Spanish Olive Oil and Fennel Wafers
Tortas de Aceite
Spanish sugar coated olive oil and fennel wafer biscuits have no local equivalent in flavour or texture. When I lived in Melbourne I could buy imported Ines Rosales brand Tortas de Aceite from specialty retailers, but they came with a hefty price tag, upward $12AU.
In Spain they are easy to find and cheap, every supermarket has them on their shelf. They’re not particularly exciting to look at, but the thin discs of pastry have a delicious slightly sweet, lighted salted subtle fennel flavour. I like them with wine, I like them with tea and coffee, actually I like them too much.
There is nothing tricky in the making although I did simplify the recipe in my inimitable style.
Tortas de Aceite are usually made with wheat flour but the recipe I used recommended spelt as an alternative. There was no compromise to the texture or flavour, in fact they are very much like the genuine Spanish tortas. They are usually about 10cm in diameter, saucer size, but I made them smaller in the hope that the batch would last longer, probably a tad optimistic on my part seeing how much I like them.
My recipe for Tortas de Aceite made with spelt flour is adapted from a recipe of the same name on Kellie’s Food to Glow. Thanks Kellie, this recipe’s a winner.
Spanish Olive Oil Wafers with Fennel Seed
1 1/2 cups white spelt flour
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely ground
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 teaspoons sesame seeds
4 tablespoons brown sugar
80 mls of good quality extra virgin olive oil
70 mls cold water
1 egg white whisked until foamy
1/2 cup approx raw sugar (demarera)
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Mix together all the dry ingredients, a whisk will help break up any lumps of the brown sugar.
Add the oil and water and stir until combined.
Tip the dough onto the bench and lightly knead until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the dough is pliable and feels a little oily.
Roll the dough into balls about 3cm in diameter.
Place onto baking paper lined trays, I got six on each, then using the palm of your hand and fingers, flatten the dough as thinly as possible without tearing. The discs should be about 8cm in diameter.
Brush each disc with egg white then sprinkle with raw sugar.
Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Continue until all the dough is baked.
Makes about 30 tortas de aceite, 8cm round
Store in an airtight container
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40 comments on “Spanish Olive Oil and Fennel Wafers”
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Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Please Pass the Recipe 
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Oh my god. These look so good.
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Thanks you, give the recipe a try, you won’t be disappointed
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Thanks for the shout out Chez and the great list of bloggers for me to check out 💐
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These sound amazing! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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You’re welcome…
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I’ll have to try this recipe. I tried another torta recipe and they didn’t turn out,as I’d hoped. We also discovered them at our market and were hooked, not on the price though. Now I can try to make them again.
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Gretchen, these tortas are very close to the real thing, I found them very very moreish
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Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
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I use spelt in noodles but when I try it in pastry it falls apart. I ‘do’ make good pastry so I am going to bookmark this for colder weather when I’m around the house more.
Thanks!
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i’ve struggled to make light and flaky spelt pastry, but these biscuits are wonderful. Maybe I need to rethink pastry….
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Oh how I love those! And, yes, they’re very pricey here, too. So thanks!
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I’ve never even heard of these Sandra, so can’t wait to try!
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Be prepared Beck, I’m not alone in admitting my addiction…
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These sound so wonderful! And they’re pretty!
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Thanks Mimi, they’re a delicious treat
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I have never tried these… It’s time I do. I’m especially curious of the fennel sweetened with the sugar. Interesting.
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Oh it’s a deliciously addictive affect Michelle, enjoy….
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Oh- a definite yum from this non-baker! And a totally new concept to boot!! They look gorgeous! With some 22 nights of staying up until all hours from next weekend to watch my beloved ‘Tour de France’ [Go team Sky and Chris Froome!!!!!] I might even indulge in something called a ‘snack’ which I normally avoid . . . oh, methinks they would disappear SO fast !!!!
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They did disappear quickly so I’m hestitating about making another batch. Super yum from me…
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Well they look delicious! They look like a Spanish brandy snap almost? The idea of fennel in a sweet biscuit is just wonderful. I have not yet tried these kind of bikkies. On the list.
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No quite different to brandy snaps, no as sugary or caramelized, a subtle fennel flavour and crisp pastry like texture
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I can testify to the yumminess of these, they are amaaazing!
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Thanks for the vote of confidence Leah, they WERE really delicious
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I will be back in my Brisbane kitchen very soon and eager to do some cooking. The recipe looks great, thanks.
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You’re welcome. Returning for the cold?
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Oh my! These are likely to surpass your nutty oat cakes which I make regularly. Can’t wait to try, but will substitute Greek olive oil, though. Might be really really good with cheese – that sweet/salty combination.
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The sugar on top might make them too sweet for cheese. You could omit it, or replace it with salt or maybe a bit of each. They are equally delicious as the oat and walnut crackers…
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I am now torn between making these and knowing I will want to eat them all, and not torturing myself. They sound exactly like something I would love. Thanks Sandra.
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Treat yourself Ardys….
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yes, I love them too. There are a few places you can buy them in Brisbane, but equally expensive. I’ll give these a go. Thanks!
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These were as good as the real thing Mel and cost little to make. Win-win
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I shall try these with my usual GF plain baking flour and see what happens. Like you, I love these – my father has lived in Spain for 32 years, and has a weakness for bickies and sweets of all kinds, so these and turron were always on hand. It’s probably a good job I’m now too far away to visit every summer and Christmas holiday…
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Kate I’d replace a little of the flour with psyllium husks if you go down the GF path. I think they may be a bit sandy in texture and possibly too fragile to handle otherwise. Let e know how you go..
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Or how about xanthan gum to make the dough a bit more elastic? I have both, but would be interested to hear which you think would work better.
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I think I’d use both Kate, the xantham for strength, the psylllium for mouthfeel. I’m actually very curious about the outcome, might try it out myself…..
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I’m going to have a go today if I get a chance amidst delivering my first bakery order since surgery (yay! I can drive again!) and hydrotherapy at the pool (boo!). I’ll let you know.
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Another great recipe for the file. I’m looking forward to making these soon. Big Yum. Thankyou.
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You’re welcome, I really pleased to have a recipe for these yummy treats, they are dangerously addictive
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