3 Healthy Holiday Cookies

Can’t resist holiday cookies? Here are three healthy holiday cookie recipes you can enjoy guilt-free.

The holiday season is upon us. And one of the best parts of the holiday season is all the sweet treats we can relish. If you also love baking and eating holiday cookies, we have a surprise. Even though holiday cookies are delicious, they are often loaded with processed flour and sugars. We have curated some innovative, healthy holiday cookie recipes that are perfect for gifting or devouring on a cozy night at home. And the best part about these healthy holiday cookies? You don’t need to be a baking expert; they are super easy to make.

Pumpkin-cherry holiday cookies

These delicious holiday cookies combine the healthiest ingredients to form a perfect, guilt-free holiday treat. We have replaced refined flour with whole wheat flour. And to make it a little extra healthy, the recipe calls for brown sugar and coconut oil instead of refined sugar and refined oil.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 can pure pumpkin (500ml)
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup roasted pumpkin seeds
• ½ cup dried cherries

Directions

• Combine whole wheat flour, oats, salt, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice.
• Beat pure pumpkin, coconut oil, brown sugar and egg at medium speed until well combined. Add flour mixture gradually, followed by pumpkin seeds and dried cherries.
• Make 12 mounds, spaced 2 inches apart, on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten into discs.
• Bake the holiday cookies at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until dark brown on the bottoms.
• Cool on a wire rack.
• Cooled-down cookies can be frozen for up to two weeks or stored at room temperature for up to two days. Toast again until crisp before eating.

Flourless fudge cookies

If fudgy holiday cookies are your thing, this recipe will surely become your favorite. Even though this recipe does not call for any flour or butter, we still managed to make the fudgiest cookies with the crispiest edges.

Ingredients

• Coconut oil
• 2 ½ cups powdered brown sugar
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 cold large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cup chocolate chips

Directions

• Set two baking sheets in the oven once it is preheated to 350 degrees. Line them with parchment paper and gently coat them with coconut oil.
• Mix the salt, cocoa powder and powdered sugar in a large bowl.
• Then add the vanilla and chocolate chips after stirring in the egg whites. If you want glossy cookies, rest the dough at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Scoop tablespoon-size mounds onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are set.
• After about five minutes, carefully move these yummy holiday cookies to a cooling rack to let them cool completely.

Triple almond cookies

This easy one-bowl almond cookie recipe produces delightful small bites with lots of texture. These holiday cookies are loaded with almonds as the recipe calls for almonds in three different forms: almond butter, almond flour and sliced almonds.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon orange zest
• ⅓ cup unsweetened almond butter
• ⅓ cup honey
• 6 tablespoon butter, melted
• ¾ teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 ¼ cup oat flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups toasted sliced almonds
• Flaky sea salt, for topping

Directions

• With your fingers, mash orange zest into sugar in a big basin until aromatic.
• Stir in the cardamom, vanilla extract, honey, melted butter and almond butter.
• Add the almond flour and stir to incorporate.
• Add the oat flour, baking soda and 1 cup of the almonds and stir until there are no dry lumps left.
• Place the dough in the fridge and let it chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Pour the remaining 1 cup of almonds into a big dish and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll dough in almonds after scooping it into 1-inch balls. Place dough on prepared sheets, spacing them about 2" apart. Flatten each ball to a height of ½ " and season lightly.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges start to turn brown.
• Allow it to cool before serving.