These Healthy Sugar Cookies are delicious 4-ingredient cookies made with no eggs and no dairy. They have a sweet taste and a delicate texture, perfect with a coffee or a cup of tea.
I love making cookies for Christmas and when I don’t make my Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies or my Easy Gingerbread Cookies, I like to bake sugar cookies. I normally bake my Almond Flour Sugar Cookies, but my kids wanted a more traditional taste, so I had to go for regular flour.
These cookies have all the taste, texture, and looks of traditional sugar cookies, but they are made with all-around healthier ingredients.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe
You only need 4 base ingredients for this recipe:
- All-Purpose Flour – Regular flour provides structure and a delicate, crumbly texture, typical of sugar cookies. You might be able to substitute it with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend if needed, but I recommend a mix of 3/4 of gluten-free flour blend and 1/4 of almond flour for a moister cookie dough.
- Maple Syrup – Maple syrup naturally sweetens the cookies without refined sugar, adding a slight caramel flavor. Alternatives include agave syrup, coconut nectar, or date syrup, though each may affect the flavor slightly.
- Coconut Oil – Coconut oil adds richness and a subtle coconut flavor. It should be solid for the right texture. Dairy-free butter works too for a more buttery taste. If using liquid oil, reduce slightly to maintain consistency.
- Almond Milk – Almond milk adds moisture and helps form the dough. Substitute with other plant-based milks like oat, soy, or rice milk based on your preferences.
How to Make Healthy Sugar Cookies
This is a super simple recipe to make, here are pictures of the key steps:
Pour all the 4 base ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Work the dough until it forms a ball.
Roll the dough into a flat shape of uniform thickness and use cookie cutter to form cookies. Reuse and re-flatten leftover dough.
Bake the healthy sugar cookies for 8-10 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) and let them cool down for a few minutes before decorating.
Carine’s Baking Tips
I have a few more tips for you to make the best cookies:
- Chill the dough thoroughly for the best texture. Cold dough holds its shape better, preventing spreading and helping achieve that perfect, clean cookie cut.
- Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure an even thickness. It makes transferring easier, especially for intricate shapes.
- Rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking to ensure even browning, especially if your oven has hot spots.
- Use a light touch when handling the dough after chilling, as it can be slightly crumbly. Press gently to reform it as needed.
- For a crisper cookie, bake for an extra 1-2 minutes; for a softer, chewier texture, bake on the lower end of the time range.
- Use a ruler or rolling pin rings for uniform thickness. Consistency helps the cookies bake evenly.
- Add zest from lemon or orange to brighten the flavor. Citrus zest pairs beautifully with the vanilla and adds a subtle aromatic note.
- Make ahead and freeze the dough for easy baking later. Wrap well and freeze for up to 2 months; just thaw in the fridge before rolling and baking.
- Decorate with natural colored icing for a festive touch. Consider using coconut butter or powdered sugar mixed with plant milk as a simple glaze.
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Healthy Sugar Cookies
These Healthy Sugar Cookies are delicious 4-ingredient cookies made with no eggs and no dairy. They have a sweet taste and a delicate texture, perfect with a coffee or a cup of tea.
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Servings: 30 small cookies
Calories: 32.9 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour - (note 1)
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup - (note 2)
- 3 tablespoons Coconut Oil - firm and not liquid, or dairy-free butter
- 1 tablespoon Almond Milk - (note 3)
Optional – highly recommended for flavors
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add flour, maple syrup, dairy free butter, almond milk, vanilla extract, and salt – if used.
- Use the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, or stir with a rubber spatula and when it starts to look crumbly, use your fingers to rub the dairy-free butter and flour and press to form a dough.
- If too dry, add an extra tablespoon of almond milk, if too wet, sprinkle a little more flour.
- Knead until it forms a smooth cookie dough. Divide it in two pieces of the same size, wrap each in plastic wrapping, and press them into a circular shape.
- Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes, or until the dough firms up a bit.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slightly oil the paper with a cooking oil spray. Set aside.
- Remove the plastic wrapping and knead the dough again as it's hard and cold after spending time in the fridge and the dough could be a bit crumbly.
- Place the cookie dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it with a rolling pin into a thin sheet of about 0.2 inch (1/2cm) in thickness.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut out the shapes and place each cookie on the prepared baking sheet. The cookies won't spread in the oven but keep a little space between each of them to make sure they don't touch each other.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) until lightly golden-brown on the edge. The longer you bake them, the harder they will be.
- Let the cookies cool down for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then on a cooling rack.
- Serve the sugar cookies plain or decorate them with my royal icing recipe.
Notes
Note 1: You can also use whole wheat flour and spelt flour. I haven’t tried this recipe with gluten-free flour, but I suspect it should work fine if you use 3/4 cup of a 1:1 GF blend and 1/4 cup of almond flour.
Note 2: Any unrefined liquid sweetener works, like coconut nectar or agave syrup.
Note 3: You can use any milk alternatives like soy milk or coconut milk, though the latter might give a slight coconut aftertaste.
Equipment
Nutrition
Serving: 1Cookie | Calories: 32.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 1.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 29.5mg | Potassium: 10.9mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 1.6g | Calcium: 4.2mg | Iron: 0.2mg | Magnesium: 1.5mg | Phosphorus: 4.6mg | Zinc: 0.05mg
Loved them!