UPDATE: The giveaway is closed, and the winner has been contacted. Thanks for playing, everyone!
At the request of a reader, I wanted to share with you my sugar-free, gluten-free Healthier Sugar Cookies. That sounds like an oxymoron, right? Stay with me here. These cookies smell and taste just as good as the cut out cookies I’ve made every year since I was little using grandma’s recipe. The aroma of sweet cookie dough (i.e. buttery vanilla-y goodness!) filled the kitchen as I gingerly rolled out the dough.
I used my grandmother’s antique cookie cutters to cut the familiar shapes that remind me of so many past Christmases. The dough I worked with was sugar-free, but the steps for making the cookies, and the accompanying feelings of nostalgia were the same.
I posted variations with and without sugar to accommodate both low carbohydrate and paleo/primal eaters.
If you make these cookies sugar-free using erythritol, xylitol, and stevia, they will always be soft at room temperature. Cakes and pies are so much easier to de-carb than cookies because they don’t rely on sugar for their structure or texture as much. There is, however, a solution to this textural issue. To achieve that delightfully crispy sugar cookie texture, store your sugar-free “sugar” cookies in the freezer. Seriously! Straight from the freezer, the texture of these cookies is perfect. They’re not icy – just delectably crispy. In the sugar-free recipe, I used a blend of xylitol and erythritol, since the texture of cookies is much better with a mixture of the two sweeteners than with erythritol alone.
To make these cookies paleo, use honey and palm sugar as the sweeteners, and arrowroot or tapioca starch in place of the grain flour called for in the recipe. Made with honey or palm sugar, the cookies will be crispy initially, and soften over time, at room temperature. They, too, will taste crispy straight from the freezer.
PSA: Be sure to keep these treats away from your pets! Google xylitol and dogs for more information.
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter OR coconut oil
1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 cup millet flour* OR tapioca starch**
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Sweetener options:
-2 Tablespoons xylitol + 2 Tablespoons erythritol + 1/8 + 1/16 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder
OR
-1/3 cup unrefined sugar or honey + 1/8 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder
1/2 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
*You can substitute quinoa flour, rice flour, or sorghum flour for millet flour.
**You can substitute arrowroot starch for tapioca starch
~53.5g net carbs, 1499 calories per entire batch of cookies using xylitol, erythritol,
and stevia
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In the spirit of the season, I’m bringing you another GIVEAWAY, sponsored by Iherb.com. Iherb.com is my source for 5 lb bags of erythritol, xylitol, coconut flour, coconut oil, cocoa powder, and NuNaturals pure stevia extract powder. I order from them every couple of months, and my shipment of baking supplies always arrives in great condition within a couple of days of placing the order. They usually slip a few free samples in their packages, too. 
I’m so glad to have found out about them back in 2008 when I started the blog and all of this experimentation with funky ingredients! In the interest of full disclosure, I do acquire rewards dollars when anyone uses the iherb.com coupon code posted in the banner at the left sidebar. This revenue really helps offset ingredient costs for me, along with your donations, so thanks to everyone who has used the code!
The winner of this giveaway will win a $50 shopping spree at iherb.com, shipping and handling included! This contest is open to U.S. and international residents. A winner will be picked on December 31st. If the winner lives outside the U.S. (includes Canada), he or she would be responsible for any customs fees, duties, and taxes. Leave a comment with your email address for a chance to enter. If you create a Facebook post or Tweet about the giveaway with a link to this blog post, you’ll receive an extra entry in the contest.
UPDATE: The giveaway is closed, and the winner has been contacted. Thanks for playing, everyone!