These olive oil chocolate chip cookies are ready in half an hour, with dark chocolate chunks and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Extra virgin olive oil gives this cookie dough a unique flavor - no butter required!
Editor's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2018. It was updated in 2025 to include gram measurements, additional notes, and new photos.
These salted dark chocolate olive oil cookies are an elegant twist on classic chocolate chip cookies! They're a perfect blend of delicate, crispy edges and rich, chewy centers.
We're using high-quality extra virgin olive oil instead of butter here, which gives these cookies some earthy, fruity undertones that pair beautifully with chopped baking chocolate and a pinch of flaky salt.
(Are these cookies a little extra? Sure. But also: If there's a time to be a little extra, that time is dessert, yes?)
Ingredients
For a full ingredients list and exact quantities, scroll to the recipe card below.
This is a fairly straightforward recipe, but we want to highlight a few things before you jump in:
- Extra virgin olive oil replaces the butter in this recipe. Use fresh, high quality, extra virgin olive oil (we love EXAU olive oils) for the best flavor.
- Dark chocolate. We recommend bittersweet or dark chocolate in the 50-75% cacao range. In these photos, we used two 60% Ghirardelli chocolate baking bars.
- Flaky Sea Salt. A pinch of sea salt after baking (we love Maldon or Jacobsen salt!) takes these olive oil cookies over the top.
Use a kitchen scale
Measuring dry ingredients by volume (with cups) is notoriously unreliable: Because each person measures one cup a bit differently, it's easy to accidentally use too much flour, sugar, etc., and alter the texture of your cookies (see an example in our cinnamon cookies recipe).
For accurate results, use a kitchen scale to follow the gram measurements in the recipe below. No kitchen scale? Measure your flour with the scoop and level method for best results!
Variations and Substitutions
- Swap the olive oil for melted butter (similar to our chocolate chip cookie recipe with melted butter), canola or vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil (à la our butterless chocolate chip cookies).
- Use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of chopped baking chocolate if you like.
Instructions
Whisk eggs, sugars, vanilla, and olive oil together in a large bowl until you have a smooth mixture. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, then fold in the chopped baking chocolate.
Pro Tip: Reserve a few pieces of chopped chocolate, and press them into the tops of the cookies just before baking for an elegant look.
Use a cookie scoop to portion out your cookie dough (in these photos, we used a 3 Tablespoon scoop). Place cookie dough balls an inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake until golden brown, and sprinkle a bit of flakey sea salt over the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven! Transfer baked cookies to a wire cooling rack.
Pro Tip: This recipe makes quite a few cookies. You will likely need to bake them in batches and reuse the pan several times!
Storage
Store baked and cooled dark chocolate cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days. Past that, they'll start to dry out. The flaky salt will also draw some moisture out of the cookies as they sit, which can alter the texture after a few days.
These cookies freeze well: Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost on the counter for an hour or two when you're ready for them.
FAQs
Yes! For a thin, lacy cookie with exceptionally crispy edges, you can increase the amount of olive oil in this recipe.
You may need to experiment a bit to find your perfect ratio! We've tested this cookie recipe with up to 300 grams of olive oil, which produces a very thin, lacy, crispy cookie that spreads out quite a bit in the oven (pictured below): 
The olive oil here isn't overpowering, but you WILL taste it in these cookies: So use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil that you like the flavor of! (If you aren't a fan of olive oil, we'd recommend trying our melted butter chocolate chip cookies instead.)
For best results, use extra-virgin olive oil that is FRESH: Look for oil with a harvest date (often printed on the bottle) within the last year, and try to use it within a few months of purchasing. While we often think of olive oil like a shelf-stable product with no expiration date, it can actually change very quickly. If your oil is old, or if it's been exposed to a lot of light or extreme temperatures, it can turn bitter or rancid (which doesn't make for good cookies!)
If you're unsure about the quality of your olive oil, give it a taste before you start baking! If you don't like the taste of it, don't use it in these cookies.
We love splurging on these olive oils from EXAU, but you can also find excellent options on a budget! Learn more: The Best Supermarket Extra-Virgin Olive Oils.
Yes! Mix the dough as directed, scoop it into dough balls, and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Transfer refrigerated cookie dough balls directly to a lined baking sheet, and bake normally.
