Thick and chewy homemade sugar cookies made healthier! These soft cookies taste even better than store-bought sugar cookies and are so much healthier for you.
I know what you’re thinking. Sugar-less sugar cookies? Not possible. But before you close this window, just hear me out. These cookies look, taste, ARE exactly like sugar-filled sugar cookies. Difference? Instead of being sweetened with sugar, these cookies are sweetened completely with xylitol.
Don’t know what xylitol is? Check out this very informative article for more info!
I am sooo ecstatic about these cookies!! I mean, sugar-free sugar cookies?? Sign me up!
These cookies are unbelievably thick, soft, and chewy—just like store-bought (but so much tastier AND healthier!) I was so pleased with how well the cookies turned out, I even went a little further and drizzled them with a pink-tinted icing. The perfect finishing touch! It just made them so nice to look at. And it didn’t taste half-bad, either. 😉
The icing is totally optional, though. You can simply omit it and have perfectly simple sugar cookies. Or you could frost these cookies with any frosting you want! I’m thinking that a chocolate frosting, or even a cream cheese frosting would be simply divine atop these gorgeous cookies. Oh, the possibilities…
Start by making your sugar cookie dough. Be sure to plan ahead, because the cookie dough requires a 1 hour chilling time before baking, to ensure that your cookies will be thick and chewy.
Here’s a list of the ingredients: Pretty basic cookie stuff. (keep reading for the full instructions version) Butter, powdered xylitol, sour cream, 2 eggs, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Cream the butter and xylitol in a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, until smooth and creamy. Mix in sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture, beating on medium speed until a dough forms. (dough will be slightly sticky) Wrap your dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Once your cookie dough has been thoroughly chilled, remove from refrigerator and roll into 1-in balls. Place balls on parchment paper-lined baking sheets and bake cookies at 350F 11-12 minutes. (cookies will be slightly soft when they are done) Cool cookies on baking sheet 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. It’s important that you let these cookies cool completely before serving, because they will be very soft while they’re cooling and need time to firm up.
Once your cookies are cooled, feel free to drizzle with your choice of icing. Tint your icing with (artificial-free!) food coloring for a fun and colorful finishing touch.
Rachel, otherwise known as the Pink Princess, was all over these cookies. She absolutely loved their pink icing.
These cookies are so perfect for this time of year—just because they’re so cheery and spring-like. Bring ’em to baby showers, potlucks, or ANY little girls birthday party and watch them disappear. My batch didn’t even last to the end of the day, so doubling the recipe might be a good idea if you’re making them for a big crew.
Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
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Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon 2% or skim milk
- Sprinkles for topping
Instructions
Sugar Cookies
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until completely creamy, about 3 minutes of mixing. Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond extract until smooth.
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat flour mixture into butter mixture until a soft dough forms. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 2 hours or up to 6 days.
- Preheat oven to 350F and line two medium sheet pans with parchment paper. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on prepared sheet pans and flatten dough balls slightly.
- Bake cookies at 350F 10-12 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool 10 minutes on sheet pan, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Vanilla Buttercream
- Place butter in a large bowl (or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment) and use an electric mixer to beat on medium speed until 2-3 minutes until creamy.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to butter and beat an additional 3-4 minutes until frosting is completely smooth and creamy.
- Frost cooled cookies with vanilla buttercream and top with sprinkles. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to serve. Enjoy!
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