• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Ricki Heller

Ricki Heller

A healthy lifestyle can be sweet!

  • Home
  • Cookbooks
    • Living Candida-Free
    • Naturally Sweet and Gluten-Free
    • Holiday Desserts (Sugar-free, Gluten-free, Egg-free, Dairy-free)
    • Sweet Favorites, Candida-Free!
    • Top 12: Favorite Candida Diet Stage 1 Recipes
    • Breakfast Freedom Ebook
    • Good Morning! Breakfasts Digital Cookbook (second edition!)
    • Living Candida-Free Sampler Digital Cookbook
    • Sweet Freedom Ebook
    • A Sweet Life Thanksgiving Digital Cookbook
    • All Cookbooks
  • Work with me
    • HOLIDAY FEASTING CLASS
    • Sugar Freedom Workshop
    • Coaching on Call!
  • Candida FAQ
  • Index
    • Recipes, Health Articles & Videos
    • Shopping List
    • Ingredients and Substitutions
  • About
  • Press
  • Contact

Sugar-Free Sugar Cookies

by Ricki Heller 8 Comments

candida diet, sugar free, glutenfree sugar cookies recipe

[photo: Celine Saki]

I’d been wanting to develop a Christmas sugar cookie for years.  My first attempt was a wonderful variation with spelt flour and agave nectar, but when I reaffirmed my commitment to the anti-candida diet and cut gluten out, I had to find an alternative.

I worked on dozens of iterations of this cookie for my first book, Naturally Sweet and Gluten-Free, and am happy to report that this cookie is perfect in both texture and appearance! It also can be rolled and re-rolled almost indefinitely.

This is a great way to introduce healthful, sugar-free treats to your family in a way that won’t raise any “oh-if-it’s-healthy-I-don’t-want-it” alarm bells!

Here’s to your very happy holidays!

Sugar-Free Sugar Cookies 

reprinted from Naturally Sweet and Gluten-Free, ©Ricki Heller, Sellers Publishers

These simple, not-too-sweet cookies are the perfect base for cutouts or decorations. The dough remains soft and workable even when rolled and recut several times, but these will work well as drop cookies, too. They are great to make with kids — and don’t worry if they snack on the raw dough, as it doesn’t contain eggs!

6 Tbsp (90 ml) light agave nectar or low glycemic fiber-based sweetener
1 Tbsp (15 ml) finely ground chia seeds (from about 1-1/2 tsp or 7.5 ml whole seeds)
2 Tbsp (30 ml) plain or vanilla soy or almond milk
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) pure lemon extract
2 cups (265 g) Ricki’s All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1 tsp (5 ml) xanthan gum
1-1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) baking powder
1/4 tsp (1 ml) fine sea salt
1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut oil, at room temperature, preferably organic

Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray. In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the agave nectar, chia, milk, vanilla, and lemon extract. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients, or at least 2 minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor, briefly process the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Drop the coconut oil in chunks over the flour mixture, then process again until incorporated. The mixture should appear crumbly, but hold together when squeezed in your hand. Pour the wet mixture in a ring over the dry and process until it comes together in a soft, sticky dough.

To make drop cookies, use the dough immediately. Drop from a small ice-cream scoop or tablespoon (15 ml) onto the prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Flatten slightly with your palm (or use a silicone spatula).

For rolled cookies, gather the dough together and form it into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about one hour. Once firm, remove the dough and roll out on a piece of waxed paper to about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. If it’s very firm, it may begin to crack as you roll it, but if you persist, the dough will begin to warm and will roll beautifully. Cut into desired shapes and place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the cookie sheets. Gather any remaining scraps of dough together and roll again; repeat until all the dough is used.

Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, rotating the sheets about halfway through baking, until the edges are golden. Cool completely before  removing from the cookie sheets and decorating as desired. May be frozen.

Suitable for: ACD Stage 3 and beyond; refined sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, nut free, vegan.


Disclosure: Links in this post may be affiliate links. If you choose to purchase using those links, at no cost to you, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.

Subscribe for recipes and more about living well without sugar, gluten, eggs or dairy! Click here to subscribe to RickiHeller.com via email. You’ll receive emails sharing recipes and videos as soon as they’re posted, plus weekly updates and news about upcoming events. A healthy lifestyle CAN be sweet!

Tweet
Pin It
Share

Filed Under: ACD Maintenance, ACD Stage One, ACD Stage Three, ACD Stage Two, anti candida diet, baking, cookies, dairyfree, dessert, food allergies, food restrictions, food sensitivities, gluten free, grains, Holiday Gifts, holidays, Kitchen Classics, Naturally Sweet & Gluten-Free, nut-free, party food, recipes, sugar-free, Uncategorized, vegan Tagged: anti candida diet, anti-candida, baking, cookbook, dairy free, dessert, egg free, food sensitivities, gluten free, healthy, holidays, pareve, parve, recipe, recipes, sugar free, vegetarian, wheat-free

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Frederique says

    December 20, 2018 at 10:09 am

    Hi Rikki!
    I have not visited in a while! life took me tons of places and gone through tons of changes!
    My naturopath put me on a grain-free low carb diet for constant fatigue and inflamation.
    I cannot have any grain, including rice. Does your gluten free mix have rice flour or corn flour in it?
    I would love to try the cookies!
    xox

    Reply
    • Ricki says

      December 22, 2018 at 5:51 pm

      Hi Frederique,
      So nice to see your name here! I hope the changes have been good ones. 🙂
      Yes, my GF mix does include grains. There are lots of grain-free recipes around, too, though, on many Paleo and Keto sites. I’d say it would be worth looking for some of those as well.
      Hope you have a wonderful holiday

      Reply
  2. Roberta Wiebe says

    December 27, 2018 at 10:48 pm

    HI Ricki, I was wondering if you ever post the nutrition facts for your recipes, I imagine these cookies would be high in carbs?

    Reply
    • Ricki Heller says

      December 28, 2018 at 9:20 pm

      I don’t post nutrition info at this time, sorry. But yes, they’d be fairly high in carbs, I imagine.

      Reply
  3. Clara Ann Sharpe says

    January 6, 2019 at 4:57 pm

    Hi ricki!! I just luv all of your recipes at first I was wanting more vanilla then chocolate in your Recipes but now I have found roasted carob to take the place of the chocolate because I can’t have chocolate with the caffeine in it and now I can enjoy all of your recipes that call for stevia , monk fruit etc because I can’t have sugar either !! Thank u much for your help!!

    Reply
    • Ricki Heller says

      January 6, 2019 at 6:40 pm

      Glad you’ve found that the carob works for you, Clara Ann! These cookies are really yummy as well. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Rachel says

    April 20, 2020 at 10:23 am

    These are the best Ive ever made! Didn’t have xanthum gum or agave, so used maple syrup and arrowroot. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Ricki Heller says

      April 20, 2020 at 3:19 pm

      Thanks so much, Rachel! And thrilled to know they worked with the alternative sweetener and arrowroot as well. 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I'm Ricki, cookbook author, professional recipe developer, holistic nutritionist and anti-candida crusader. Let me show you how easy it is to eat plant-based, sugar-free, gluten free food that tastes great!

[read more about Ricki...]

As seen on…

Categories

Become a Patron!

Ricki Heller

Footer

  • Home
  • About Ricki
  • Cookbooks
  • Candida FAQ
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure Policy

Copyright © 2022 · RICKIHELLER.COM

Subscribe to our emails and grab your FREE bonus guide, "3 Simple Shifts to Stick with it Right Now!"
The holidays are coming & The Sweet Life can help. Join the waitlist!