At My Olive Tree we love sweets. We know we shouldn’t—we understand that it is in our best interest to cut out sugars and carbs as much as possible, and we do. However, that said, every once in a while we just need a little sweetness in our life!
Recently we’ve been reading a fabulous book by Carla Bartolucci titled Einkorn: Recipes for Nature’s original wheat. In it she shares about the history of wheat and how over the years it has lost some of its most important nutrients due to hybridization and other conventional farming methods.
“Einkorn contains roughly 30 percent more protein than modern wheat and more protein than any other grain, while having 15 percent less starch, translating to fewer carbohydrates.”
Also, einkorn is excellent for people with a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease. The ratio of proteins to other important molecules creates a much different breed of wheat plant, and allows the body to digest this ancient wheat much easier.
Now, combine the incredible, nutrient dense wheat berry from the Einkorn plant, and add the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil to the list of ingredients, and you’ve got yourself one healthy dessert. We’ve shared one of Ms. Bartolucci’s recipies for olive oil and wine cookies below. If you have a healthy sugar substitute, why not try that as an alternative? Then you’re really on your way to health, while also keeping that sweet tooth happy!
Olive Oil and Wine Cookies
From the book Einkorn By Carla Bartolucci
Ingredients:
½ cup sugar
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose einkorn flour
Pinch of baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon for brushing
6 tablespoons dry white wine
Directions:
Set aside 1 tablespoon of sugar on a small plate. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 7 tablespoons sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Drizzle the oil over the flour and mix with a fork until the dough is very clumpy. Add the wine and continue mixing with the fork. The dough will seem overly wet, but keep working until the flour has absorbed the liquid. Knead the dough on a clean work surface for about 2 minutes until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take 1 tablespoon of the dough and roll it between the palms of your hands to form a ball. Place the ball of dough on your work surface and roll with your fingers until it is about 5 inches long. Form a circle by pressing together the 2 ends. Brush the cookie with olive oil and dip the top of the cookie with olive oil and dip the top of the cookie in the reserved sugar to dust lightly. Place the cookies on the baking sheet, spacing them 1 ½ inches apart. Continue in the same manner until you have formed all of the cookies.
Bake for 25 minutes until the edges have begun to brown. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before serving. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
If you’d like to make this recipe and are looking for an excellent extra-virgin olive oil to pair with it, why not give My Olive Tree’s Extra-Virgin Olive Oil a try? When you purchase, the proceeds from that item goes toward bettering the lives of Israeli citizens living within the nation of Israel.
My Olive Tree’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Northern Israel is light and full of delicate flavor. Our Northern Israel oil is perfect for salad dressings, marinades, or as a hummus topping! It mixes well with the spices of your choice leaving you with a smooth and well-balanced flavor.