Healthy Holiday Cookie Recipes

Ingredients :

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup shortening, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions :

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the shortening, molasses, brown sugar, water, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients, until they are completely absorbed. Divide dough into 3 pieces, pat down to 1 1/2 inch thickness, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When the cookies are done, they will look dry, but still be soft to the touch. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on wire racks. When cool, the cookies can be frosted with the icing of your choice.

Whether you’re making a gingerbread house, gingerbread men, or an entire gingerbread family, this recipe will do the trick. With cloves, nutmeg, and molasses, it will fill your kitchen with all the flavors of the season. To make it vegan, just use an egg replacement of your choice and use vegan shortening. For an added health boost, consider using coconut sugar or stevia in place of the brown sugar.

Ingredients :

With their gooey centers, these chocolate thumbprints have delighted Santa and holiday guests for generations. To keep these indulgent cookies as healthy as possible, use an egg replacement to cut calories and experiment with different types of sugar, stevia or xylitol as substitutes. To save time, you can make both the cookies and the chocolate filling a few days ahead and freeze them until needed.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  
  CREAM CHEESE FILLING
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ¼ cup butter, room temperature
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper, set aside
3. In a large bowl cream together sugar and butter.
4. Mix in egg, buttermilk and vanilla extract.
5. Stir in red food coloring. Set aside.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder.
7. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined.
8. Using a mini ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. (roll the balls to make them smoother on the surface)
9. Bake for 7-8 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and let cookies sit in the pan for 1-2 minutes and then place on a cooling rack.
11. To make the cream cheese filling, cream together cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract until combined.
12. Place filling in a piping bag.
13. Once cookies are cooled, pipe cream cheese filling in the center of a cookie and top with another cookie.
14. Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set the filling.
15. Store in the fridge.

A new take on a classic cake, these elegant red velvet cookies will be the most popular item on your holiday table. To keep these healthy and safe for everyone, use natural red food coloring (available from health food stores). If making these for people with egg allergies, use an egg replacement of your choice. For cookies, using a quarter cup of unsweetened applesauce plus one teaspoon of baking powder to replace each egg generally works well. To cut down on the butter and sugar, you might wish to experiment with using your favorite lower-calorie, natural options. Some chefs find that they can leave out at least one-quarter cup of the sugar called for in a cookie recipe without affecting the taste.

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cake mix, and baking soda. Set aside.
2. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and beat on high until combined. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low-medium speed until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and sprinkles. Mix on low until the add-ins are evenly disbursed.
3. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, or up to 3-4 days. This step is mandatory. The dough is fairly sticky, so chilling the dough is required in order to avoid the cookies from spreading too much. If you chill longer than 2 hours, make sure you roll the cookie dough into balls after the 2 hour mark. Place dough balls on a plate, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
4. Once dough has been chilled, preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
5. Scoop rounded balls of the cold dough onto an ungreased baking sheet, use about 1.5 Tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie. Remember to keep dough chilled when working in batches.
6. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until edges are slightly browned. The centers will still appear very soft, but the cookies will set as they cool.
7. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack.

This recipe combines the best of your favorite holiday cakes in an updated cookie form. To give these cookies added health benefits, use a gluten-free, vegan, or organic boxed cake mix (or better yet, make your cake batter from scratch). Be sure to use natural red and green sprinkles for that holiday twist and use dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet for extra flavonoids!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp. orange oil
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Pink, Gold and Silver Sugar Crystals

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer set on low, mix the butter, powdered sugar, orange oil, vanilla extract and orange zest together thoroughly. Add in the flour and salt and stir, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
3. Place the three sugar crystals in separate bowls. Roll the cookie dough into 1″ balls using the palm of your hands. Roll each ball in sugar crystals, covering completely and place on a parchment lined sheet tray.
4. Bake until the cookies are just firm to the touch, but not browned, 10 minutes or so. Let cool completely on the tray.

A modernized version of the Russian tea cake, these gold and silver glitter cookies will make a decidedly colorful addition to your festive meals. These are one of the quickest cookies to put together, so they’re ideal if you’re pressed for time. The orange oil and orange zest in them give the cookies a fragrant aroma that you can smell right out of the oven. The best way to make these as healthy as possible would be to experiment with using less butter and powdered sugar than the recipe recommends; most cookies are highly adaptable, and you likely wouldn’t notice any difference. Also, use natural sprinkles to avoid any artificial colors.

Ingredients: 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
3. Once melted, add all the other ingredients to the same bowl
4. Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
5. Take a heaped tablespoon of the mixture and use your hands to form it into little patties
6. Lay it out onto a baking tray lined with greased baking paper
7. Repeat until the rest of the batter is used up – you should be able to make 16 cookies
8. Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes until golden brown
9. Leave to cool completely

We couldn’t leave without sharing one last recipe, and we’ve saved the best for last! One of the most naturally healthy cookie recipes on our list, these carrot cake cookies give you all the goodness of carrot cake in one gluten-free, vegan bite. Not much is needed to give these a healthy boost; just experiment with different types of milk and nuts, and you can eliminate the desiccated coconut (and possibly the oil) if desired. These cookies freeze well, so make them ahead for all your seasonal events.