Healthy Holiday Cookies (that your kids will love!)

Laurel Hudson, culinary instructor at Wellspring Academies, has created several tasty cookie recipes your family will love, and has graciously allowed us to reprint them here as part of the Cool Moms Rule! Holiday Handbook.

Gingerbread Cookies
Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup Fiber One original bran cereal
1 package whole wheat gingerbread cake or cookie mix
1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp ginger
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ cup granulated Splenda
Pinch of salt
½ cup canned pure pumpkin
¼ cup warm water
3 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla
6 packets of Truvia no calorie sweetener
Pam spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with Pam.
3. In a food processor, grind the cereal until it looks like flour, then pour into a bowl.
4. Add the gingerbread mix, all the spices, the baking powder, Splenda, and salt and mix well.
5. In small bowl, combine the pumpkin with the warm water, molasses, and vanilla and mix well.
6. Add the pumpkin mixture to the other bowl and stir until blended.
7. Knead the dough to combine.
8. Roll dough into 1/2” balls, making 36 cookies dough balls total, and place on cookie sheet.
9. Flatten balls or scoops with back of a spoon dipped in Truvia, so dough doesn’t stick to spoon.
10. Bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes, or until the edges are firm.
11. Let cool for 5 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
12. Remove from the pan and enjoy!

Approximate Nutritional Information:
54 calories/0.1g per cookie


Glazed Cranberry Orange Cookies
Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup Splenda, granulated
1 tbsp egg whites
2 tsp orange zest
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp ginger
1 cup chopped cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white whole wheat flour
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
Glaze:
½ cup Splenda, granulated
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water
Pinch of salt
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp orange extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with Pam.
3. Combine the applesauce, Splenda, egg whites, orange zest, salt, ginger, chopped cranberries, and vanilla in a bowl and stir.
4. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and stir until just combined, no longer.
5. Drop by the small spoonful onto the baking pan.
6. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are firm.
7. Combine the glaze ingredients and stir until smooth.
8. Taste the glaze and adjust flavorings if needed.
9. Let cool for 5 minutes, and then remove from the pan.
10. Drizzle glaze over cookies.
Approximate Nutritional Information:
27 calories/0.1g per cookie

Peppermint Meringue Crisps
Yield: 18 cookies

Ingredients:
· Juice of 1 lemon
· 2 egg whites
· Pinch salt
· ¼ tsp cream of tartar
· ½ cup Splenda, granular
· 1 sugar free candy cane
· ½ tsp vanilla extract
· 2 tbsp sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 300 F.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with Pam.
3. Combine the egg whites, lemon juice, cream of tartar, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
4. With electric mixer, whip egg whites into meringue, until whites are thick & stand up in peaks.
5. Add the Splenda and vanilla and whip for 30 seconds.
6. Drop by the spoonful onto pan, making 12 cookies.
7. Crush the candy cane into small bits.
8. Sprinkle the candy cane on top of the cookies.
9. Bake 1 ½ hours, then turn oven off and let cookies sit in partially-open oven until oven is cool.
10. Remove the cookies from the tray and enjoy!

Approximate Nutritional Information:
12 calories/ 0g fat per cookie