Once we change our calendar to Dec. 1, holiday scents of vanilla, peppermint, and cinnamon waft throughout our home. While sweet treats help us get into a festive mood, sometimes we need a break from indulging. That’s where these cookies come in – they’re the classic recipes you love with a slightly healthier twist. The best part is you won’t even notice the difference!
PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS
When I think of holiday cookies, I think of peanut butter blossoms. They’re a nostalgic treat, and the peanut butter and chocolate combination just can’t be beat. We rolled some cookie dough in red and green sanding sugar, but that step is optional.
Ingredients
- ½ cup processed peanut butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. fine sea salt
- ¼ cup green sanding sugar
- ¼ cup red sanding sugar
- Chocolate kisses
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream peanut butter, butter, and both sugars until combined, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix.
Roll dough into 1-inch balls, and then roll each ball into sanding sugar. Arrange on baking sheet 2-inches apart. Bake about 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Press chocolate kiss into the middle of each cookie.
Tip: Before baking, we put the chocolate kisses in the freezer for about 30 minutes so they wouldn’t melt on the peanut butter blossom.
CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES
These are for chocolate lovers! Think of them as fluffy brownies; they’re perfectly pillowy and bursting with chocolate with a hint of coconut. To up the healthiness factor, we used coconut sugar instead of cane sugar.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix. Add chocolate chips.
Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.
Roll dough into 1-inch balls and then roll into bowl of powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes.
When cooled, roll in more powdered sugar.
LEMON RICOTTA COOKIES
For a light treat, these lemon ricotta cookies are soft and slightly tangy with a cakey texture. We loved the fresh citrus flavor paired with the sweet icing. Oat flour makes these cookies gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup oat flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup cane sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup ricotta cheese
- 2 lemons, juiced, divided
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, ricotta cheese, and juice of one lemon, and mix until combined.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix.
Chill dough for at least 2 hours.
Roll about 1½ tablespoons of dough into a ball. Place onto baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are slightly browned.
Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
While cookies are cooling, make lemon glaze. In a medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and juice of 1 lemon.
Frost each cookie with lemon glaze. Let cookies sit for about 5 minutes until glaze sets.
Holiday cooking
Get in the cozy holiday feeling with more festive treats the whole family can enjoy:
