Gingerbread Cookies (with no refined sugar)

First posted two years ago, this beloved recipe from long ago is an all-time favorite among kids of all ages--particularly, but not exclusively, during this time of the year.

Original post:
Everyone agrees that this whole wheat cookie recipe is extremely tasty. And every time I eat them I wonder why anyone would ever make another kind of gingerbread cookie--and why some people think frosting is necessary.

They are particularly appropriate around the Christmas season, of course, but we would love to eat them year round with milk, if I made them that often.

Gingerbread Cookies

1/3 c. butter
1/2 c. honey
1 egg
1/3 c. molasses
2 3/4 c. flour (more or less, depending on whether you're making round or cookie cutter cookies and how stiff you need the dough)
1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger

Cream butter and honey. Add egg and molasses; mix well.

Sift and stir in dry ingredients. Blend thoroughly.

Chill dough (optional, but does tend to make it easier to use cookie cutters). Drop by teaspoons on lightly greased sheet 1" apart, or roll out on floured table and use floured cookie cutters.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies (Sweetened with Honey)

After a friend of ours brought us these twice, I had to get the recipe. I've never been big "into" no-bake cookies, but these are wonderful! I did end up cutting down the honey a bit, since they were a little too sweet for me, and my family still loved them. They really hit the spot when I'm wanting something sweet and rich but without refined sugar.

Honey-Sweetened No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. baking cocoa

1 1/2 c. honey

1 c. peanut butter (we use Adam's, which is all natural and has no sugar)

2 tsp. vanilla

6 c. oats

Melt butter in saucepan and add cocoa and honey. Heat, while stirring, until smooth. Allow to cool a bit.

Add peanut butter, vanilla, and oats, and mix well.

Pour into 9 x 11 and form until smooth. Chill in freezer.

Note: My friend likes to freeze, then cut and bag them, and keep them in the freezer.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you're a pumpkin fan, then pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are a must during the fall/winter! There are so many pumpkin cookie recipes out there, many of them quite delicious, but the one I tried before Christmas  (found here) couldn't have been any better. Plus, the cookies freeze perfectly (which was what I wanted) and are delightfully cakey. Yum!

As usual, I modified the original recipe to not use refined sugar and to use whole wheat flour. Please see it for tips on using shortening instead of butter.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: Makes 50 small cookies

1/2 c. raw sugar

1/2 c. honey
1 c. butter (see note in Advice section of original recipe)
1 egg
1 c. pumpkin puree (preferably made from your homegrown pumpkins!)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients. Scoop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper (for easy cleanup).

Bake for 9-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (with no refined sugar)

I recently adapted this recipe from my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe (which comes from a friend's mom), then added cinnamon and nutmeg. It turned out perfectly, so we ate way too many in one sitting. :)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Yield: About 4 dozen (scoop small because they spread!)

1 c. butter
3/8 c. honey
3/4 c. raw sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 c. oats
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. hot water
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. raisins

Cream together butter, honey, and raw sugar until smooth.
Add eggs and blend well.
Add water and blend. Add vanilla and blend.
Add oats, flour, and other dry ingredients and mix well.
Add raisins at end and mix briefly.
Drop small scoops on greased cookie sheet two or three inches apart (they spread).
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
Let cool before removing from pan or they may be too crumbly.

Ranger Cookies (Healthy Style)

This past Sunday I made cookies with my girls and we had a great time!  And, of course, after we made them, we had a great time eating them. I love having "healthful" cookies around! (Original recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, p. 212.)

Ranger Cookies
Yield: about 48 cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. honey
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. oats
1 c. coconut
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

In mixing bowl beat butter, then add honey till creamy.

Add and mix baking powder, baking soda, egg, and vanilla.

Add flour gradually, then oats and coconut.  When smooth, add raisins and chocolate chips last and mix only briefly.

Drop dough by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 1 minute (or more) before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe--Revamped

The mother of my very good friend passed along this recipe to me years ago and I decided the other day to modify it to be sugarless and use whole wheat flour--with the exception of the chocolate chips. It turned out great and my kids loved them! (I also love that it's such a simple recipe to whip up.)

Sugarless Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. shortening (I use butter, of course)
3/4 c. honey
1 tsp. hot water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. oatmeal
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. chocolate chips

Beat shortening and honey until smooth.

Add eggs, blend well.

Add water and vanilla and blend.

Add oats and dry ingredients.

Drop onto greased* cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

*I greased the pans for the first batch and the cookies spread way too much, so I didn't add any more grease for the second batch (and actually wiped some of it off) and they turned out much better. With all the butter in this recipe I'm really not sure the pans need to be greased at all...