Healthy Holiday Baking

We have taken some of your favorite holiday recipes and made them healthier.

Using ingredients like alternative sweeteners, no sugar added chocolate, sprouted spelt and whole wheat flour we have created cookies that are "ALMOST" good for you!!  They certainly got the thumbs up from our taste testers!!

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies                

Makes approx. 36 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic evaporated cane juice sugar
• 1 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1 cup organic butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Real salt
• 3 cups Prairie Gold flour
• 2 cups Lily’s salted caramel chocolate chips*

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium-sized bowl mix together the sugars and melted organic butter. Add eggs, pure vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder, and Real salt. Mix until fluffy. Add the Prairie Gold flour and mix until well combined. Add Lily’s salted Caramel chocolate chips.
3. Roll into 1 ½ inch balls and place onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies barely start to brown. Do not over bake.
4. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely. 
5. Enjoy!!

*More flavors of Lily’s chocolate chips are available. You can customize your cookies to please your taste buds.

Snowball Cookies     

           Makes approx. 42 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic butter, melted
• ½ cup Wholesome organic powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon Real salt
• 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 ¼ cup sprouted spelt flour
• ⅓ cup Wholesome organic powdered sugar for dusting, or as needed

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a small to medium-sized bowl cream together the melted organic butter, the Wholesome organic powdered sugar, and organic vanilla extract. Add the sprouted spelt flour, chopped pecans, and salt. 
3. Roll the dough into approximately 1 ½-inch balls and place onto ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 15 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown. As soon as they’re out of the oven roll them in Wholesome organic powdered sugar. Place a wire cooling rack. Once they’re cooled roll them into the Wholesome organic powdered sugar again.
5. Enjoy!! 

Meringue Cookies

     Makes approx. 18 cookies

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites, room temperature
• Pinch of Real salt
• 11 oz caster sugar *see note at the bottom of the recipe
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 275°F.
2. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper (**see note at the bottom of recipe) or grease the baking sheets with butter. 
3. Put egg whites and salt in a clean medium-sized bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
4. Gradually add the caster sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time, whisking between each addition until all the sugar has been added and your mixture has a satiny texture. Using a large metal spoon, fold in pure vanilla extract.
5. Use a piping bag fitted to a ⅝ inch tip or a spoon can be used and pipe or scoop the meringue cookies, approximately 2 ¾ inches in diameter, onto the prepared cookie sheets.
6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and put a wooden spoon handle in the oven door leaving it ajar slightly and let the cookies completely cool in the oven. Once they’re cooled remove and store in an air-tight container.

Note: Watkin’s pure peppermint extract can be added instead of vanilla extract for a peppermint flavor. You can also add crushed Yum Earth candy canes to the mixture for some added color and extra flavor.

*You can make your own caster sugar as it is very easy. I used organic evaporated cane sugar and pulsed it in the blender 15 times. It is not as fine as powdered sugar but finer than the regular evaporated cane sugar.

**Parchment paper will make it easier to remove the delicate cookies without breaking them.

Peppermint Patties

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup Organic agave nectar
• ¼ cup Organic butter, melted
• 3 cups Wholesome powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoon Watkins peppermint extract (more or less can be added for your taste preference)
• 2 Lily’s semi-sweet or dark chocolate baking bar
• 1 Tablespoon Organic butter or Organic coconut oil 

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Place Lily’s chocolate in an oven-safe bowl and place in the oven until the chocolate softens and is melted.*
2. In a medium-sized bowl combine the Organic butter, Organic agave nectar, Watkin’s peppermint extract, and Organic Wholesome powdered sugar. Mix until all the ingredients are well blended and holding together. 
3. Shape into 1-2 inch round and flat patties and place on a cookie sheet lined with unbleached wax paper. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or more or they can also be placed in the freezer for 20 minutes.
4. Once they’re chilled, remove and dip in the melted chocolate. They can be drizzled with melted Lily’s white chocolate or crushed Yum Earth Candy Canes.  
5. Let the chocolate dry and enjoy!

*The chocolate can also be melted in a double boiler over medium-low heat or put water in a small amount of water in a crockpot. Heat the crockpot on a medium-low setting. Set your oven-safe container in until chocolate is melted.

White Chocolate Orange Zest Cookies           

Makes approx. 36 cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup xylitol*
• ½ cup coconut palm sugar
• 1 cup organic butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon orange zest
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon Real salt
• 2 ¼ cup Prairie Gold flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 cups Lily’s white chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Cream together the melted organic butter, xylitol, and coconut palm sugar until well blended and fluffy. Add the egg, orange zest, baking soda, Real salt, and Prairie Gold flour. Mix until well blended. Add the chopped pecans and Lily’s white chocolate chips. Mix well.
3. Drop the dough by teaspoonful on a greased baking sheet. 
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes on a greased baking sheet. Allow them to cool for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
5. Enjoy!! 

*Please do not feed xylitol to dogs.

Happy Baking!!!!