These holiday sugar cookies aren’t naughty, they’re nice! These treats are completely free of oil and butter and are full of heart-healthy fiber from whole grain flour. They’re a sweet, indulgent treat that won’t make your belly shake like a bowl full of jelly!
While they aren’t exactly healthy (they are sugar cookies, after all and do contain sugar), I’ve swapped out butter for a combination of beans and nut butter, white flour for whole grain flour, and eggs for egg replacer powder, making these cookies low in fat and cholesterol free! Your friends and family will never know the difference!
I’ve worked on perfecting this recipe for the last few years and these sweet and tender treats taste every bit as good as the classic. Nutrition is important, but not at the expense of flavor, otherwise, why bother?
I hope my healthier version of this familiar favorite makes your holiday just a little bit sweeter (pardon the pun)!
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Healthy Vegan Sugar Cookies (Whole Grain; Oil-free)
- Total Time: 1 hour 39 mins
- Yield: 2 dozen 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 3/4 cup organic sugar
- 1/4 cup white beans, drained and rinsed (cannellini or great northern)
- 1/4 cup raw cashew butter
- 3 teaspoons EnerG egg replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons water (equal to 2 eggs)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Pinch cinnamon, optional
Icing
- 2 cups organic powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons plant milk (soy or almond)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Naturally dyed vegan sprinkles (Look for sprinkles from Confection Crafts or India Tree brands)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place beans, cashew butter, sugar, EnerG egg replacer mixed with water, vanilla, baking powder, sea salt and cinnamon into the bowl of a large food processor and blend well. Add flour and pulse just until combined. This should create a nice stiff dough. Do not over mix.
- Place dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
- With a rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into holiday shapes using cookie cutters and place on parchment lined baking sheet, sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 9-10 minutes until bottoms of cookies are slightly golden. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then cool completely on wire racks.
- To make icing, whisk together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Spread icing onto cookies and sprinkle with naturally dyed sprinkles. Allow to dry completely, then store in airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Cook Time: 9 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Vegan
Recipe by Emily Honeycutt, 2016. © All Rights Reserved. https://www.deliciouslygreen.com
Wonderful easy recipe!! I substituted phyllium husk and cream of tartar for the egg and used condensed homemade sugar free cashew cream and worked perfectly! Thank you for the recipe!!
Wow – really interesting substitutes! Thanks for the comments, Liz. So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Happy holidays! -Emily
Hi Liz,
Can you tell me how much phyllium husk and cream of tartar you used? And what your recipe is for the condensed homemade sugar free cashew cream?
Hello, We have a cashew nut allergy, could almond butter be substituted, or is it need for texture?
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks so much for the excellent question. You’re right, cashew butter is creamier and smoother, while almond butter is a bit more grainy, but I think it would definitely be worth a try. Your cookies may end up with a bit more texture. But, I would just call them rustic. I’ve used almond butter in other cookies before with excellent results. A quarter to half a teaspoon of almond extract would enhance the delicious almond flavor. Happy holidays!
-Emily
What would you think about getting away from sugar and finding some good tasting HEALTHY sweeteners with a low glycemic index? There are lots of possibilities.
I’ll have to look into these egg substitutes. Sounds interesting..
Stuart
Hi Stuart,
Thanks so much for the comment. Yes, we generally do prefer to avoid refined sugar, but at the holidays, some people – especially kids, want to participate in traditional festive cooking and baking. So far, I haven’t found any way to make healthy all-natural cut-out sugar cookies without sugar. If you have any ideas, please do let me know.
Thanks again!
Emily
Could you substitute flax eggs for the EnerG egg replacer without changing the texture of the cookies?
Hi Mary,
That’s a good question. EnerG egg replacer is a little different than flax eggs. It provides a bit of levening as well as binding, which is one reason I used it for these cookies. I think flax eggs would produce a denser, grainier cookie, rather than a tradition-tasting sugar cookie. It would be worth a try, but the result would be a bit different. If you try it, you may want to add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder for a little extra lift. If you do try it, please let me know how it goes.
Thanks so much for your question!
Emily