Sugar cookies — the name alone is enough to scare away any health- and weight-conscious person from these treats. If you wish to stay away from refined sugar and excess calories, it is possible to sidestep the negatives and enjoy only the positives of these all-time favorites. Below, you will learn how to make sugar cookies that are sugar-free!
The secret to baking sugar cookies that contain absolutely no refined sugar is by having the white evil ingredient replaced with stevia. Unlike artificial sweeteners that can wreak havoc to your health, based on a growing number of scientific investigations, stevia is all-natural so it won’t leave your wellbeing in shambles.
What’s so nice about stevia is you only need a little of it just to make your sugar-free sugar cookies a delight to munch on. As an example, a typical sugar cookie recipe that yields nearly 50 pieces (just like the recipe below) requires a cup of refined sugar. That’s equivalent to only 2 tablespoons of stevia. Definitely money-saving!
To make the resulting sugar cookies that are sugar-free even healthier, we will opt for whole wheat flour. Actually, for this recipe, you will need to get your hands on a couple of flour types — all-purpose flour and cake flour (also known as pastry flour). Both of these types of flour, fortunately, are available in healthier whole wheat variants.
Why opt for whole wheat? Well, whole wheat products mean that the bran and germ parts of the grains they are made from remain intact. This means that they are more superior nutrition-wise than the rest. Using them results in sugar-free sugar cookies that are loaded with dietary fiber as well as B vitamins!
Sugar cookies are usually adorned with frosting or sprinkles, or both, to make them sweeter and more eye-catching. For this recipe, however, we will skip the addition of those. After all, the goal is to make sugar cookies that are not only devoid of refined sugar, but also extra calories that can lead to weight gain if they’re not burned.
Here’s the very simple recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat cake flour or pastry flour
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1/4 cup of egg whites or egg substitute of your choice
- 2 tablespoons of stevia
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon of white vinegar
- 1/4 cup of light butter
- 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
Directions:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine stevia and vanilla by hand. Add in your butter and mix using an electric mixer. You may also do so by hand.
- Once butter is smooth, add water, vinegar and egg whites or egg substitute. Mix briefly. Throw in all-purpose flour and cake or pastry flour, followed by the baking powder and sea salt.
- Mix until dough is formed. Refrain from over mixing the ingredients for the perfect texture.
- Dust your countertop or work surface with flour and place the dough on it. Divide the dough into two. Form them into a circle then cover with a plastic wrap. Keep in the fridge for an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Also, grab a large cookie sheet and have it lightly oiled. Set aside.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and flatten (about 1/4 of an inch thick) with a rolling pin. Cut using cookie cutters. Place them neatly on the oiled cookie sheet.
- Bake your sugar-free cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack then transfer to a serving plate. Enjoy!
Source: kingarthurflour.com
