We’re Smitten with Deb Perelman’s Olive Oil Shortbread

Think of shortbread cookies and your first thought is likely of butter—and lots of it. But you won’t find any in Deb Perelman’s version, from Smitten Kitchen Every Day, our Cookbook Club’s book of the month. Perelman acknowledges that “the landscape of butter-free cookies is usually filled with stories of compromise,” but notes that when she set out to make a butterless shortbread, she “wanted it to be a shortbread that might taste even better because it celebrated its fat, rather than apologizing for it.”

Luckily for all of us, she definitely accomplished that goal. Her Olive Oil Shortbread with Rosemary & Chocolate Chunks have been so popular in the Club that they’ve almost taken over the Facebook page.

This is the good kind of peer pressure.

Here are just a few of the many (many!) enthusiastic reviews:

• Club member Deborah Elliott exclaims, “I couldn’t wait to make these after all the buzz they generated.”
• Cassie Ducharme says, “I skipped over this recipe thinking there was no way I would like it. Then I saw all the posts and had to. I love it!”
• After sharing her photo of the shortbread, Darian Kimball Record says she’s “lacing up my Nikes to take my pup for a walk. I can’t be anywhere near these cookies, they are THAT good.”
• Kirsten Svenson King says, “Well, I’ve found my go-to cookie.”

We’re only halfway through the month, but the cookies have already almost taken on a life of their own, with a number of Club members putting their own twists on the recipe. Sheila Scully was inspired by an artisan chocolate she had in France and added the zest of an orange and some chopped, slivered almonds. The substitutions were a success, she says: “I think I like these shortbreads almost better than the chocolates!”

And she’s not the only one who’s had fun making the recipe their own. Club member Chris Hoelck has made multiple batches of shortbread, saying: “I could make these every day.” He tweaked his second batch, swapping a combination of toasted sesame oil and canola oil for the olive oil and five-spice powder for the rosemary, and he loved the toasty, nutty result. Members shared additional ideas for playing around with the ingredients, too:

• Orange zest and cardamom
• Matcha and chocolate
• Blood orange and pistachio
• Raisins plumped in balsamic vinegar
• Cured black olives
• Lemon zest and poppy seeds
• Lavender and lemon zest
• Lemon zest and black pepper (are you picking up on a theme?)

Naturally, we begged asked Perelman to be able to share the recipe with everyone, and she kindly obliged.

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Olive Oil Shortbread with Rosemary & Chocolate Chunks

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Ingredients

1 1/2	cups all-purpose flour (195 grams)
1/2	cup powdered sugar (60 grams)
2	tablespoons turbinado (raw) sugar (25 grams), plus 1 teaspoon (5 grams)
1/2	teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2	cup mild olive oil (120 ml)
1	teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/2	cup semisweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks (85 grams)
1	egg white, beaten until loose (optional)

1 1/2	cups all-purpose flour (195 grams)
1/2	cup powdered sugar (60 grams)
2	tablespoons turbinado (raw) sugar (25 grams), plus 1 teaspoon (5 grams)
1/2	teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2	cup mild olive oil (120 ml)
1	teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/2	cup semisweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks (85 grams)
1	egg white, beaten until loose (optional)

Planning on playing with the flavors, or are you going to stick with what’s written? Let us know in the comments!