These lower sugar sugar cookies feature all the buttery crispness of a classic sugar cookie, but with a tad less sugar. My kids love these one-bowl cookies that are as fun to cut out and decorate as they are to eat.
Meticulously taste-tested by my kids (age 9 and 12 at the time of this writing), this recipe for lower sugar sugar cookies dates to the pandemic days, and it's been refined and thoroughly developed over the years to reach cookie perfection!
Similar to my lower sugar chocolate chip cookies, the amount of sugar called for here has been reduced by half as much as what you'd find in a traditional sugar cookie. And yet, by some miracle of baking science, the cookies still taste delicious!
Let kids cut the dough into their favorite shapes, and serve them plain, topped with a maple glaze or bright lemon glaze, simple colored icing, or see more ideas lower down in this post. Like my befanini cookies, this is a recipe that's meant to get the kids involved in the kitchen!
Jump to:
Reasons to Make This Recipe
We love sugar cookies in our house, and I love it when I can cut out a bit of the sugar. Compare the recipe below with my oat flour sugar cookies recipe, and you'll see that the amount of sugar has been reduced by half. Even better, my kids still love them! Here's why this is a stellar recipe:
- Less sugar. This lower sugar cookie recipe is significantly less sugary than usual sugar cookie recipes, but they are still sweet enough to feel like a treat. Bonus: less of a sugar crash later.
- Easy to adapt. You can make these cookies with gluten free whole grain oat flour, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, a gluten-free flour blend ... you do you.
- Made in one bowl. Listen, you know I love a one-bowl recipe, and this is one the kids can make from start to finish. The best!
Ingredients Needed
Simple ingredients go into these cookies, making them a recipe I turn to again and again when we want a quick treat. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions.
- Butter - Unsalted butter is best. Use non-dairy butter or coconut oil for a dairy-free option.
- Granulated sugar - See my notes on adjusting the amount of sugar below.
- Egg - Use 1 large or medium egg.
- Vanilla - Use pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- Flour - For a gluten-free version, use whole grain gluten-free oat flour, a homemade gluten free flour blend, or store-bought 1:1 flour. All-purpose flour also works great, and I love white whole-wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour for a dose of whole grains.
- Baking powder
- Salt - Fine sea salt or table salt works great.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's an overview in photos of how to make these lower sugar sugar cookies:
1. Cream butter: Cream the sugar and butter, then add the egg and vanilla.
2. Finish dough: Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
3. Cut cookies: Using your favorite cookie-cutter shapes, cut out the cookies.
4. Bake: Place in a 350 F oven and bake for about 15 minutes.
Tips & Recipe Notes
- About the amount of sugar ... I realize that cutting the sugar to ½ cup may not be for everyone. My gluten free sugar cookies recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, and it's plenty sweet. If ½ cup is just too little sugar, try ¾ cup of sugar instead.
- If you want a more naturally sweetened option, try maple sugar for the granulated sugar. This gives a lovely hint of maple flavor as well as sweetness. I've also made these cookies with honey, which I find to be sweeter than granulated sugar. It also gives the cookies a light floral taste.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Bring ingredients to room temperature before using. This is particularly important for the butter - if it's nice and soft, it will incorporate better into the batter, making for a smoother and more uniform cookie.
- Don't worry if the dough is crumbly. When you're combining the dough, it may seem a bit dry and crumbly. Don't worry! Keep beating the ingredients until they come together. If needed, you can use your hands to squeeze and knead the dough together a few times until a smooth dough forms (it will!)
- Dairy-free: I like swapping softened coconut oil for the butter for a dairy-free version, and dairy-free butter also works great.
- Make them vegan: Substitute a non-dairy option for the butter, and either omit the egg or use a flax egg substitute.
- Make ahead: The dough may be stored, wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container, for up to 3 days in the fridge. Let it warm up a bit at room temperature before rolling out and cutting.
