Cinnamon Cookies (vegan)

This recipe is anything but ordinary. It comes from the Italian cookbook, The Silver Spoon, and only contains 5 ingredients. It has no butter, eggs, or leavening, instead using olive oil to bind the ingredients. The result is a powdery mix that is pressed into delicate balls and baked. These may look like normal cookies, but a bite reveals quite a surprise: the cookie bursts into crumbs for a sweet, citrus, cinnamon, albeit dry mouthful.

This is definitely a cookie that you either love or hate. You may love the distinct texture and strong flavors, or hate the tedious preparation and dry texture. Personally, I enjoy them, and have made these cinnamon cookies numerous times since I first tried the recipe in 2009. A word of caution: don't over-bake them, or you will be left with a sheet full of rock-hard cookies.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
2/3 c superfine sugar (you can find this in the baking isle of any grocery store, or run regular sugar through a blender or food processor.)
5 T olive oil
zest of 1 lemon
cinnamon to sprinkle

Sift the sugar and flour into a large bowl. Add lemon zest and mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Make a well, and pour in the olive oil. Mix with a spoon until the olive oil has clumped up. Then, switch to your hands, crumbling all the olive oil pieces until you have a fine crumb. Set aside for 20 minutes.

While you are waiting, preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a cookie sheet. When ready, grab a handful of dough and squeeze it together until it forms a solid ball. Mine are usually about 1/2 the size of a ping pong ball. They are very delicate, so this may take some practice. Place the cookies on the baking sheet so they are not touching. Because the cookies contain no leavening they will stay the same size when they bake.

Dust each cookie with cinnamon and bake for 20 minutes. The cookies should be slightly browned on top and firm enough so you can pick them up. Wait 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Finished mixing and sitting for 20 mins