Our list of best healthy Christmas cookies has something for everyone, from soft gingerbread cookies to buckeyes with a healthy spin!

Easy thumbprint cookies

Are you looking for the best healthy Christmas cookies for your cookie tray? If you know Alex and me, you know we’re into healthy cookie recipes…or really, healthier cookies! Here are our top healthy Christmas cookies that we think would be perfect for your cookie tray. They all have a healthier spin…but they’re so delicious, you’d never know it! Don’t forget to serve with healthy hot chocolate or hot cider (or the slow cooker version).

So what are healthy cookies?

Honestly, we wish there were a better word than healthy. Because cookies in themselves are not a health food! Alex and I like to use a few strategies for making healthy– that is, healthier cookie recipes! Here’s our approach:

  • Use nutrient dense real food ingredients. We love incorporating nutrient dense ingredients to counteract the typical loads of butter, white flour and refined sugar. Almond butter, peanut butter, oats, almond flour, and maple syrup all make appearances in our best Christmas cookie recipes.
  • Amp the flavor. We use spices and natural flavors to bring in big flavor, instead of relying just on sugar. For example, there are abundant chai spices in our snowball cookies, or lots of gingerbread spices and molasses in our soft gingerbread cookies.
  • Use just enough sugar. For every Christmas cookie recipe we make, we adjust the sugar content so that it tastes amazing: not too sweet, but just right.

And even though they’re healthier, we hope you’ll find all our best healthy Christmas cookies are just plain delicious. Here are our top favorites:

And now…our best healthy Christmas cookies!

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10 Healthyish Holiday Cookies | A Couple Cooks

Healthy Gingerbread Cookies


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 8 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 33 minutes
  • Yield: 25 to 35 1x

Description

These soft gingerbread cookies use almond butter to replace most of the butter, wheat flour for a few extra nutrients, and applesauce to keep them soft.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • ¼ cup almond butter
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons applesauce
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup wheat flour
  • Turbinado sugar (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, add 1 egg, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup molasses, ¼ cup almond butter, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 2 tablespoons applesauce; vigorously whisk to thoroughly combine.
  2. To the wet ingredients, stir in 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoons allspice, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour, and ½ cup wheat flour until well combined. Turn out onto plastic wrap and form into a rough ball; cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour, or overnight.
  3. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  4. Flour a flat surface and a rolling pin, then roll out the dough ¼-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out gingerbread men, about 25-35 total. Place gingerbread men on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
  5. Bake about 8 minutes, until puffed and slightly firmed. Let rest on the pan for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store covered at room temperature for several days or freeze for several months.
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Healthy gingerbread cookies

More Christmas recipes

We hope you enjoy our best Christmas cookie recipes! Here are a few more resources from around the web:

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.

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