I ate two of these healthy sugar cookies, straight from the oven!
It’s officially December now, which means you have a great excuse to make cookies. Why not go ahead and bake a batch of these to find out if your self-restraint is better than mine?
(As if anyone needed an excuse to bake cookies.)
The perfect sugar cookie should be soft, buttery, and so incredibly delicious it makes you want to polish off the entire batch in a single sitting.
This healthy sugar cookie recipe fulfills all of the above requirements… and yet these cookies are whole-grain, lower in sugar, and cholesterol-free at the same time.
Yes, healthy sugar cookies!
Do you bake cookies during the holidays? My grandmother loved baking Christmas cookies more than anyone else I know. Each year, she’d make at least ten different kinds of cookies. Michelle and I liked to help: she helped by rolling out the dough… and I helped by eating all the finished cookies! My grandfather nicknamed me “Cookie Monster” because, even before my head was tall enough to reach the table, I was stealing cookies off the tray.
Some things haven’t changed much.
Healthy Sugar Cookies
Healthy Sugar Cookies!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup spelt, ww pastry, or all-purpose flour (Update! Click for Grain Free Sugar Cookies.)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt (just under level)
- 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup white sugar, or sucanat, coconut sugar, or evaporated cane juice (or xylitol for a sugar-free version)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons milk of choice
- 1/4 cup butter-type spread, such as Earth Balance (Some readers say you can use coconut oil, but I haven't tried it. I wouldn't recommend using a low-fat buttery spread.)
Instructions
Healthy Sugar Cookies Recipe: Combine dry ingredients and mix very, very well. In a separate bowl, melt the vegan butter, then stir in vanilla and milk. Pour dry into wet and mix again. Form balls or roll out (not too thin), then use a cookie cutter to make shapes. If you want soft cookies, you’ll need to get the dough very cold. (So roll the balls first, then fridge until cold.) Cook in a 325F preheated oven for 9 minutes. They will look very underdone when you take them out, but that’s ok!! Just let them cool for 5 minutes before touching. (I know it’s hard!) These cookies will keep at least four days, in a lidded plastic container. As a general rule, you should store soft cookies in plastic containers and crispy cookies in glass ones.
These are the same vegan sugar cookies I decorated as baby animals and brought to the football party.
More Healthy Cookie Ideas:
WHOA! I just made these and OH MY GOSH! This is the first recipe of yours I’ve tried (I just found your site and it’s one of the only things in which I have everything on hand) but I will definitely, definitely be making many more of your recipes. Thanks, these were insane!
Katie,
These are awesome. I’ve made them about 4 times in the last few weeks. In the process, I discovered that adding sprinkles to the batter makes them even more exciting! Also, I decided I like the dough better than the baked cookies, so today I mixed up a bowl of dough (with my hands, I might add) and stuck it in my freezer to nibble on whenever I so choose. Just thought I’d let you know. Thanks for a(nother) great recipe!
Just made these and tinted them green for St. Patrick’s Day! I used real butter (since that’s not a huge issue for me) and coconut sugar. Not too sweet (thank God) and a nice rustic taste which I love as well as pillow-y soft. I will definitely be making these again!!
Hey, was going to give this recipe a go. The colour attracted me! What frosting recipe do you use?
Thanks,
Andrea
are the sprinkles vegan? if so, where do you find them?
Yes they are vegan. Probably not the healthiest thing, but it’s not like I am eating a ton of them. If you are interested, Whole Foods sells a healthier brand called, Let’s Do Organic.
Katie, how many cookies does this recipe make? Would you mind adding the amounts to your recipes? I have wantd to try a bunch of recipes but sometimes can’t figure out how many the recipe will make, whether I should double it for a large crowd, etc.
Thanks!
I only got 12 from this recipe and I just made little balls out of mine then pressed (like pb cookies) next time i will double it.
I usually do give amounts, but for things like this it depends on whether you make balls or flat cookies or cookie-cuttered shapes ;).
