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These Orange and Cranberry Cholesterol Free Christmas Cookies are amazing! Chewy, delicious and so festive! Packed with Cranberries, Orange zest and warming Cinnamon, these cookies are sure to be a big hit with your family and guests.
Cholesterol and Baked Goods
Baked goods such as Cookies, Cakes and Pies are generally a no go for those whom suffer with High Cholesterol. Baked goods usually have an abundance of Saturated Fat due to the Butter content, as delicious as Butter is, it has the capability to raise both “bad” LDL cholesterol and “good” HDL cholesterol levels.
It may not have escaped your notice that I love to bake! Over the festive period, I often bake treats and give them as gifts. A couple of my family members have issues with their Cholesterol and so I have to adjust the recipes to suit them.
Cholesterol Free Alternatives
- Butter Alternative – Replacing the Saturated fat in Butter with Olive oil is a far healthier and friendlier alternative. Olive Oil is packed with beneficial antioxidants that can lower your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol while leaving your “good” (HDL) cholesterol untouched.
- Other alternatives are Heart-healthy oils like Corn, Canola, Peanut, and Sunflower oils. These contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They help to lower harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and raise the healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
- Eggs– Eggs get a bad wrap when it comes to Cholesterol. Eggs are naturally high in Cholesterol- However, they do not seem to negatively impact Cholesterol blood levels like Saturated fats do. So the advisement is clear, 1-2 eggs per day (dependent on the level of Cholesterol you have in your day-to day diet) is fine.
- Cholesterol in Eggs is concentrated in the yolk, so for this Cholesterol Free Christmas Cookie recipe I am using egg whites only.
Sugar and Cholesterol
These Christmas Cookies do contain Sugar- Now, full disclosure- Sugar does not Contain Cholesterol, but when consumed alongside a Cholesterol heavy diet, it can contribute to the problem. Its all about moderation folks! Women should limit themselves to 6 teaspoons per day. Men 9 teaspoons each day. In other words, don’t eat all 24 Cookies at once!
Oranges and Cholesterol
Oranges are very Cholesterol friendly, they contain a substance called phytosterols (plant sterols), a type of fat that helps block cholesterol from being absorbed in the intestines.
Cranberries and Cholesterol
Cranberries are naturally low in calories, fat, and sodium. They contain no cholesterol and are high in pectin, the soluble dietary fibre that can lower Cholesterol
What you’ll need to make Cholesterol Free Christmas Cookies
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How To Make Cholesterol Free Christmas Cookies
(As always the full detailed recipe and video can be found at the end of the post on the recipe card)
Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- Granulated sugar
- Soft Dark Brown Sugar
- Plain Flour
- Bicarbonate Soda
- Salt
- Egg Whites
- Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon
- Chopped Cranberries
- Orange Zest
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven to 180°c
- Mix together the Olive oil, Granulated Sugar, Brown Sugar and salt until lump free
- Add the Egg Whites a little at a time, stir until fully incorporated
- Add the Vanilla extract, stir well
- Sieve in the flour, bicarbonate of Soda and cinnamon, combine until the cookie dough forms
- Fold in the Orange Zest and Cranberries
- Place balls of cookie dough on a lined baking tray, with plenty of room between each(for spread). For large cookies like mine, use 2 tbsp of cookie dough per cookie. For smaller ones use 1 tbsp of cookie dough.
- Place in the bottom of the oven for 8-10 minutes, until the edges just start to brown.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack and serve
Why you’ll love this Cholesterol Free Cookie Recipe
- You would never know!– You would never know they were Cholesterol Free! Substituting Olive oil and Egg whites, make this bake much more Heart friendly.
- Easy– Not difficult at all, a one bowl mix! A great bake to do with kiddies
- Convenient– A super quick bake, bowl to table within 20 minutes. Ideal for unexpected guests
- Gift them!-They make wonderful edible Christmas presents
- Make ahead of time– Scoop dough into mounds and freeze, thaw and bake on the day
- Delicious!– Filled with warming flavours, perfect for the festive season
Looking for some Healthy Recipes?
Take a look at these delicious health conscious recipes..
Healthy Chocolate Overnight Oats
How to store Cholesterol Free Christmas Cookies
Store in an air tight Container for 1 week. To freeze allow baked cookies to cool, wrap in cling film, pop in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Serve with
Did you Make this recipe?
If so please leave a rating and comment below, I would love to know how you got on. Did you take a picture? Great! Tag me on Instagram, I love to share your creations on my stories
OHG x
Cholesterol Free Christmas cookies
Ingredients
- 180 ml Olive Oil
- 100 g Granulated sugar
- 200 g Soft Dark Brown Sugar
- 300 g Plain Flour
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate Soda
- 1 Pinch Salt
- 3 Egg Whites
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 Large Handful Chopped Cranberries
- Zest from 1 Orange
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven to 180°c
- Mix together the Olive oil, Granulated Sugar, Brown Sugar and salt until lump free
- Add the Egg Whites a little at a time, stir until fully incorporated
- Add the Vanilla extract, stir well
- Sieve in the flour, bicarbonate of Soda and cinnamon, combine until the cookie dough forms
- Fold in the Orange Zest and Cranberries
- Place balls of cookie dough on a lined baking tray, with plenty of room between each(for spread). For large cookies like mine, use 2 tbsp of cookie dough per cookie. For smaller ones use 1 tbsp of cookie dough.
- Place in the bottom of the oven for 8-10 minutes, until the edges just start to brown.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack and serve
