HOLIDAY BAKING, WITH OLIVE OIL

 

Extra virgin olive oil, for baked goods.

        Did I mention that I came home from the mill with 22 liters of new extra virgin olive oil, the rewards from picking my own olives? I’m using olive oil in my continuing quest to convert old favorite recipes for baked goods from butter and “shortening” to olive oil. That seems especially appropriate this week as it is Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights (Dec. 10-18), when olive oil is part of the celebration. 

     Olive oil—and eating foods cooked with it—is part of the celebration to commemorate the lighting of the menorah in the re-dedicated Temple of Jerusalem in the 2nd Century BC.The olive oil for the menorah, enough for a single day, miraculously lasted for eight days and nights.

     This recipe is for Fig Brownies, a favorite of my friend Charlotte who used to make them for every special occasion. Back in the day (some 30 or 40 years ago), Charlotte had heaps of dried figs every autumn. Her gardener picked the figs from a couple of enormous fig trees near the house. He spread them on thatched mats placed in the sun and elevated to prevent bug infestation. Once they were dry, he packed the figs in seretes, baskets woven of strips of palm fronds, and took them to the press. Once tightly cinched and pressed, the figs kept very well for several months. 

Char used the recipe for Butterscotch Brownies (aka Blondies) in the Joy of Cooking, adding chopped figs to the batter. Adapting the recipe some more, I’ve taken the “butter” out of butterscotch, substituting extra virgin olive oil. These fig brownies with a Spanish accent would be a lovely addition to any holiday—Hanukkah, solstice, Christmas, New Year’s, Three Kings.

Olive oil instead of butter makes a moist and chewy brownie. Like "blondies," these fig "brownies" have no chocolate.

Olive oil lamp--a wick floats in olive oil with water below. 

Fig Brownies
Brownies de Higos Secos (Sin Chocolate)

You will need about 12 ounces dried figs. Remove stems and chop the figs coarsely to make 2 cups. Macerate them in a little sweet wine (I used Pedro Ximénez from Montilla-Moriles) or, if you like the flavor, aguardiente, anisette liqueur.

When baking with olive oil, I like to use spices that might not be used in traditional recipes with butter. Here, I’ve used cardamom and a tiny bit of aniseed. Aniseed, so typical of Spanish sweets, complements the figs beautifully. Cinnamon and nutmeg would be good too, or ginger and allspice. 

These brownies can be eaten out of hand (kids love them) or plated with a dollop of whipped cream, crême fraiche or vanilla ice cream. 

Makes 18 (2 ½-inch squares).

2 cups chopped dried figs

¼ cup dried cranberries (optional)

3 tablespoons sweet PX wine

1 ¼ cups flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

2-3 aniseeds, crushed

½ cup extra virgin olive oil + more to oil the baking pan

1 ½ cups light brown sugar

3 eggs

¾ cup chopped nuts

Combine the chopped figs and cranberries in a small bowl. Add the sweet wine and allow to macerate for at least 10 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Oil a rectangular baking pan (approximately 8 X 13 inches) and line it with baking parchment.

Sift the flour with the baking powder, soda and salt. Add the cardamom and aniseed to the flour.

In a mixing bowl, beat the oil with the brown sugar until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the flour mixture until batter is completely smooth. Fold in the figs and cranberries. Fold in the nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a tester comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Loosen the edges of the brownies and turn them out on a work surface. Peel off the parchment. Use a serrated knife to cut into (approx. 2 ½-inch) squares.  Brownies keep up to a week in an air-tight container.

More recipes for baking with olive oil:

Apple-Almond Olive Oil Crumble.

Orange-Saffron Olive Oil Cake.

Olive Oil Carrot Cake.

Pear Cake with Olive Oil.

Almond Torte.

Crispy Olive Oil Cookies.

Date-Nut Bars.

Fig Pudding.

Olive Oil Pie Crust.

3 versions olive oil pastry dough.

Banana bread with olive oil: 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 3 large ripe mashed bananas,  2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt,  1 cup chopped nuts. Beat oil and sugar. Beat in eggs, then mashed bananas. Stir in dry ingredients and nuts. Bake at 350ºF. 

Peanut butter cookies with olive oil: Beat 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil with 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Beat in 2 eggs. Add 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Blend in peanut butter. Form balls, press onto baking sheet. Bake 400ºF. 5-10 minutes.