5 fresh desserts with a secret ingredient: Olive oil!

1. Olive oil and orange ice cream

Olive oil ice cream may sound unusual, but the fruitiness of our La Española Extra Virgin Olive Oil lends itself well to delicious desserts! It’s also the secret to the silky smooth texture of this zesty orange ice cream – you’ll savor every spoonful!

Ingredients

• 5 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup of caster sugar
• ½ cup of full fat milk
• 1¼ cup of double cream
• ½ cup of La Española Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 7 tbsp orange juice
• Orange zest from 2 small oranges, finely grated

Directions

1. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk for 5 minutes, until the mixture turns pale and thick.
2. Place the milk in a medium pan and bring to a simmer. 
3. With the electric whisk still running, pour the milk into the egg mixture and beat until combined. 
4. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over a gentle heat, stirring continuously until the mixture coats the back of the spoon. 
5. Leave to cool, then stir in the cream, olive oil, orange juice and zest. 
6. Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and chill for 2-3 hours or overnight. 
7. Churn the ice cream in an ice cream machine or alternatively pour into a shallow container and freeze until almost frozen. Scrape into a food processor and blend until smooth, then return to the freezer and freeze again. Repeat the process 2 more times or until the mixture is smooth. 
8. Remove from the freezer 5 minutes before serving. Serve scoops of the ice cream in bowls with wafers.

2. Almond cookies

Cookies are always a good idea, and today we switch chocolate chips for almonds, a touch of lemon and La Española Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil. A gluten-free, super easy recipe that you can make in only 30 mins!

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups ground almonds
• ⅓ cup and 2 tbsps caster sugar
• Finely grated zest 1 lemon
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tbsp La Española Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil
• 14-16 blanched almonds
• Icing sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 356 °F and line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
2. Place the ground almonds, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Beat together the egg and La Española Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil. Pour over the mixture in the bowl and stir until combined.
3. Take tablespoons of the mixture and roll into balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet, press a blanched almond into the top of each biscuit.
4. Cook for 15 minutes until golden. Transfer to a cooling rack, when cool dust with a little icing sugar.

3. Vegan Lemon Cake made with Olive Oil 

If you like citrus fruits, you will love this recipe! Besides being vegan, this lemon tart with olive oil will be the hit of the summer!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups of flour
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 2 tsps of baking powder
• Salt
• 1 cup of Mild & Light La Española Olive Oil
• ½ cup of jam
• 1 banana, mashed
• ½ cup squeezed lemon juice
• Lemon zest
• Vanilla extract
• Sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Using a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients until evenly incorporated. 
3. Take a large bowl and add the jam, sugar and olive oil. Mix on high speed with a hand blender. Add in the mashed banana and combine. Also the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and mix with a spoon until combined. 
4. Add the dry mixture into the wet mixture, mix until combined. Do not overmix.
5. Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter into a greased 9″ cake pan. Tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles.
6. Let the dough bake for 35 minutes, checking that it is properly baked with a toothpick.
7.  Take it out of the oven and let it cool in the mold otherwise it will deform! Sift with sugar and you're done!

4. Chocolate chip cookies

You might say it's a typical chocolate chip cookie recipe, but did you know that they are very juicy with the addition of extra virgin olive oil? Try this recipe and let us know!

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• Vanilla extract
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 cup of La Española Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sugar or sweetener
• 1 tsp salt
• Chocolate chips

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°F and place two vegetable papers on the baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl: add the vanilla, sugar and 1 tablespoon salt.
3. Mix until smooth and then mix in the egg. Beat until completely smooth.
4. Add the flour and baking soda to the bowl and mix just until fully incorporated.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Time to knead, to do this use your hands and incorporate a gentle drizzle of olive oil.
7. Form balls to your liking and place them on the baking sheets. Extra tip! Keep at least 5 centimeters between them.
8. Flatten the dough halfway and sprinkle with a little salt.
9. Bake them in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes.
10. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.

5. Olive oil, almond, and orange cake

Rich and citrusy with sweet, sticky caramelized oranges, this cake is a real crowd-pleaser. Using La Española Mild & Light Olive Oil as an alternative to butter keeps the cake deliciously moist yet light and fluffy; you’ll struggle to stop at one slice.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of La Española Mild & Light Olive Oil, plus extra for greasing
• 1½ cup of plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1½ cup of golden caster sugar
• ¾ cup ground almonds
• 1 orange, zest finely grated
• ½ cup of  orange juice
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• Icing sugar, for dusting
• Grated orange zest for decorating

For the caramelized oranges:

• 1 cup of golden caster sugar
• 4 small oranges
• 3 tsp of orange juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 340° F . Take a cake tin, brush the base and sides with the olive oil and then line the base with baking paper.
2. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl, then add the sugar, almonds and orange zest.
3. In a large jug, mix the oil, orange juice and eggs. Slowly stir in the flour mixture and combine to make a smooth batter.
4. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and cook for 50 minutes - 1 hour, or until a skewer put into the center comes out clean. If the top becomes too brown, cover it with a piece of baking paper.
5. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. 

Whether you want a treat to cool off with this summer, a delicious cake to share with a few friends and a few cups of coffee, or freshly baked cookies, you can make it happen with a secret ingredient: olive oil.