The Aceitadas are the most representative sweets of the Holy Week of Zamora, in Spain.

Their origin is linked to the need to replace animal fats with olive oil during Lent. Traditionally, these pastries were made with a very simple dough and without leavening agents, producing a hard, compact biscuit suitable for keeping for several weeks.

Today the recipe has evolved in two main directions:
The historical version: does not include leavening, resulting in a very solid and crunchy sweet.
The modern version: introduces the use of baking powder to soften the dough structure.

In this recipe I chose to present the leavened version. Compared to the original recipe, this variant ensures a more tender, crumbly texture and makes the sweet more pleasant for everyday consumption, while preserving the characteristic anise aroma and the typical cross decoration on the surface.

For those following a celiac diet, the recipe adapts well when substituting with universal gluten-free flour mixes.

In this case, the resting of the dough becomes an even more critical step to ensure the right final consistency without sacrificing the typical crispness.