Healthier Sugar Cookies
Whole Wheat Flour, Natural Food Coloring Make a More Wholesome Treat
Dec 19, 2008
Rolled sugar cookies are lots of fun for kids and adults to make all year round, and particularly during the holidays. The traditional sugar cookie recipe calls for white flour and white sugar, neither of which are considered healthy. Whole wheat flour is higher in fiber and other nutrients, such as selenium, potassium, and magnesium, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Standard sugar cookies are then generally topped with vibrant frosting made with artificial food coloring. According to a 2007 study reported in the Lancet, artificial colors, or sodium benzoate, or both, resulted in increased hyperactivity in children. So skip the chemical food coloring and tint your own frosting for a healthier treat.
To transform the traditional sugar cookie into something more healthful, start by making the following recipe posted by Annie B. Bond.
Rolled Natural Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups your choice of whole foods sweetener
- 2 eggs
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 3/4 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl, and stir into the butter mixture a bit at a time, blending thoroughly as you go. Pat the dough into a ball, cover, and refrigerate for at least three hours or overnight.
Lightly flour a cutting board, and roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters. Decorate with colorful pieces of fruit, such as pieces of organic blueberry and cranberry, grated carrot, diced cucumber peels, and apricots. Place cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350 F oven until golden, about 8 minutes.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Healthier Frosting Made with Natural Color
If you like to top your sugar cookies with colorful frosting, but want to avoid artificial colors, there are natural food-based colorings you can experiment with. Each of the following suggestions are fairly flavor neutral and so should not affect the flavor of your frosting. Prepare your favorite frosting recipe, then divide into small portions. Now you are ready for color!
Foods for Natural Coloring
- avocado- mash a small section of an avocado and mix in to create a soft green
- blueberries- add the juice from several slightly thawed frozen blueberries to make purple
- turmeric- mix in a pinch or two of this spice to create yellow
- spinach- puree thawed frozen spinach and add a small amount for green
- pomegranate juice- add a small amount to create red (too much will result in thin frosting)
- carrot juice- add a small amount to create an orange hue
You could also use jarred organic baby food to add color to your frosting. Try carrot, spinach, blueberry, and squash. So healthy, and so delicious.
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