Healthy Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

Yields: 50 small sugar cookies

These healthy sugar cookies taste so decadent and indulgent, just like the ones from my childhood! The vanilla beans add a deep richness and almost buttery taste, which really elevates the flavor of these soft and chewy cookies. They taste so fancy and elegant compared to regular sugar cookies! Leftovers will keep for at least 3 days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature or at least 1 week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator—if they last that long!

1 cup + 6 tbsp (165g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ tbsp (21g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
1 large egg white
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp liquid stevia
¼ cup (60mL) honey

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter and egg white. Whisk in the vanilla bean paste and liquid stevia. Stir in the honey. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Transfer the dough to the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap, and shape into a 1”-tall rectangle. Cover the top with another large sheet of plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days*).
Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
Leaving the cookie dough between the sheets of plastic wrap, roll it out until between ⅛” and 1/16” thick. Carefully peel back one piece of the plastic wrap. Lightly flour your cookie cutter, and press it into the dough, making sure each shape lies as close to its neighbors as possible to minimize unused dough. Peel the unused dough away from the shapes, and place them onto the prepared baking sheets. Reroll the unused dough between two sheets of plastic wrap, and repeat.
Bake the cut out cookie dough at 325°F for 6-8 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes: Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Regular whole wheat flour may be substituted in a pinch, but the cookies may have detectable “wheat-y” taste.

Use a store-bought gluten-free flour blend (like this one!) for the gluten-free option, but make sure you measure it carefully, like this or with my favorite kitchen scale!

It’s very important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your cookie dough and make your sugar cookies crumbly.

If using coconut oil, the cookies may have a faintly detectable coconut flour.

The egg white must be at room temperature. If it’s cold, it will immediately re-solidify the melted butter or coconut oil.

I buy my vanilla bean paste online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. It’s shelf-stable and keeps for ages! In a pinch, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract may be substituted for the vanilla bean paste, but the cookies won’t have as strong of a vanilla flavor.

Pure maple syrup or agave may be substituted for the honey.

This is the liquid stevia that I use. It’s one of my favorite ingredients (you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!), and I buy it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. You cannot substitute pure maple syrup, honey, agave, or any type of sugar (coconut, brown, granulated) for the liquid stevia because cookies require a precise balance of wet and dry ingredients. (See my blog post above for more information.)

This is my favorite plastic wrap. It clings SO much better than other brands I’ve tried! And this is my favorite rolling pin. Its surface is much more even than traditional wooden rolling pins, and it’s perfect for rolling out cinnamon roll dough too!

If chilling the cookie dough longer than 3 hours, it may be necessary to “thaw” the cookie dough on the counter for 15-20 minutes before trying to roll it out. It gets stiffer the longer it chills, so letting it rest on the counter for a short period of time makes it easier for you to roll it out!

I used the smallest star-shaped cookie cutter in this set (about 2 ½” tall).

For more information regarding the ingredients and instructions, please see the text of my blog post above.

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar}

Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2019/03/13/healthy-vanilla-bean-sugar-cookies/