Healthy Holiday Cookie Recipes

What's the holidays without those yummy, decorated holiday cookies?!? Often we tend to think we just can't stay healthy during the holidays, so don't even try or explore options, but the truth is you can easily make-over any recipe into a healthy recipe by swapping out unhealthy ingredients for healthy ingredients. We show you just how to do it with 2 healthy holiday cookie recipes.

But first here are some tips and common swaps for making an unhealthy recipe healthy:

• White flour swap for Buckwheat or Organic Whole Wheat
• White sugar swap for Coconut Sugar 
• Butter swap for Coconut Oil
• Dairy Milk swap for Almond Milk or Coconut Milk
• Eggs swap for Dates, in fact dates can take the place of eggs, sugar and flour combined. To do so, simply measure out the dates at the same amount of the other ingredients. Pit and soak for 2 hours. Drain and then process in a food processor until turned into a globby mush. Then use in recipes. 

Here are 2 great Healthy Holiday Cookie Recipes given a healthy make over:

Ginger Cookies

Ingredients

2/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup softened Coconut oil
1/4 cup Fresh juiced apple juice
1 teaspoon pure organic vanilla extract
1/4 c Dates (Soaked and pitted)
4 cups buckwheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger root
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon powdered cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon grated organic orange zest

GLAZE
1/4 cup freshly juiced apple juice

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Mix the molasses, coconut oil, apple juic, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Process the dates in a food processor and place in a separate bowl. Then mix them into the wet ingredients.
Mix all the dry ingredients together, including the orange zest, in a separate, large bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, using a wooden spoon to mix everything together until the dough becomes stiff. Knead the dough with clean hands for a couple of minutes, and then divide it in half.
Flatten each half into 2 round disks, wrap them in plastic wrap, and put them in the freezer until they are completely chilled, at least 2 hours, or overnight.
After the dough has thoroughly chilled, roll it out on a floured surface. Sprinkle the dough with a little more flour. Roll it out into 1/8-inch-thick slabs, and then cut it into shapes with a cookie cutter. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the cut cookie shapes with the apple juice.
Smear the baking sheet with 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil and arrange the cookies on top. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until they turn a light golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Iced Sugar Cookies

Ingredients Cookies:
2 cups buckwheat flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup Coconut oil
1 cup coconut sugar
2 large dates (pitted and soaked)
1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

Icing
2 C. powdered sugar (use a vegan version if you can, they're not all created equal)

1 Tb. coconut oil
1-2 Tb. almond milk (I use vanilla almond milk), you may need more or less, depending on the consistency you desire*
1/2 tsp. pure organic vanilla extract

to make it chocolate: add 1 Tb. cacao powder


In large bowl, add powdered sugar, then mix in the coconut oil by hand with a large wooden spoon.
Stir in vanilla. Slowly add in the almond milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.


Continue to stir until completely smooth with no clumps. I like mine to be a bit thicker for easier spreading when using it for the sugar cookies. You could make it thinner and drizzle it on as well.


Directions

For the cookies: Sift together the flour, baking powder and sea salt. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the coconut oil and coconut sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the dates and mix until combined. Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients, one spoonful at a time, until thoroughly combined. Add the organic vanilla. Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out half of the dough at a time, keeping the remainder of the dough in the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness and cut into desired shapes with a cookie cutter. (For medium cookies, use a 3-inch cookie cutter.) Place the cutout cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for a few minutes before baking. This will help the cookies to retain their shape. (You can roll out the scraps to make a few more cookies.) Bake until just before the edges of the cookies start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes (if baking two sheets at a time, rotate halfway through baking). Cool the cookies for 1 to 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Spread the icing on the cooled cookies and then top with assorted sprinkles such as chopped nuts, raw coconut flakes or anything else yummy!

~Blessing of a very healthy and happy holiday season!

Candice Marley is a Holistic Health Practitioner, Holistic Nutritionist, Herbalist & Wellness coach and owner of Align Holistic Health & Well Being who helps people all over the world create vibrant health, greater energy, radiant beauty and a lifetime of health without disease or pain through natural ways of eating and balanced, holistic lifestyle practices. She uses a combination of natural ways of eating, balanced lifestyle practices, medicinal herbs, holistic living strategies and wellness coaching which excels at creating vibrant, lasting health in people just like you! In fact, most people report feeling higher levels of energy and greater health within a week of their first appointment. You can download her free e-book The 5 Top Tips for Creating Vibrant Health atwww.alignholistichealth.com