Happy Holidays – it is time for cookies! Really, we weren’t kidding!

The holiday season is not complete without something sweet and cookies are too good to pass up. But, if you need a nutritionist’s blessing over your Holiday table to feel less guilty about indulging – well, here it is! There are many ways that you can make healthier cookies with ingredients such as vegan butter, finely ground nuts, gluten-free flour, and agave nectar. And even if you make your Christmas cookies with white sugar and shortening, the spices in your recipes still have healthy qualities. 

Why Christmas Cookies Are *kinda* Healthy For You

Gingerbread Cookies: Combining ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg make gingerbread cookies rich, spicy, delicious, and healthy! A true superfood, ginger improves blood flow, prevents colon cancer, reduces inflammation, strengthens the immune system, and can help fight respiratory problems.  Cinnamon helps reduce bad cholesterol and cloves are packed with antioxidants and manganese, which help you control your weight and improve your mood. Nutmeg contains trace minerals that strengthen the immune system and antibacterial properties that help protect your teeth and gums – you can even find nutmeg oil in some brands of toothpaste.

Find a healthy Gingerbread Cookie recipe using spelt flour here.

Snickerdoodles: The main ingredient flavoring delicious, soft, and chewy Snickerdoodles is cinnamon. Cinnamon reduces LDL cholesterol levels, which can help reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Cinnamon also helps fight ulcer-causing bacteria and pathogens, is an anti-inflammatory, and helps balance hormones for women.

Find a vegan Snickerdoodle recipe here.

Lebkuchen: This German Christmas cookie is made with a number of spices, candied citrus peels, hazelnuts, and almonds. The combination of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves is powerful enough to make these cookies healthier than the average circular morsel. And, when you add ingredients like flavonoid-rich orange and lemon peels, constipation-reducing dates, and good fat-packed nuts – this cookie starts looking more like a breakfast bar!

Martha Stewart’s Lebkuchen recipe here.

From all of us at Intelligent Gourmet, we wish you a Happy Holidays! We hope that you enjoy everything on your table this year – we’d love to help you with a few dishes too! Shop our Holiday Menu HERE – Christmas orders need to be placed by Wednesday, December 16th. Don’t delay!

Find these recipes and more on the Intelligent Gourmet Holidays Pinterest Board!