Bake healthy cookies

It doesn’t matter whether it’s coconut macaroons, shortbread cookies, cinnamon stars or vanilla crescents: baking cookies is simply part of the Advent and Christmas season! Unfortunately, many cookies are anything but a healthy treat. There is often a lot of butter and sugar in the little treats. However, there are also healthy cookies that contain valuable ingredients and still  taste delicious . We’ll tell you what goes into a ‘healthy’ Christmas cookie and give you three delicious recipes. 

Butter and sugar in moderation

The large amounts of butter and sugar found in most Christmas cookies don’t exactly make them a healthy treat. For example, eating too much sugar can damage your teeth. In the long term, the risk of obesity and diseases of the cardiovascular system also increases. Due to its high cholesterol content, butter can also cause cardiovascular diseases if consumed in excess. 

Therefore, try to find cookie recipes that contain little butter or sugar. Or use variants such as coconut macaroons, which are baked without butter and are therefore a little less high in calories. You can also save calories by reducing the sugar content a little – the cookies usually still taste sweet enough. Even better,  replace  the sugar with sweeteners like honey , maple syrup, or agave nectar.

Also, use whole grain flour instead of white flour. This contains more  dietary fiber , making you feel full for longer and also has a positive effect on digestion. In addition, wholemeal flour has a positive effect on blood sugar levels and is therefore particularly recommended for diabetics.

Healthy cookies with valuable ingredients

Cookies don’t just contain ‘unhealthy’ ingredients like butter and sugar, but also all sorts of healthy things. Therefore, when choosing recipes, pay more attention to  baking cookies with nuts , oatmeal or dried fruit. Then the cookies not only taste delicious, they also do something good for your body:

• Nuts:  Although nuts have a lot of calories, they are rich in unsaturated fatty acids. These can  lower cholesterol levels  and thereby prevent cardiovascular disease. Whether it’s  hazelnuts , walnuts or peanuts: Decorate your cookies   with a few tasty nut slivers instead of chocolate . Almonds are also great for garnishing. 
• Oatmeal:  Oatmeal provides a lot of energy, is rich in fiber and keeps you full for a long time. They also have a positive effect on blood sugar levels, as they only allow them to rise moderately. That’s why oatmeal is also good for diabetics. 
• Dried fruits:  Dried fruits such as apricots or  plums  are rich in valuable ingredients and therefore very healthy. For example, dried apricots contain five times more  potassium  than fresh fruit. However, they also contain more sugar and therefore have more calories than fresh apricots. 

When baking cookies, also use Christmas spices such as cinnamon, vanilla or anise. Not only do they give the cookies their typical Christmassy taste, they also have a positive effect on the body. For example, cinnamon stimulates digestion, while vanilla has a mood-enhancing effect. 

Tips and tricks for healthy cookies

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

• In general, do not grease the baking tray when baking, but rather use baking paper. This is an easy way to save a few calories. 
• Avoid using ingredients such as alcohol or  marzipan when baking cookies . Both are extremely high in calories and quickly weigh on the hips.
• Protein-based cookies – called meringues – are not necessarily healthier than other cookies. Since they contain no butter, they are at least a little lower in calories. 
• Refrain from decorating the cookies with couverture after baking. If you really want a chocolate frosting, don’t dip the whole cookie in chocolate, just add a few artistic chocolate sprinkles.
• Bake small cookies: They are not necessarily healthier, but you generally eat less than large cookies. 

Vanilla crescents: Bake healthy 

Ingredients vanilla crescent:

• 100 grams of buckwheat flour 
• 100 grams of wholemeal flour
• 100 grams of ground hazelnuts
• 125 Gramm Butter
• 100 grams of honey
• 3 teaspoons of cinnamon
• Some powdered sugar

Preparation of the vanilla crescent:

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

Healthy cookies with oatmeal

Ingredients hazelnut dough:

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

Preparation of hazelnut patties:

Mix together the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla sugar and salt. Then finely grate the zest of the lemon and add it to the batter along with the chopped nuts, flour and rolled oats. 

Shape the dough into hazelnut-sized balls and place them on a baking sheet. Leave enough space between the individual cookies, as they will spread 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 of chocolate macaroons:

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