Low-Fat Sugar cookies…a tasty and improved variety of a holiday tradition.
Low-fat sugar cookies are a tasty and improved variety of a holiday tradition. And while the holidays are nearing, we all look forward to our favorite treats and cookies. Whether they’re sugar cookies, chocolate chips, gingerbread, or any of the many, many favorites that make the holiday special. It’s hard to eat just one!
Swap this for that…
The question emerges…how do you enjoy these tasty traditions and stay on track with the healthy eating habits you’ve worked so hard to establish. With a little imagination, it’s not hard to make a few adjustments with your recipe to pare down the calories, fats, and sugars. For example, applesauce makes a satisfactory substitute for oil and eggs.
Here’s a version of a traditional sugar cookie recipe that has much less fat and calories. I swapped applesauce for the egg, to further reduce the numbers. I used small cookie cutters such as stars, snowflakes, and small trees, and managed to get 3 dozen cookies out of one recipe. At this number, each cookie is only 44 calories, and 1.4 grams of fat. These low-fat sugar cookies are delicious and provide a treat without the guilt!
I made the dough early in the morning and wrapped it in plastic wrap and refrigerated it for about two hours. Therefore, it was firm and easy to roll out. Make sure you flour your surface to keep the dough from sticking. Despite the low-fat content and no egg, the dough rolled out and cut easily.
I didn’t grease the cookie sheets and spaced the cookies about an inch apart. They didn’t expand in size and slipped easily off the cookie sheet when they were done. I baked them for 7-8 minutes, but all ovens are different. Watch for the edges to be lightly brown.
I added a little bit of colored sugar on top of the cookies before they went into the oven, to be a little festive. This doesn’t really add any significant amount of calories.
If you choose to make larger cookies, naturally the calorie content will be higher.
Low Fat Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 5 Tbsp Butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup applesauace
- 1 2/3 cup flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees
- Cream butter and sugar together
- Add applesauce and mix well
- Stir in remaining ingredients.
- Mixture will be a little crumbly. Use your hands to mix further and form the dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
- Once chilled, roll and cut with cookie cutters as desired
- Bake on cookie sheets, 7-8 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.
Try this version of a popular holiday tradition. You won’t be disappointed!
Also, if you want to learn more about reducing sugar in your diet, check out this roundup article to hear what I and other nutrition experts have to say about curbing sugar cravings. 25 Health Experts Reveal – How To Curb Sugar Cravings.
