These are the ultimate Healthy Sugar Cookies—a delicious twist on the beloved classic! Melding the nutty wholesome goodness of almond flour with the deep sweetness of maple syrup, complemented by a touch of vanilla--these cookies pack a flavorful punch while prioritizing nutritious ingredients.
Optional, for flavor variations: add a drop or 2 of almond extract, add zest of lemon or orange, add ½ teaspoon coconut extract, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
MAKE OAT FLOUR: Measure 1⅓ cups of oats and add to a small blender jar or food processor. Blend/pulse until oats resemble flour. Stir the oats around to be sure all the oats are finely ground and there aren’t any full oats left. Add to a large bowl.
COMBINE: Top oat flour with the next six ingredients (almond flour through maple syrup). Use an electric hand mixer to beat until thoroughly combined, about one minute. Cover bowl and place in the fridge to chill until firm enough to roll, about 30-40 minutes.
PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking liner.
BAKE: Remove chilled dough from the fridge and use a tablespoon measuring spoon to portion out dough (22 grams per cookie). Roll cookie dough balls in sparkling cane sugar (optional) and place on prepared cookie sheet, 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes and then remove; let cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.
OPTIONAL: If desired, frost completely cooled cookies; then crush freeze-dried strawberries right on top. Enjoy!
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Notes
Note 1: Almond flour: For the best results, opt for superfine, blanched almond flour. This ensures a smooth and refined texture in your cookies. Though it might be tempting to swap in other flours, they vary in how much moisture they absorb. So, to nail this recipe, it's best to stick with almond flour!Note 2: Pure maple syrup: Don't mistake pure maple syrup for its counterparts: corn syrup or pancake syrup. Pure maple syrup contains just one ingredient--maple sap! I personally recommend Grade A pure maple syrup. When shopping, you'll typically find it with pancake syrups in your local grocery store.Nutrition information is for the cookies without any optional ingredients (rolling sugar and frosting).