Get excited because I’ll be posting Christmas cookie recipes all week long!
Today is not a new recipe, but it’s a different way to make my favorite whole wheat sugar cookie recipe
I love these cookies for so many reasons…
First & foremost, they are delicious, and everyone loves them
Second, they are 100% whole wheat
Third, the cookies only have 5 TBSP sugar in them
And last but not least, they are adorable.
When I made them in February for Valentine’s Day, I cut them into heart shapes and decorated them with pink & red sprinkles.
I’ve made them many {many} more times since and usually just make them into little balls and decorate them with some sprinkles and bake.
But I do love how easy these are to roll out and cut into shapes. It drives me crazy when the dough sticks to the counter. These are great because they almost never get sticky, and when they do, you just stick the dough back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
For Christmas, I tried them a new way – candy cane shapes! They are so fun to make!
Make the dough like normal, then split half the dough and color it red or do it in three different colors like I did. Then twirl them into long strips of dough and twirl them together. Then cut into 4 inch pieces and shape into candy canes.
Now, these aren’t perfectly red & white but they still do the trick. You can even do red & green candy canes or green & white ones.
Whole Wheat Candy Cane Cookies
Keywords: bake dessert egg-free healthier nut-free soy-free vegetarian whole grain Christmas cookie
Ingredients (16 cookies)
- 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour, like King Arthur Flour or Gold Medal White Whole Wheat
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 TBSP light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 TBSP milk (dairy or nondairy)
- 3 TBSP butter, melted
Instructions
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugars. Make sure to mix well.
In another bowl, combine vanilla extract, milk, and butter. Add in dry ingredients and mix. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Separate the dough into three sections. Color one green, one red, and leave one white.
Shape dough into teaspoon sized balls and roll into a 4 inch long strip of dough. Repeat with all the dough. {It’s best to do each color separately and wash your hands in between each}. Then twirl two strips together and shape into a candy cane shape on a cookie sheet. Refrigerate another 15 minutes {don’t skip this or your cookies might spread too much and look like crazy fat candy canes}.
Bake in preheated oven for 8-9 minutes. They will be slightly browned, but make sure not to overcook. Allow to cool on baking sheet 3 minutes. Then carefully transfer to a cooling rack. These cookies are actually better {sweeter} when they are cool, so I like to wait before eating them.
Notes:
You can also use whole wheat pastry flour in place of the white whole wheat, but white whole wheat flour is usually easier to find & less expensive.
Nutrition Facts (per 1 cookie serving based on 16 cookies):
55 calories, 2.3g fat (1.3g saturated), 7.5g carbohydrates, 0.5g fiber, 0.8g protein
I haven’t made all the cookies for this week yet, so let me know if you have any ideas for Christmas cookies you’d like to be made a wee bit healthier 