Sugar-Free Ways to Decorate Cut-Out Cookies

A sugar-free diet doesn't have to put a damper on your holiday baking.

Diets restricted in sugar can run into problems during holidays and other times when sugar intake is naturally high. It seems unfair to require restricted sugar dieters to avoid sweets altogether. To address this issue, many scientists and health professionals have come up with sugar alternatives that will add sweetness without using sugar. These alternatives come in many forms. Choose a sugar alternative for decorating cut-out cookies that meets all of your dietary requirements.

Sugar Substitutes

One way to decorate cookie cutouts without the use of sugar is to use other ingredients, such as sugar-free Jello powder, sugar-free pudding, nut paste sweetened with sugar substitutes or honey, or chocolate sweetened with honey or sugar substitutes. Spread the makeshift frosting onto the cookies with a spatula. You can then sprinkle the cookies with sugar-free Jello powder, cocoa or even dyed flour to give the cookies color and prevent them from sticking to one another.

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit is one of the best sugar-free alternatives to using sugared frosting on cut-out cookies. Press the fruit into the cookies before baking so that they will adhere without the use of a sugar glue. You can use almost any kind of fruit, such as raisins, apples, apricots, currants, strawberries, cranberries and anything else you can think of to use. Dried fruit can enhance the flavor of a cookie without adding unhealthy sugar calories.

Sugar-Free Frosting

Some frostings are created without the use of sugar and are either made with sugar substitutes or with sugar alternatives, such as honey or fruit sweeteners. You can purchase these frostings at health food stores or some regular grocery stores. You can also make frosting using alternative sweeteners from recipes found online or in sugar-free cookbooks. Spread the frosting onto cookies once they are cool and use the frosting just like you would regular sugared frosting.

Nuts and Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips

Nuts and sugar-free chocolate chips also can work for decorating cut-out cookies. Press the nuts and chocolate chips into the top of the cookies before baking so that you do not have to glue the toppings to the cookies with frosting after baking. Nuts add a nice crunch to cookies and do not add any kind of sweetener at all. Sugar-free chocolate chips add sweetness, but not from sugar, which is acceptable with many diets.

References

• Ebay Guides: Healthy Alternative to Sugar Cookie Decorating
• All Recipes: Sugar-Free Frosting