Looking for the perfect gift to give family and friends this holiday season? Why not try some holiday baking! It’s the perfect way to create homemade gifts with love. No more junk that people will just store in their cupboards or re-gift as soon as possible. Putting a little effort into making something is a great way to create personalized gifts for those you love.
The only downside to this plan is that often Christmas cookie recipes aren’t healthy recipes. But don’t let this defeat you! You can create healthy Christmas gifts, without giving everyone carrot sticks. Here are some great guilt-free options that you can make and give this year.
To make them feel super festive, either get some mason jars or some cellophane. I like cellophane so that you can mix up the colors, but mason jars are just so useful! If you’re interested in zero waste or reducing your carbon footprint, then giving gifts in jars that you know will be reused after the cookies are gone is a great idea! Add some festive ribbon and a few sprigs of greenery for a truly unique gift.
Healthy Holiday Cookie Recipes
3 Ingredient Banana Cookies
Not much of a chef? Don’t let it stop you! These are honestly the easiest things to make. With minimal added sugar, the banana acts as a sweetener as well as pulling all the ingredients together. These are my favorite healthy Christmas cookies.
293 calories
Ingredients:
- 0.3 Tbsp Cacao powder – 6 calories
- 1 Banana – 105 calories
- ½ cup Oatmeal, dry oats (uncooked) – 150 calories
- 2 tsp Sugar – 32 calories
Instructions:
- Mash banana with a fork.
- Combine all ingredients and mix evenly.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spoon mixture evenly onto the tray and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
Chocolate Bark
If you’re looking for a festive looking chocolate Christmas treat, you can’t go past this recipe for Chocolate Bark. Is the perfect option to really get creative and make something unique. You can use dark, milk or white chocolate. Then with the toppings, you can go for a festive look with cranberries and pistachios or add nuts for a little more crunch. If you’ve got friends and family that are dairy-free, check the chocolate you’re beginning with. Many high-quality dark chocolate options will be made without dairy and can be a great option if gifting to plant-based family members.
Anzac Cookies
Looking for a cookie that has some real crunch and texture? I love a good Anzac biscuit and this recipe is low in sugar as well as being dairy and gluten free. Never heard of Anzac biscuits? They’re a treat from down under and are packed with rolled oats making them a cookie that isn’t super sweet and filling. Great to help you not go back for too many seconds!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies
I don’t know about you, but I’m still on my pumpkin everything buzz at Christmas time. So why not continue that through your gift-giving with pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! This recipe is perfect for the holidays! It’s also a great way to use up any pumpkin pie filling you’ve got leftover and to make some delicious, cake-like cookies. Have a mix of sizes of your chocolate chunks to create more texture and interest in these delicious mouthfuls. The cookies are soft and chewy, which I love!
Gluten Free Shortbread
One of the most common ingredients that people seek to avoid is white whole wheat flour. But you can’t go past shortbread at Christmas time! Give these incredible shortbread cookies a whirl if you’re looking for a gluten-free option of a classic. The recipe is super simple with the only major change being switching traditional flour for almond flour.
Almond Butter Vegan Cookies
Got a vegan or plant-based friends that you want to give cookies to? Just because a classic cookie won’t cut it, don’t give up! This recipe is not only gluten-free but also vegan! And who doesn’t love almond butter? You can also try mixing up the butter, go for tahini, cashew butter or whatever you can find in your local supermarket for a unique take.
Chocolate Fudge Crinkle Biscuits
Don’t let the name fool you! These cookies from the BBC aren’t “biscuits” as you know them. Instead, they’re the perfect table-ready festive treat. Made with cocoa powder and coconut oil, they‘re not all health and wellness, so make sure you’re giving out small portions. But they just look and taste so good! They’re the perfect holiday treat!
Gluten Free Tahini Oat Flour Cookies
This recipe uses with oat flour or rolled oats to replace white flour. It’s not one of the substitutions that you can just make, so don’t think you can do this with all your other classic cookie recipes. With the addition of tahini for chewy, nutty goodness and by avoiding refined sugars, these cookies are a tasty, healthy treat.
Paleo Vegan Chocolate Snowball Cookies
Do you have someone in your life that follows a Paleo or keto diet? Try this recipe and you won’t have to make a separate batch just for them! You want to keep this simple this year, so make one kind of cookie that will please everyone is important. The coconut on these makes them look festive but they still are healthy. And who doesn’t love a chocolate cookie? You can make these and give to all your family and they won’t know that they’re eating a “healthy” cookie. They’ll be so surprised!
Tropical Oatmeal Cookies
I don’t know about you, but although I love Christmas and all things white and snowy, I do sometimes crave the tropics during the festive time of y
ear. That’s why I love these cookies! Packed full of delicious tropical fruit, eating them is like biting into a sunny holiday in the middle of a cold, crisp morning. The fruit also helps sweeten the cookies, so there is just a small amount of sweetener, honey in this case to avoid refined sugars (you can also make cookies sweetened with maple syrup instead of honey, but don’t go overboard). The oatmeal makes them filling too so they’re a great snack when you’re not sure what time the turkey is going to come out of the oven.
Raspberry, Almond & Oat Breakfast Cookies
I love a recipe that I can make with items I already have in my cupboard. And this recipe definitely ticks that box. These cookies are simple and easy to make (a must during such a busy time of year!). You don’t want to add more trips to the supermarket to your To Do List around the festive time of year. With a hint of cinnamon, you’ll feel like you’re biting into a festive treat, but be so glad that these are only sweetened with bananas. No nasty refined sugars here!
