Chewy, lightly sweet and simple to make, these Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies will soon become a family favorite!
These cookies are perfect for the holidays or really any time of year.
It doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your healthy eating in order to indulge and celebrate the holidays! In this recipe I use turbinado sugar which is simply raw sugar that has been steam cleaned.
Turbinado sugar is a healthier alternative to white, refined sugar. It is lower in calories since it tends to hold more moisture.
One teaspoon of white sugar packs 16 calories, as opposed to the Turbinado sugar, which has 11 for one teaspoon. Turbinado sugar isn’t processed as much as white sugar, so it is naturally healthier for your body.
I also used much less sugar because it’s a naturally sweet cookie!
Make sure you read the ingredients on your dried cranberries because many of them contain a whole bunch of unnecessary sugar. You would be amazed at how much sugar is in them.
One problem is that it isn't very easy to find actual dried cranberries without added sugar. I was able to find some at Trader Joe's but they always seem to be sold out!
So I then looked on Amazon (as I always do) and I was so happy I found some here! Now I buy these all the time and I like. to keep extra in the house just in case.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving
Calories 79 Calories from Fat 35
Total Fat 3.9g
Saturated Fat 0.7g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 9mg
Sodium 83mg
Total Carbohydrates 9.7g
Dietary Fiber 0.8g
Sugars 3.6g
Protein 1.5g
*Nutritional information is calculated through www.caloriecount.com, results not 100% accurate
**Edited to add
Since starting to eat low carb after my last surgery years ago, I have made these with almond flour (in place of the whole wheat flour) and Monk Fruit (in place of the turbinado sugar) as well as Lily's Sugar Free White Chocolate Chips for the regular white chocolate chips that contain sugar.
The texture was pretty good but I still have to perfect it, so stay tuned. I like to make sure everything is just right which means I might have to make a recipe 3 or 4 times before I share with you guys.
The no added sugar cranberries and Macadamia nuts are perfect for a low carb lifestyle, especially in the small amounts required for this recipe.
Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup ground flax or wheat germ
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup turbinado sugar
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup oats quick-cooking or old-fashioned (not instant)
- ¼ cup white chocolate chopped or white chocolate chips
- ⅓ dried cranberries no sugar added
- 2 TBS chopped macadamia nuts *optional
Instructions
- Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375°F.
- Whisk flour, flax or wheat germ, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom and ground ginger in a small bowl. Whisk egg, sugar, oil, applesauce and vanilla in a large bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; stir to combine. Add oats and stir again. Add chocolate, cranberries and macadamia nuts if using them; stir just to combine. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto 2 ungreased baking sheets, 1 ½ inches apart. (FYI- dough will be thick).
- Bake the cookies until puffed and barely golden around the edges, switching the pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the pans for 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Here are some healthier cookies that I thought you might like:
Keto Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Funfetti Protein Cookies from Food Faith Fitness
Keto Butter Cookies from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies from Fit Foodie Finds
Gluten Free Butter Pecan Cookies from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Healthy Cookie Recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie
Slow Cooker Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
If you make these Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies or any of the other recipes I have shared with you, please some back and let me know. You guys know that I love to hear from you!
I hope you enjoy these! Thank you for stopping by and please come back soon!
Bibi @ Bibi's Culinary Journey
Lauren, these are my favorite cookies and I love how you made them healthy 🙂