Dessert: Lemon Cookies Made With Olive Oil

We're having pasta primavera again tonight, and since it's once again gorgeous out I was in the mood for a spring-y dessert. Grocery shopping is tomorrow, though, and so we we're low on a few dessert ingredient staples. After some googling, I came across this recipe, which is mostly vegan on its own, and that I halved and tweaked just a little:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c sugar, plus sugar for rolling
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• dash salt
• 4 scant tbsp light olive oil
• 1 tbsp plain soy milk (vanilla would work well too)
• scant 1/4 tsp vanilla (less if you use vanilla soy milk)
• zest from 1 small lemon
• juice from 1 small lemon (about 1 1/2 tbsp)
• approx. 1 tbsp water

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in medium-sized bowl and mix well (sifting these ingredients together would be ideal if you have a sifter). Make a well in the center and add olive oil, soy milk, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir together until mixture comes together. If dough is too dry or crumbly, add water a teaspoon at a time and stir until it forms a ball.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place 1-2 tbsp of sugar in a small bowl. Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar to coat. Place on a cookie sheet and bake until just golden. Cool before serving.

These were kind of like a cookie version of lemonade -- light and refreshing (as far as cookies go, anyway). They were very fast to make and I like the fact that they use olive oil, which is comparatively healthier than the shortening or margarine that most cookie recipes use. And no, you can't taste the olive oil, although this is not the recipe to break out your extra-virgin for, either.