Variations to Try
- Add chocolate: To make these into chocolate lower sugar cookies, substitute ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder for ½ cup of flour.
- Add-ins: Stir in chopped chocolate, lemon or orange zest, or almond extract for extra flavor.
- Spices: To make these lightly spiced cookies, add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ginger, or cardamom, or a combination.
- Holiday cookies: Mix in crushed candy canes or top the cookies with crushed candy canes when they come out of the oven.
- Icing: We love to add icing to these cookies. To make a quick icing, mix 1¼ cups of powdered sugar with a few drops of milk and food coloring. Add more sugar if it is too thin to spread. Paint onto the cookies with a clean paintbrush.
Proper Storage
- Counter - Place the cookies in an airtight container and store them on the counter for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - Or, place cookies in a freezer-safe sealable bag or freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies in the fridge before serving.
More Kid-Favorite Cookie Recipes
Happy baking! If you make this low sugar sugar cookies recipe, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment below, reach out with any questions, and tag me on Instagram @Cucina Nicolina ❤️
Recipe
Lower Sugar Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups gluten-free oat flour (300 grams) or 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, combine the ½ cup unsalted butter and ½ cup sugarand mix until light and fluffy, about two minutes.
- Add the 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Beat in the 2 ¾ cups gluten-free oat flour or all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt. Mix well to combine, until the dough looks thick and uniform. Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
- When ready to roll out cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and let the dough rest a few minutes at room temperature to soften. Then line a work surface with a large piece of parchment paper. Place the cookie dough in the center and sprinkle with oat flour. Flour a rolling pin and roll out the dough into a ¼-inch thick sheet. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes and place them on the cookie sheet.
- Place in the oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes depending on how crisp you wish the cookies to be. I found 9 minutes to be perfect.
- Remove cookies from oven and cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies will keep in an air-tight container at room temperature for 5 days.
Notes
- About the amount of sugar ... I realize that cutting the sugar to ½ cup may not be for everyone. My gluten free sugar cookies recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, and it's plenty sweet. If ½ cup is just too little sugar, try ¾ cup of sugar instead.
- If you want a more naturally sweetened option, try maple sugar for the granulated sugar. This gives a lovely hint of maple flavor as well as sweetness. I've also made these cookies with honey, which I find to be sweeter than granulated sugar. It also gives the cookies a light floral taste.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Bring ingredients to room temperature before using. This is particularly important for the butter - if it's nice and soft, it will incorporate better into the batter, making for a smoother and more uniform cookie.
- Don't worry if the dough is crumbly. When you're combining the dough, it may seem a bit dry and crumbly. Don't worry! Keep beating the ingredients until they come together. If needed, you can use your hands to squeeze and knead the dough together a few times until a smooth dough forms (it will!)
- Dairy-free: I like swapping softened coconut oil for the butter for a dairy-free version, and dairy-free butter also works great.
- Make them vegan: Substitute a non-dairy option for the butter, and either omit the egg or use a flax egg substitute.
- Make ahead: The dough may be stored, wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container, for up to 3 days in the fridge. Let it warm up a bit at room temperature before rolling out and cutting.
Nutrition
Love this recipe?
Add Cucina Nicolina as a trusted source on Google so my newest bakes, cakes, and simple gluten-free recipes appear more often when you search.
Add Cucina Nicolina on Google(Works best when you're logged into Google, especially on mobile.)
Lori says
Great recipe! I only had gluten free flour, but it was an easy swap, 1:1.
Claire says
I only have whole wheat flour (not white WW). Will that be alright as a substitute?
Nicole Spiridakis says
Yes you can absolutely use ww flour. The cookies may turn out a tiny bit darker but it will not affect the taste at all. You can also use all-purpose flour.
Helen spiridakis says
A great activity for little ones during a difficult time. And tasty as well. Thank you for a colorful & inspiring post.
Helen spiridakis says
Nice, timely post. An unusual time for sure. Thanks!