Healthy Holiday Cookies

You know that love/hate relationship we all seem to have with Christmas cookies? Well I may have found a way to cheat the system, shh! I came upon some DELICIOUS recipes that I know I’ll be trying (guilt-free!) this holiday season, see for yourself!

1. Cranberry-Honey Spice Pinwheels

These cookies boast a bright, zesty filling and spicy aroma. They make a large batch and are extremely convenient, since you can make the logs of cookie dough ahead, then pull them out of the freezer and slice and bake as many cookies as you need.

NUTRITION Per cookie:
54 calories; 1 g fat ( 0 g sat , 1 g mono ); 6 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 0 g fiber; 24 mg sodium; 6 mg potassium.

2. Frangelico & Toasted Hazelnut Meringues

Perfect meringues depend on totally yolk-free whites. The seemingly fussy step of separating each egg into a small bowl before combining them guarantees yolk-free whites for bakeshop-quality meringues every time. These crispy little morsels travel well and make great gifts too.

NUTRITION Per cookie:
14 calories; 0 g fat ( 0 g sat , 0 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 2 g carbohydrates; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 2 mg sodium; 9 mg potassium.

3. Ginger Crinkle Cookies

Cynthia Farr-Weinfeld, a hypnotherapist and writer, started improving the nutritional profile of a friend’s mother’s ginger cookie recipe by substituting whole-wheat pastry flour for all-purpose flour and canola oil for shortening. “Experiment with these cookies,” she advises, “as they taste great either slightly underdone or crispy.” She calls them “the quickest cookies you’ll ever bake.”

NUTRITION Per cookie:
103 calories; 5 g fat ( 0 g sat , 3 g mono ); 6 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 94 mg sodium; 38 mg potassium.

4. Molasses Crackles

Nancy Caverly gave her grandmother’s recipe for ginger molasses cookies a little makeover—reducing the butter and adding crystallized ginger for a spicy jolt.

NUTRITION Per cookie:
79 calories; 1 g fat ( 1 g sat , 0 g mono ); 9 mg cholesterol; 16 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 0 g fiber; 106 mg sodium; 43 mg potassium.

5. Almond & Honey-Butter Cookies

This thumbprint cookie uses honey as the only sweetener and tender ground almonds to replace much of the butter found in similar cookies. Just a touch of butter mixed with honey in the filling gives it a rich flavor without too much saturated fat.

NUTRITION Per cookie:
94 calories; 5 g fat ( 1 g sat , 2 g mono ); 8 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrates; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 43 mg sodium; 9 mg potassium.

6. Double Peanut Butter-Chocolate Cookies

These soft chocolate cookies have a big peanut flavor since they use peanut butter and peanut butter chips.

NUTRITION Per cookie:
115 calories; 6 g fat ( 1 g sat , 1 g mono ); 12 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrates; 3 g protein; 1 g fiber; 102 mg sodium; 33 mg potassium.

Sources: EatingWell.com