So not only are these Vanilla Sugar Cookies the best sugar cookies EVER, they are also healthier and sugar free! And I feel confident calling these the BEST sugar cookies because not only are they MY favorite sugar cookies, they are a favorite of my friends who have had them too! And no weird ingredients. No applesauce. No smashed bananas. I just made a few tweaks to one of my favorite sugar cookie recipes, to make them healthier, without you ever knowing that they are better for you! I know you must be intrigued…..
So these are still cookies. They aren’t “health food” by any means….but they satisfy a sugar craving with less calories than a normal sugar cookie and are way better than any store bought or bakery cookie! I have been making these “healthier” sugar cookies for a few years now and have shared them with friends and family over the years—none of whom could tell these cookies were absent of an enormous amount of butter!
I also used my favorite sugar substitute in this recipe: Swerve! No weird after taste and bakes cup-for-cup like regular sugar. So yes…you can also just use regular granulated sugar and powdered sugar in this recipe.
One quick note….this cookie dough needs to be chilled overnight though! Sorry! I swear it’s worth it though! Especially at 9PM when you are feeling snacky and want to do some quality control testing on that cookie dough 😉
You see those glorious specks of vanilla from the Rodelle Vanilla Bean Paste?! Yessssss!
The BEST (Healthier) Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Print RecipeIngredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Swerve powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup Swerve white granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup egg substitute, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (I used Rodelle)
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- scant 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
****THIS DOUGH NEEDS TO BE CHILLED OVERNIGHT****
In the bowl of your stand mixer, affixed with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar and granulated sugar. Beat on medium high speed until fairly smooth and ingredients are incorporated. Add the egg substitute to the sugar-butter mixture, and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and almond extract to the mixture, and beat until combined. Change the mixer to low speed and add the nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, salt, water and flour. Mix until ingredients are just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber scraper to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and dump the sugar cookie dough onto the plastic wrap. Cover the dough in the plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator over night to chill.
After dough has chilled overnight and you are ready to bake your cookies, preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Remove the chilled cookie dough from the fridge and use a standard sized cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough balls and place the dough balls on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving enough space in between the cookies to allow for spreading. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, in the 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges turn a light golden color.
Remove cookies from the oven when they are done baking and allow cookies to set on the cookie sheet for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies will stay fresh for several days.
I under-baked mine ever so slightly, so they had a cookie dough taste in the middle which I LOVE. But bake these to your desired doneness. See how gooey mine are in the center?? The cookies will set overnight and by under baking them, these cookies stayed perfectly soft for several days.
If you like sugar cookies, but are looking to cut a few calories, definitely give these a try and let me know what you think!
XOXO,
Kelly
PS- I have linked this recipe up at the following link parties: Meal Plan Monday, Foodie Friday and more!
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8 Comments
GiGi Eats Celebrities
April 23, 2019 at 9:52 AMVanilla. Cookie. Swerve. YEP. I am dreaming of cookies now. And I so wanna go downstairs and make some of my own!!!!! 😀
Kelly
April 24, 2019 at 6:46 AMThanks my fellow Swerve-loving friend!! If you played around with the moisture levels in this recipe, you could probably sub out the regular flour for coconut flour! XOXO
Amy
April 23, 2019 at 4:54 PMKelly, these look like something I could really enjoy! Where do you buy your swerve from. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Kelly
April 24, 2019 at 6:53 AMThanks Amy!! I have found Swerve at my local Sprouts store, but you can find it on Amazon too. Swerve was kind enough to send me the Swerve I used in this recipe though 🙂
pglooney
April 24, 2019 at 5:28 AMI think you know my love for Swerve since I use it in many of my baked goods.
Kelly
April 24, 2019 at 6:53 AMOhhhh yeah!! Swerve is the BEST right?!!
Maria | kitchenathoskins
April 26, 2019 at 12:06 AMSwerve sounds like a great alternative for sugar. I love this cookie with Swerve, the texture looks amazing.
Kelly
May 1, 2019 at 8:08 AMThanks Maria!! I LOVE SWERVE!! It is the BEST!