To freeze cookie dough, scoop the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet or large plate lined with a piece of parchment paper, waxed paper, or a nonstick baking mat. Place the cookie dough in the freezer for 2-3 hours, until frozen solid. Transfer frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight container and return to the freezer until you're ready to bake.
To bake frozen cookie dough balls straight from the freezer, we recommend reducing the oven temperature to 350° F (a lower temp helps frozen cookies spread out more evenly!)
Pro Tip: You can also use these make-ahead methods for our pistachio white chocolate cookies, everything cookies, and chocolate chip pecan cookies!
Yes! If you prefer to use a stand mixer or hand mixer in your baking, you can certainly use those appliances for this recipe.
If you only want a few cookies, we recommend following our small batch chocolate chip cookie recipe, which yields just 6 cookies.
You can swap up to 100 grams of the all purpose flour in this recipe for whole wheat flour without altering the texture too much. You can also try our whole wheat chocolate chip cookie recipe!
📖 Recipe
Salted Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Makes 18-20 large cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft and chewy olive oil cookies with dark chocolate chunks and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Ingredients
- 160 grams high-quality extra virgin olive oil (¾ cup)
- 4 grams vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
- 2 eggs
- 150 grams sugar (¾ cup)
- 150 grams brown sugar (¾ packed cup)
- 330 grams all purpose flour (about 2 ¾ cups when measured correctly by scooping and leveling)
- 2 grams kosher salt (½ teaspoon)
- 6 grams baking soda (1 teaspoon)
- 8 ounces dark or bittersweet baking chocolate, roughly chopped (see recipe notes)
- 8 grams flakey sea salt (2 teaspoons)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, vanilla, eggs, sugar, and brown sugar.
- Add flour, kosher salt, and baking soda to bowl; mix until just combined.
- Fold chopped chocolate into the dough with a spoon or spatula. Note: If you like, reserve some chocolate pieces to top the cookies just before baking.
- Use a 3-Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the dough; place each dough ball 1 inch apart on your prepared sheet pan. Note: This recipe makes quite a few cookies; you will likely need to work in batches.
- Bake cookies at 375° F for 10-13 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Remove cookies from oven and immediately top with a sprinkle of flakey sea salt.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Please use a kitchen scale. Measuring by volume (with cups and teaspoons) is notoriously unreliable. The volume measurements provided above are approximate. For best results, use a kitchen scale and follow the gram measurements provided above!
A note about chocolate. In the photos above, we used two 60% Ghirardelli Baking Chocolate Bars. Use semi-sweet chocolate chips in place of chopped chocolate if you prefer. We love Ghirardelli or Lindt Chocolate bars for this recipe!
If you have the time, bring your eggs to room temperature (or at least take them out of the fridge a few minutes early) before mixing this cookie dough. Cold eggs can make the olive oil seize up a little bit, which can discourage the cookies from spreading as evenly.
For thinner or crispier cookies, you can add a bit of extra olive oil. We have tested this recipe with up to 300 grams of olive oil, which yielded a very thin, lacy, crisp cookie. You may need to experiment to find your perfect ratio!
Chill the cookie dough if you like. For a chewier, denser cookie, chill cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before scooping and baking. For an aged cookie with even deeper flavor, you can scoop the cookie dough ahead of time, store cookie dough balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, then bake normally.
When to add the flaky salt. A previous version of this recipe added flaky salt to the cookie dough balls before baking; we have amended the instructions to add the flaky salt immediately after baking after years of additional testing and input from our recipe testing team. But you can honestly add the salt at either stage! Our team agreed that adding salt after baking makes it easier to control the distribution of salt, and better preserves the salt's bright, briny quality (but the difference is pretty minor - so add the salt whenever you like!)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 283
- Sugar: 21.1 g
- Sodium: 319.5 mg
- Fat: 13.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 37.2 g
- Protein: 3.4 g
- Cholesterol: 21.4 mg
lola
could i use canola oil instead of olive oil??
Team Life As A Strawberry
Yes! Canola oil works great for this recipe! You can also try our favorite coconut oil chocolate chip cookies for another fun butterless recipe.
Star
I was looking specifically for an olive oil recipe because I had infused olive oil. I made the cookies twice, both times with 1oz. infused oil and the remainder of the 3/4 cup a light tasting, light colored olive oil (the same brand and type as the infused). The second time the eggs were colder and they came out less uniform and pretty. While they are okay, I think next time I’ll infuse butter. It really tastes better and this is coming from a passionate olive oil lover.
