Healthy Sugar Cookies

Name: Healthy Sugar Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 78 min
Ingredients: 1 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour (plus more for rolling); ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon sea salt; ½ cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature); ½ cup maple syrup (at room temperature); 1 large egg (at room temperature); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ½ cup powdered sugar; ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond extract); 2-3 teaspoons almond milk (plus more to thin)

By Brittany Mullins

4.69

Published Dec 10, 2021, Updated Feb 08, 2023

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These healthy sugar cookies are made with whole wheat flour and are naturally sweetened with maple syrup. They have a delicious, buttery flavor and the perfect texture for making cut-out cookies!

Sugar cookies are so nostalgic to me! Growing up, I had so much fun making and decorating them each Christmas and now I’m keeping the tradition alive in my home. I can’t wait to involve Liv this year – I know she’s going to love helping me decorate!

An overhead photo looking at a plate of healthy sugar cookies. Some of the cookies have been decorated with white icing and red, green or white sprinkles and some of the cookies are plain.

Why You Need to Make These Healthy Sugar Cookies

They’re made with whole wheat flour so packed with fiber and nutrients… an upgraded cookie!
This is a classic recipe that will stand the test of time.
These cookies will bring you right back to your childhood!

Ingredients measured out to make healthy sugar cookies: baking powder, maple syrup, sea salt, vanilla, almond milk, egg, whole wheat pastry flour, powdered sugar and butter.

Ingredients Needed

whole wheat pastry flour – whole wheat pastry flour works better than regular whole wheat flour if you’re looking for the light and fluffy bread that regular all-purpose flour provides, but still want the nutrients of whole wheat flour. My go-to brand is Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour. If you can’t find whole wheat pastry flour you can also use white whole wheat flour, a blend of all-purpose and regular whole wheat flour or just regular all-purpose flour.
baking powder – helps the cookies rise.
sea salt – brings the flavors together and also helps the cookies rise a bit!
unsalted butter – butter helps create light and fluffy cookies. Make sure you let the butter soften to room temperature before using in this recipe.
maple syrup – again, make sure this is at room temperature before using in this recipe.
egg – helps structure the cookies by holding the fat and liquid components together.
vanilla extract – a flavor enhancer.
icing – a simple mixture of powdered sugar, vanilla extract (or almond extract) and almond milk.

Collage of four photos showing the process to make healthy sugar cookies: wrapping cookie dough in plastic wrap to chill, rolling out the dough, cutting star shapes with cookie cutters and cooling the cookies on a rack.

How to Make Healthy Sugar Cookies

Start by mixing the whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer and a large bowl, beat butter (that’s softened to room temperature) and maple syrup on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing on medium speed until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Make sure you don’t over-mix or the cookies will be too dense. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If the dough seems too sticky, add a little more flour, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or just place the entire bowl in the fridge and let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or overnight. This step is super important so the dough is firm enough before making cookies. If you skip this step, the cookies could turn out too flat.

When the dough is chilled and you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to let it soften just slightly. You can roll your dough out on a clean, flat surface or place parchment paper down on your counter for easy clean up. Sprinkle a little flour on the surface and the rolling pin to prevent sticking. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin until it’s about 1/4-1/3 inch thick. The thicker your cookies are, the softer they will be.

Use your favorite cookie cutter shapes to cut the dough out and place them 1 inch apart on your prepared cookie sheet. After cutting out the first round of shapes, gather the dough scraps, and re-roll the dough scraps and cut again. Repeat until all of the dough is used. Add additional flour to the surface and rolling pin as needed to prevent sticking.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges and bottoms are lightly golden. Let the cookies cool a few minutes on the sheet pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once they are cool, you can frost and decorate the cookies!

pro tip!
If you like soft cookies, roll the dough a little thicker (about 1/3 inch thick) and bake them closer to 8 minutes. If you like harder, crunchier cookies roll the dough 1/4 inch thick and bake them closer to 10 minutes. The thicker the dough is and less time the cookies bake, the softer they will be.

Various sized star shaped healthy sugar cookies scattered around a countertop. Some of the cookies have been decorated and some are plain.

Variations & Notes

Vegan – I haven’t tested these with vegan substitutes but you could try swapping the butter for vegan butter and the egg for a flaxseed egg.

Grain-free or gluten-free – looking for a grain-free or gluten-free sugar cookie recipe? Try my coconut flour sugar cookies instead! It’s so delicious but made with coconut flour instead of whole wheat flour.

Sugar – I have tested these cookies with cane sugar and they turned out delicious! I personally liked them better with maple syrup, but if you want to use cane sugar use ½ cup cane sugar and add 2 Tablespoons of milk (I used unsweetened almond milk).

Almond extract – For a flavor twist, you can swap the vanilla extract for almond extract or use 1/2 vanilla and 1/2 almond.

A hand holding up a star shaped healthy sugar cookie that has been decorated with white icing and white sprinkles.

How to Store Leftovers

There are two options when it comes to storing sugar cookies! You can frost and decorate them and then store or you can store unfrosted and frost/decorate when you’re ready to serve. If you choose the first option, I recommend layering the cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper. If you choose the second, still store in an airtight container.

For longer storage, you can refrigerate or freeze these cookies. If you are freezing them, I recommend freezing unfrosted, letting them thaw when you’re ready to enjoy and frosting right before serving.

A wire rack with various sized star shaped cookies that are being decorated. There are small dishes around the wire rack with assorted sprinkles. A hand is apply icing to one of the cookies.

Be sure to check out my full collection of healthy Christmas cookies as well as all the cookie recipes here on EBF.