272 cookies light recipes

Old-fashioned sugar cookies made with butter and oil for a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crumb. Rolled in sugar and pressed flat, these bake up with soft centers and lightly crisp edges. Makes 3 dozen.

Mom's easy drop sugar cookies: no rolling or cutting, just scoop, flatten with a fork, and sprinkle with sugar. A butter-and-oil dough with a splash of vinegar keeps them tender and lightly crisp at the edges.

Eggless chocolate chip cookies built on butter, brown sugar, water, and chocolate chips. A no-fail, no-egg cookie recipe with deep caramel notes and a soft chewy bite. Forty-eight cookies per batch.

Peanut butter banana cookies bake mashed banana into a classic peanut butter dough for a softer chewy texture. Uses an egg white only for a lighter cookie.

Tangy yogurt and bright lemon zest blend into soft oatmeal cookies with crisp edges, then get showered with powdered sugar for a lighter twist on classic cookies.

Cranberry chocolate oatmeal cookies loaded with rolled oats, dried cranberries, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Egg whites only (no yolks) for a lighter, chewier crumb.

Oatmeal raisin cookies made with egg whites for a lighter, crisper edge. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and chewy raisins in a classic chilled-dough recipe.

Chewy oat bran raisin cookies made with egg whites instead of whole eggs and vegetable oil instead of butter. A lighter oatmeal cookie with nuts and fiber.

Lemon butter cookies are crisp rolled-and-cut cookies scented with lemon extract, perfect for decorating with colored sugar. A no-fuss eight-dozen batch for cookie trays and bake sales.

Crispy lemon oatmeal cookies made with egg whites, brown sugar, and rice cereal for extra crunch. No butter, no yolks. A lighter, citrus-bright cookie.

Spider-shaped chocolate Halloween cookies with red-hot candy eyes. A simple shaped cookie kids can sculpt themselves: oval body, round head, eight skinny legs.

Soft cocoa oatmeal cookies with plump raisins, made with egg whites instead of whole eggs. A lighter chocolate cookie that stays chewy and satisfying for days.

Slice and bake sugar cookies: a make-ahead dough rolled in wax paper and chilled, then sliced and baked into tender cookies. Yields nearly eight dozen.

Oatmeal cookies with orange zest, walnuts, and yogurt for a lighter, citrusy twist. Chewy, nutty cookies with brown sugar and a hint of orange in every bite.

Soft, cake-style pumpkin spice cookies built on egg whites and pumpkin puree with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, baked tender for a lighter holiday cookie tin.

Traditional German Kasekuchen made with sieved cottage cheese, sour cream, and raisins in a buttery cookie crust. A lighter, tangier European-style cheesecake.