Christmas Cookies With Natural Sweeteners

!±8± Christmas Cookies With Natural Sweeteners

Devouring sweets is tradition all through the holiday season. Rather than eat refined white sugar or high fructose corn syrup, why not try some favorite holiday treats made with natural sweeteners, such as unrefined cane sugar, honey, maple syrup, and agave?

I've found that these sweeteners taste even better than sugar or corn syrup.

Here's a basic recipe for a shortbread butter cookie that can me made into many variations. I have successfully made these using

* unrefined cane sugar (such as Sucanat or Rapadura) -- this is like brown sugar
* powdered unrefined cane sugar (sold as "organic" powedered sugar -- this is like white sugar
* agave nectar -- a good low-glycemic option
* rice syrup -- a personal favorite, subtly sweet with no extra flavor

SHORTBREAD BUTTER COOKIES

makes about 2 dozen 1-inch square cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sweetener
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
small pinch of salt

1. Put butter out to soften. This could take 20-30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
3. In a mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the soft butter until fluffy. This step is important to make the cookies light and crispy.
4. Add sweetener and vanilla and continue to beat until both are incorporated.
5. Add flour and salt slowly, mixing until a stiff batter is formed.
6. Put parchment paper or a silpat on the cookie sheet.
7. Flavor and cut as desired.
8. CHILL before baking. Cover the shortbread tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours or up to 4 days. If you don't chill, the shortbread will spread.
9. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until lightly browned just around the edges. Thicker cookies need a little more time, very thin cookies need less.
10. Remove the cookies to cooling racks.

VARIATIONS:

* Roll out dough and use to make cutout cookies

* Add any extract and bits of nuts, citrus peel, dried fruits, coconut, chocolate chips

* Top with spices such as cinnamon sugar

* Sandwich any plain or flavored cookies together with fruit-sweetened jam, flavored cream cheese, nut butters...

* Place dough in parchment paper, roll into a cylinder, then chill and cut as refrigerator cookies. Edges can be rolled in nuts, coconut, etc.

* Add any desired ingredients and bake as bar cookies.

Christmas Cookies With Natural Sweeteners

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How to Make Quick and Easy Bar Cookies & Desserts

!±8± How to Make Quick and Easy Bar Cookies & Desserts

When you are in a hurry but still want a homemade cookie or dessert, try these delicious recipes. The Chocolate Scotcheroos are very quick and easy since they do not require baking. The crispy rice cereal crust coated with a delicious chocolate-butterscotch mixture is always a hit! The Raspberry Surprise Bars are also very easy as they use purchased slice and bake cookies as their crust. The recipe calls for using butterscotch cookies but chocolate or sugar would work as well.

CHOCOLATE SCOTCHEROOS

1 cup sugar
1 cup white corn syrup
1 pkg (12-oz) chocolate chips
1 pkg (12-oz) butterscotch chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 cups crispy rice cereal

In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the sugar and corn syrup. Cook the mixture over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the peanut butter until melted, mixing well. Add the crispy rice cereal and stir until well blended. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. In the microwave or on the stove over hot, not boiling, water, melt the chocolate chips with the butterscotch chips. When completely melted and blended, spread the mixture evenly over the cereal mixture. Allow to cool. Cut into squares or rectangle bars.

Note: In extremely hot weather, keep refrigerated.

RASPBERRY SURPRISE BARS

1 pkg Butterscotch Slice and Bake cookies
8-oz cream cheese
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup raspberry preserves (or other flavor to suit your taste)

Slice cookies and place close together in a 9 X 13-inch cake pan. Bake cookies at temperature instructed on cookies package for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile mix the cream cheese with the milk. As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, spread the cream cheese mixture over the top of the cookies. Spread the preserves over the cream cheese. Cool before cutting into squares.

Enjoy!

How to Make Quick and Easy Bar Cookies & Desserts

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