdone.
Sprinkle them with a bit of flaky sea salt and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
- Use a round biscuit cutter to shape your cookies. To get perfectly round cookies, gently swirl a biscuit cutter around the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven.
- Pop them in the microwave to soften them back up. The longer these cookies sit out after being baked, the crunchier they’ll get. No worries though, just put them in the microwave for a few seconds until warm and soft again!
FAQ
We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but we recommend trying Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour if you’re wanting to make these without gluten. Just keep in mind that the results may differ.
Since olive oil doesn’t brown like butter does, you won’t get those lightly golden edges that you see in a typical butter cookie. You’ll know these are done when the edges are set and the centers are puffed and still a bit soft looking.
Baking in Grams
All of our baking recipes are carefully tested using grams so that you get a beautiful and delicious baked good every time. While we provide cup measurements, we can’t guarantee that they’ll produce good results. There’s more room for error when using cups, and how you pack your ingredients can make a significant difference. This is why we recommend measuring by weight so you’re guaranteed for success in the kitchen! All you need is a kitchen scale and you’re good to go!
Storage & Freezing
The cookies are best eaten 2-3 days after baking, but you can store them in a sealed bag or container for up to 1 week at room temperature.
Freezing
With a cookie scoop, scoop the cookies onto a lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Then place the hardened cookie dough balls into a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to bake, pop them directly onto a baking sheet and add about 2 minutes to the bake time.
If you tried this recipe, let us know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating and review below and tag us on Instagram @fancifuleats so we can see your amazing kitchen creations!
📖 Recipe
Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Large Baking Sheet
- 3 tbsp Cookie Scoop
Ingredients
- 180 g (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 125 ml (½ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 100 g (½ cup) light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 150 g (5 oz) 70% dark chocolate roughly chopped
- Flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the olive oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Whisk until well combined.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and whisk until fully incorporated.
- With a silicone spatula, fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. The dough will be quite sticky.
- Fold in the chopped chocolate. Be careful not to overmix.
- Use a 3 tbsp cookie scoop to portion the cookies and place them 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are set and the centers look slightly underdone and soft.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Notes
- As with all our baking recipes, we recommend that you use a digital scale to measure in grams. That way there's less room for error and you get more accurate results.
- If you find that your cookies are harder than they were when freshly baked, try heating them in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them back up.
Barbra says
Does this recipe make the cookies crackly on the top, I love that look, was just wondering or is it a stock photo?
fancifuleats says
Yes, when they’re freshly baked they should come out crackly. If you’re baking them after they’ve been in the freezer, they tend to lose that look and look a bit more pillowy. And I (Celeste) take all the photos for our blog, so I can assure you it’s not a stock photo. I appreciate the comment though and take it as a compliment! 😀
Barbra says
Thank you for not using a stock photo and showing the real deal. I have another question please. Can I add some butter as I love that taste. If so, how much can I add and do I decrease the butter? I’m not sure if this is a vegetarian blog, if so, sorry for asking for alternatives, I used to be vegetarian, so I completely understand.
fancifuleats says
We haven’t tested them with both olive oil and butter, so we can’t guarantee they’ll come out the same. If you want, you can replace the olive oil with the same amount of melted unsalted butter (1/2 cup or 113 g). You won’t get any fragrant olive oil flavor, but the results should be more or less the same. To answer your last point, we’re not vegetarians. In fact, you’ll find plenty of meat recipes on the blog! Happy baking! 🙂
Misslee says
I am so happy that I came across your recipe! The best chewy+ crispy chocolate chip cookie ever 😋 I used whole wheat flour, coconut sugar for sub and thecrwsult was amazing. Thanknyou for making such a delicious recipe thats actually easy yo follow 🤩
fancifuleats says
Thank you! Happy to hear that the substitutions worked out for you! 🙂
tracey says
these biscuits are amazing, thankyou for the recipe
Fanciful Eats says
Glad you enjoyed them!