The Only Christmas Cookie You’ll Ever Need……

This might be my last post before Christmas, but I will try to squeeze in at least one more. But as for now I am delivering on a promise I made last week that I would produce a sugar cookie recipe this week. I know, I know, I am cutting it close. We only have a few days before Christmas, but now is crunch time! I know that there are more than a few people Googling recipes, as we speak, and quite a few last minute bakers on top of it. This recipe is so incredibly easy a child, with a step stool, could do it. 😉

I learned a valuable lesson when making these cookies. Generally, I research for at least several days before I try throwing a recipe together. This time, I didn’t do that. For anyone who bakes, you know that baking is a science. It takes certain ingredients, in certain amounts, to create an edible treat. Here is a lesson for anyone who is new to baking with coconut oil…. You cannot use it to replace butter straight across the board. I’ve baked with coconut oil many times, but never in this quantity. I can tell you that if you are making a cookie that calls for ½ cup of butter, you are going to have a disaster on your hands if you replace it with a ½ cup of coconut oil.

I was wary about subbing straight across the board, but the cookie dough turned out so beautifully I knew, or thought I knew, that the cookies were going to be a win. Wrong! Epic fail. They spread across the entire cookie sheet making a single “pan cookie”. I ended up cutting them into squares, just to get them off of the pan. Once they cooled they were a crispy cookie connoisseurs dream cookie! They were crispy, and very much dominated by coconut oil. I thought about throwing in the towel, figuring that it just couldn’t be done, but that just isn’t how I work. It had become a challenge. That is when the chemistry research began, and after several hours, I found my answer.

The reason that butter can’t be replaced in equal parts with coconut oil is because coconut oil is just that, pure fat, no moisture. Butter, on the other hand, contains some water which alters the chemical reaction in the cookies giving a fluffier cookie. So, what is a girl to do when she wants to go dairy free, and not use a plant based spread? Simple, give the dough less oil, and more moisture. Once again a beautiful dough was created, but this time, thanks to the recipe tweaks, the cookies came out fluffy, and “buttery” rather than oily. The kids wouldn’t eat them because they didn’t have sprinkles, go figure, but hubby LOVES them. For being a chocolate only guy this makes a total win!

 

As for the topping, I didn’t want to make a traditional cookie frosting. Ok, I did want to, but I knew it was in all of our best interest to not pile on heaping amounts of sugar, and I also knew that I could make them taste just as good. All I did was make a thin glaze using powdered sugar, and chocolate coconut milk. I dipped the cookies and allowed them to try, it took about an hour, and they turned out so glossy and pretty. Then for just an added touch of Christmas cheer, and elegance, I topped them off with a light dusting of powdered sugar. And that is how our dairy free, egg free, reduced sugar and fat, cookies were born. I know, they sound like cardboard, but they are just as fluffy, and amazingly yummy, as traditional sugar cookies. Whip up a quick batch, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

What is your favorite Christmas Cookie?

What type of frosting/icing do you use on top of your sugar cookies?

Glazed Mini Sugar Cookies

By Angie Gouchenour

20 cookies

Ingredients

¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon Sugar 2.0 

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons nondairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla cashew milk)

2 teaspoons unsweetened apple sauce

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup + 2 Tablespoons wheat flour

Directions

In a plastic container combine the Sugar 2.0, coconut oil, nondairy milk, and applesauce

Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds

Carefully remove from the microwave and stir in the vanilla flavoring and baking powder

Stir half of the flour into the heated mixture, then fold in the rest to make a nice soft dough

Chill for 30 minutes, or overnight

Preheat the oven to 350’f

Remove the dough from the fridge and gently roll it flat on a lightly floured surface

(The thickness you roll them depends on how fluffy they are. If you prefer a more wafer style cookie you can roll the dough pretty thin)

I didn’t have a cookie cutter small enough (1-1 ½ inches across) so I used the top of a glass coffee bottle

Cut out cookies and place them on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper

Place them in the preheated oven and cook for 6 minutes

(They may look under done, but remove them if they are puffy)

Immediately transfer the cookies to a cooling rack

Allow to cool completely before you frost them

OPTIONAL:

If you want to glaze them, like I did, use about 1 Tablespoon of powdered sugar and thin it out with nondairy milk. (I used chocolate coconut milk) Dip the tops, place them on some parchment paper and allow them to dry

28 calories per cookie without the glaze (Probably 30-32 calories per cookie with the glaze)