(Rosemary, Olive Oil and Lemon Cookies with Lemon and Rosemary Cashew Butter Icing)

I’ve wanted to make Tiago-themed recipe for a long time, but that Thrasher Pulaski video that aired this week was the final kick in the ass I needed to honor the new king of pop.  Normally I’d say that only skaters from the late 90s / early 00s would appreciate a style like Tiago’s (both the switch mongo push and the bagginess of his clothes), but it appears he appeases skaters of all pedigrees.

And with good reason. Even the sound of his tre flip is appealing.  He pushes like a beast, pops like a wildcat on steroids, and throws together tech combos that make skaters scratch their heads raw.  Essentially, he’s the combination of a lot of really amazing flavors (a touch of Stevie’s switch mongo push, a dash of Barley’s switch shoves, a sprinkling of Kalis’ tre flips) that blend into something unique and extremely satisfying. Tiago’s skating begs the question: why give us one trademark flavor of skating when you can have it all?

The same question surrounds this week’s recipe, Tiago Lemo(n)s.  These cookies don’t just dabble in one flavor; instead, they bring together lemon, olive oil and rosemary in a combination that will satisfy your sweet tooth’s latent craving for diversity.  Don’t get me wrong, these are cookie to the core, but they’re refined enough to impress just about anyone who stumbles across them (much like Tiago’s skating).

If you don’t think these flavors mix, I implore you to give these a shot.  I put these flavors together in my Berrics Decade Cake and the result could not have been better.  In this case, however, instead of a cake, you get cookies that are an absolute perfect balance of crispy on the edges, chewy in the center, and airy all around.  The lemon brings out the sweetness of the cookies while the olive oil and rosemary complement that sweetness with a subtle earthiness.  Topped with a cashew butter icing, these are the complete package (that said, if you don’t have time for the icing, you will NOT be disappointed with how phenomenal these cookies are bare).

A note on the cashew butter icing: I wish I could take credit for this, but I got this idea from Rhian’s Recipes (if you’re looking for lemon cookies without the olive oil and rosemary, her recipe is pretty great).  I modified the icing by doubling down on the cashews, adding some powdered sugar and throwing in some rosemary, but I definitely wouldn’t have thought of making this icing without seeing her tantalizing recipe, so shout out to Rhian!

Ready for that pop of lemon, olive oil and rosemary? Let’s get to it:

COOKIE INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups flour
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup organic sugar (or coconut sugar or date sugar)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1-2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped very fine
• ½ cup aquafaba (or 2 flax eggs or other vegan egg replacer)
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

ICING INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 5 tbsp. agave
• 3-4 tbsp. powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• ½ tsp. lemon zest
• ½ tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped very fine

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° Bring some water to a boil and then add the water to the cashews in a glass bowl and set aside.  Start the cookies by whisking the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt) in a medium bowl.  In a large, separate bowl mix together the wet ingredients (sugar, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, rosemary, aquafaba and extract).  Mix until it’s a smooth liquid.
2. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient ½ cup at a time until it’s all mixed into a sticky dough. Roll tbsp-sized balls of dough and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. It may help to dust your palms and fingers with a little bit of flour during the process as the dough is very sticky. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges start to get a little bit golden.
3. Once baked, start making the icing while you let the cookies cool completely. Drain the soaked cashews and add them with all the other icing ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend it up until creamy.  Note that it takes a while for this to blend, as the nuts require a minute or two to break down.  If there’s too much liquid, add some powdered sugar; if it’s too dry and chunky, add a little almond milk.  You’re shooting for consistency similar to peanut butter, so eyeball it and see what works.
4. Once the cookies are cooled off and the icing is made, spread some icing on those bad boys and chow down.

Happy shredding,

Johnny