I really don’t know because I made some of each!
tried this today and the dough was too wet and too warm from melted earth balance to roll out at all.
It’s impossible for me to say where you went wrong without more specific info. Can you please give me more specifics, such as what flour you used, and as much specific info as you can about what you did? Others have had success with the recipe, so I know there’s not a misprint.
???
I was wondering do you know how many calories are in these cookies? A few of the girls I work with were wondering. I am so excited to try out this recipe.
There’s a link to nutritional info in the post 🙂
Can’t find the nutritional info?
Hello, I was just wondering if the nutritional information may have accidentally removed from this recipe?
If there is nutritional information available, could it please be posted?
Thanks!
I just made these (gluten free) and they turned out awesome. I used gf flour, substituted the sugar with xylitol, and coconut oil for the butter. Wow no need for any icing on top they just melt in your mouth just like this. I did leave them in the oven for 4 minutes longer since I like my cookies a little more crisp on the bottoms. Thanks for the great recipe!!!!
Which gf flour did you use?
I made these for the kids for Easter. I double the recipe and it made 15 medium sized bunnies. They were incredible! I’ll probably always make these instead of a standard sugar cookie. Kids and grown-ups both LOVED them!
I just found these this morning…..and I REALLY want to help those gluten-free bakers out there!! I don’t buy the g-f baking mixes; I always mix up my own. I realize this can make for a messier kitchen but I’m so picky, I prefer to cater to each recipe depending on what I think it needs. I want to say that, when I first started baking g-free, my standard substitution was equal parts sweet sorghum flour, white rice flour, and tapioca starch. It’s still the formula I go with if I want something really ‘naughty’ and ‘white flour-like’ in a dessert!! Otherwise, I play around. For this recipe, although I haven’t made it (yet!) I’d say I would definitely go with that formula, maybe using a fine brown rice flour instead of the white. Also, my standard leaning is to add about one additional tablespoon of the sweet sorghum per cup of regular flour called for…..if weights are given, it’s easier to get it right on the first try but with cup measurements you have to go with look-feel. I hope this helps all who are trying like mad to eat better and not feel so rotten but are just getting their feet wet with g-free baking! We DO need our sweets after all!!!
I’m glad to hear that coconut oil works since that was the direction I wanted to go. I can’t help but to think a little coconut flour subbed in wouldn’t hurt either! Maybe a touch of coconut flavoring….and then the frosting? More coconut with chocolate drizzle? And here I thought I wasn’t going to bake today!
I love all your ideas!
Also, I really need to start experimenting more with coconut flour. I love the flavor, but I never know what to do with it.
Thank you so much for taking time to leave help for gf bakers. I’m trying to learn more about gf baking, but I’m admittedly new at it!
I’m just curious. What recipe did you use for the frosting?
It’s Pillsbury. The sugar cookies taste so yummy without icing, but I decided to use it for the photoshoot to make them LOOK prettier. (Oddly enough, Pillsbury frosting is vegan.)
wow..I’m going to sound like a pig…but I am a HUGE frosting lover (can eat straight from the can)..I shouldn’t have read the comments..haha 🙂
Mine turned out more buttery… Like biscuits almost…?
Hmmm… I have a cookie business, and maybe I should try using these as our sugar cookies and seeing if anyone notices. ;). Due to health issues, too much sugar makes me sick, but I have a major sweet tooth so I usually just put up with being nauseous. Your recipes are a perfect solution!
I am probably heading off to make the cookie dough dip tonight.
Can you use veg oil in place of the vegan butter? Thanks.
I haven’t done it, so I really don’t know. If you try, I’d love to hear if it works.
I tried it with veg oil and white flour. They were a little greasy to touch but great texture. They needed a little more flavor though. I think the oil took away a lot of it. I still liked them i just need to try it with the earth balance and see how it was different. Thanks for giving us so many options love your site.. I am on nere every day…:-)
So… when’s your “Book of Chocolatey Goodness” coming out?? 😉
Aw this made my day 🙂
It’s a long process!