Bake Healthy Cookies

Whether coconut macaroons, spritz cookies, cinnamon stars or vanilla crescents: baking cookies is simply part of the Advent and Christmas season! But unfortunately, many cookies are anything but a healthy treat. Often, the little treats contain huge amounts of butter and sugar. However, there are also healthy cookies that contain valuable ingredients and still taste delicious. We tell you what all belongs in a ‘healthy’ Christmas cookies and give you three delicious recipes to hand.

Butter and sugar in moderation

The large amounts of butter and sugar that go into most Christmas cookies don’t exactly make them a healthy treat. Too much sugar consumption, for example, can damage teeth. In the long term, it also increases the risk of obesity and diseases of the cardiovascular system. Butter, too, can cause cardiovascular disease if consumed in excess due to its high cholesterol content. For this reason, try to find cookie recipes that contain little butter or sugar. Or resort to varieties such as coconut macaroons, which are baked without butter and are therefore slightly less calorie-dense. You can also save calories by reducing the sugar content a bit – usually the cookies still taste sweet enough. It’s even better to replace the sugar with sweeteners like honey, maple syrup or agave syrup. Also, instead of white flour, use whole wheat flour. This contains more fiber, thus makes you feel fuller longer and also has a positive effect on digestion. In addition, whole grain flour has a positive effect on blood sugar levels and is therefore particularly recommended for diabetics.

Healthy cookies with valuable ingredients

In cookies are not only ‘unhealthy’ ingredients such as butter and sugar, but also all sorts of healthy. Therefore, when choosing recipes, pay more attention to baking cookies with nuts, oatmeal or dried fruit. Then the cookies will not only taste delicious, but you will also do something good for your body:

  • Nuts: Nuts have a lot of calories, but they are rich in unsaturated fatty acids. These can lower cholesterol levels and thus prevent disease of the cardiovascular system. Whether hazelnuts, walnuts or peanuts: Decorate your cookies instead of chocolate but simply with a few tasty nut chips. Almonds are also great for decorating.
  • Oatmeal: Oatmeal provides a lot of energy, is rich in fiber and makes long full. In addition, they have a positive effect on the blood sugar level, as they let it rise only moderately. Therefore, oatmeal is also well suited for diabetics.
  • Dried fruits: dried fruits such as apricots or plums are rich in valuable ingredients and therefore also very healthy. For example, in dried apricots is five times more potassium than in the fresh fruit. However, they also contain more sugar and therefore have more calories than fresh apricots.

Also, when baking cookies, use Christmas spices such as cinnamon, vanilla or anise. They not only give the cookies their typical Christmas flavor, but also have a positive effect on the body. For example, cinnamon stimulates digestion, while vanilla has a mood-lifting effect.

Tips and tricks for healthy cookies

With a few simple tips and tricks, you can ensure that your cookies are even healthier. We have collected a few suggestions for you:

  • In general, do not grease the baking sheet when baking, but rather use baking paper. This allows you to easily save a few calories.
  • When baking cookies, do without ingredients such as alcohol or marzipan. Both are extremely high in calories and quickly hit the hips.
  • Protein-based cookies – known as meringues – are not necessarily healthier than other cookies. But since they do not contain butter, they are at least somewhat lower in calories.
  • Refrain from decorating the cookies with chocolate coating after baking. If you absolutely want a chocolate frosting, do not dip the whole cookie in chocolate, but just provide it with a few artistic chocolate sprinkles.
  • Bake small cookies: They are not necessarily healthier, however, you usually consume less overall than you would with large cookies.

Vanilla crescents: baking healthy

Ingredients vanilla crescents:

  • 100 grams buckwheat flour
  • 100 grams whole wheat flour
  • 100 grams ground hazelnuts
  • 125 grams butter
  • 100 grams honey
  • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • A little powdered sugar

Preparation vanilla crescents:

Mix the flour, hazelnuts and cinnamon, then add the butter cut into small pieces. Mix the dough, add the honey and stir again. Then chill the dough for an hour. Then form the dough into a roll and cut slices about 1.5 centimeters thick. Shape them into croissants and place them on a baking tray. Bake the croissants in a preheated oven at 190 degrees for about 12 to 14 minutes. Then carefully turn the croissants in a little powdered sugar.

Healthy cookies with oatmeal

Ingredients hazelnut thalers:

  • 180 grams of butter
  • 130 grams powdered sugar
  • 2 packets vanilla sugar
  • 100 grams flour
  • 150 grams chopped nut kernels
  • 150 grams oatmeal
  • ½ lemon
  • 1 pinch of salt

Preparation hazelnut taler:

Mix together the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla sugar and salt. Then finely grate the zest of the lemon and add it to the dough along with the chopped nuts, flour and oatmeal. Shape the dough into hazelnut-sized balls and place them on a baking sheet. Leave enough space between each cookie as they will run during baking. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for eight minutes.

Low-calorie cookies: chocolate macaroons.

Ingredients chocolate macaroons:

  • 2 egg whites
  • 100 grams of sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 3 teaspoons chocolate powder
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Preparation chocolate macaroons:

Beat the egg whites with 70 grams of sugar and a pinch of salt until stiff. Then carefully lift the remaining sugar, chocolate powder and cornstarch under the beaten egg whites. Then, using two teaspoons, carefully place small mounds of dough on a baking sheet. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 140 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Let them cool in the oven afterwards.