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Eat Sugar Cookies Guilt-Free: 4 Healthy Twists You Must Try

Eat Sugar Cookies Guilt-Free: 4 Healthy Twists You Must Try

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Sugar cookies are one of the best treats. You can bake them in minutes, and enjoy them any time of the year.

If you’re anything like me, you eat your delicious cookies paired with immense guilt. We all know sweet snacks are bad for us. Yet, are sugar cookies healthy?

In this article, I’ve listed all the ways sugar cookies can impact your health. I’ve also shared some of my favorite tricks, so you can enjoy the tasty cookies without worrying. Let’s dive in!

Why Sugar Cookies Are Bad For You

It saddens me to tell you that sugar cookies are an unhealthy snack. These tasty cookies are full of sugar, butter, and carbohydrates. These ingredients can lead to the following problems:

Weight Gain

The most common concern when it comes to eating sugar cookies is gaining weight. One cookie contains about 150 calories.

This might not seem like a lot, but who can really stop at just one cookie? If you frequently snack on sugar cookies, the number on the scale might go up.

Though eating some cookies every once in a while isn’t a big deal, you should completely stay away from these snacks if you’re trying to lose weight, are pre-diabetic, or suffer from other health issues.

That’s because weight gain exacerbates pre-existing health conditions. Furthermore, weight gain puts you at risk of developing other serious diseases.

Chronic Health Issues

In addition to refined sugar, cookies contain other ingredients that can seriously impact your health if you consume them regularly.

For starters, heavy sugar consumption doesn’t just lead to obesity and diabetes. Even sugar in regular, small amounts is a major cause of inflammation.

Over time, this inflammation will contribute to autoimmune conditions, chronic pain, the development of tumors, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Elevated blood sugars also raise blood pressure. In turn, this will cause heart and kidney damage.

Increased Cravings

You might believe that you’re satisfying your sweet tooth by having the occasional sugar cookie. Yet, this causes you to crave more sugar!

Sugar is incredibly addicting. Eating even one sugar cookie will spike your blood sugar levels, which will crash shortly.

Then, your body will send signals to your brain that it needs more sugar, leading to intense cravings.

That’s not all. If you’re not already full, eating the delicious sugar cookies is a recipe for disaster.

Your body takes about 20 minutes to realize your stomach is full. Accordingly, you’ll overeat the mouthwatering treats beyond the point of fullness.

How to Make Sugar Cookies Healthier

Cookies are a delight. So, it simply doesn’t make sense to keep yourself from the appetizing treats forever.

Instead, you can enjoy your sugar cookies without any guilt by doing the following:

1- Sugar Substitutes

The first thing you’ll want to do to make sugar cookies healthier is significantly reduce the sugar. To do so, you’ll need to omit the sugar icing and the sugar within the recipe itself.

This means the cookies won’t have the signature sweet taste. Fortunately, there are numerous alternatives to refined sugar that’ll give you a similar sweet taste.

  • Agave syrup: Agave syrup contains complex sugars, which won’t raise your blood sugar levels as quickly. The natural sweetener is also sweeter than sugar, so you’ll use less of it.
  • Molasses: while molasses still has harmful side effects if consumed in high quantities, it’s the healthier and natural version of sugar, and is rich in antioxidants, iron, and vitamins.
  • Honey: Honey is the first sugar alternative that comes to mind. It has a lower glycemic index and contains more vitamins and minerals.
  • Stevia: Stevia is the best sweetener for diabetics and people looking to completely cut out sugar. It has zero calories and doesn’t affect blood glucose levels.

2- Opt for Vegetable Oil

You don’t need to use butter to make appetizing cookies. Your recipe will turn out fine if you substitute it with vegetable oil.

Vegetable oil is the heart-healthy option as it contains unsaturated fats, compared to the high saturated fat content in butter.

You need to be careful when using oil in place of butter, though. This alteration can impact the texture of your sugar cookies.

A great rule of thumb is to replace ¾ of the butter with vegetable oil.

3- Enjoy in Moderation

Eating a couple of cougar cookies once a week is totally healthy! After all, you don’t want to deny yourself the dessert just to overeat later.

Make sure you’re full and hydrated before enjoying your cookies. This way, you’ll be able to stop yourself from consuming an entire bag!

If you don’t want to be tempted by these sweet cookies, avoid buying store-bought cookies. Instead, make them from scratch at home once a week.

Not only will you be making a healthier alternative, but you’ll also be less inclined to reach for the cookies.

Healthy Sugar Cookies Recipe

Here’s the best way to make healthy sugar cookies:

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)

Instructions

  1. Start by preheating the oven to 350 ℉.
  2. In a large bowl, sift the flour to incorporate more air into the cookies.
  3. Next, combine the dry ingredients well, except for the sugar.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, honey, and vanilla until you get a cohesive mixture.
  5. Combine the dry and wet ingredients. You should have a smooth ball.
  6. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour. If it’s too crumbly, add a tablespoon of oil.
  7. Then, divide the dough into two parts. Depending on the amount of cookies you want to make, you can use both parts or freeze one for later.
  8. On a floured surface, roll out the dough and cut out the cookies.
  9. Lastly, dust the cookies with the granulated sugar, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  10. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are brown.

Final Thoughts

Are sugar cookies healthy?

Sugar cookies aren’t good for your health. These treats are full of sugar and fats, which lead to obesity, chronic inflammation, and sugar addiction.

Luckily, you don’t need to deprive yourself of delicious cookies. Instead, you can make a couple of alterations to the recipe, making it significantly healthier.

This includes using less sugar, opting for healthier sugar and fat alternatives, and simply enjoying the sugar cookies in moderation.

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