Team Life As A Strawberry
We're so glad you enjoyed the cookies! The flavor of the olive oil is detectable, so you'll want to use olive oil (or other fat like vegetable oil or butter) that you enjoy the taste of!
Star
How many cookies does the recipe make? I can’t seem to find that information.
Team Life As A Strawberry
Hi Star! This recipe makes 18–20 large cookies!
Meghana
So delicious!!! Simple and easy at make. Made them twice, taste absolutely wonderful with warm milk.
Meghana
P.S. I omitted the salt flakes on top though. Will try them the next time.
Team Life As A Strawberry
Thanks so much, Meghana! We love the combination with milk!
Janae
I don't think I'll ever go back to my old chocolate chip cookie recipe. These are incredible! Since they don't have butter in them, I don't feel as bad eating three in one sitting. Haha!
Team Life As A Strawberry
Best compliment ever! We're so happy you liked them!
Hsjs
My cookies are puffy and white
Zoë
OH MY GOOOOOD these are the best cookies I’ve ever made! Thank you!!
Zahra
I followed the instructions exactly as you listed them and these turned out quick, easy, and delicious! The olive oil perfectly balanced out the sweetness of the sugar and made the end result not too sweet and perfect! I had absolutely no trouble and found that 11 minutes was the perfect time in which the cookies were cooked to perfection. The only thing I did not do was put the optional sea salt topping on top because I did not have any, and I just added the tiniest extra pinch of salt (in addition to the 1/4 teaspoon) into the batter before I baked.
Holden
What type of flour do you use?
Kristy
Holy moly these are yummy! I just made these and ate one warm from the oven. I did make a couple of changes to fit my family needs (mixed wheat and oat flour; subbed flax egg). So my cookies may not be absolutely true to your original but thank you for a quick and lovely cookie recipe!
crazyforcookies
Really lovely cookie recipe, thank you! I did make some modifications which I thought I would share... I used spelt flour as that was all I had around. I reduced the sugar down to 1 cup and found it was sweet enough for my taste (although I'm more partial to "less sweet" desserts). I also whisked the olive oil with the sugars to pump some air into the oil as I enjoy a "fluffy" oil-based cookie (results in an almost cakey texture). And finally, I threw in a handful of cacao nibs and chocolate chips in addition to the chopped chocolate, for additional texture and flavour. Turned out great! Thanks again 🙂
DJ
Just wanted to thank you, Jessie. I made these with King Arthur gluten-free flour (the 2 1/3 cup measurement, since GF flours can be weirdly crumbly) and Kalamata brand EVOO, and they came out great!
Notes for any fellow GF bakers: Keep them on the cookie sheet till they cool a bit or the spatula handling will crumble them. And I'd try eat any similar GF-flour version within a few days (or if not, freeze them, maybe? Dunno how GF flour responds to that) if you don't want to dunk them in milk/alterna-milk/coffee/tea, since the GF flour doesn't seem to hold up as well over time and doesn't reheat real well either. Eating most of 'em fast was no problem for us, though, thanks to the great recipe. Admittedly, I might have eaten half the cookies in dough form.... [Blush.] Lucky for me, the GF ones spread a lot, so nobody noticed!
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry
Thank you DJ!
Delia
Looks yummy delicious
Jessie @ Life As A Strawberry
Thanks, Delia!
Jeanene Houtchens
Hello, Jessie! Excellent recipe!! Not a crumb left! I LOVE oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Have you ever tried this recipe with oatmeal, and if so, do you have specific measurements you can share with me? Would love to try it! Thanks so much! Jeanene
Jessie @ Life As A Strawberry
Hi Jeanene - I'm so happy you liked the cookies (wahoo!) I haven't had a chance to try these with oatmeal yet, but I'll definitely put it on our to-do list!
Cara Roe
Amazing Recipe!! I usually don’t use butter in my baked so this is a great healthy recipe for me. The cookies smelled and tasted amazing. They spread enough and was chewy!
Albert Bevia
These cookies are right up my street, I don´t like to use butter on anything, EVOO is my absolute favorite fat to work with, plus these cookies seem easy enough to make, love that touch of sea salt