215 sugar cookie recipes

Sweets don't have to be always connected with high sugar, high fat and unhealthy. A few healthy twists, now you can enjoy these delicious cookies without feeling guilty at all.

Cindy Schweitzer of Muskego offered this cherry twist on melt-in-your-mouth finger cookies.

Very simple cookies made with an almond-meal base. Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, which have been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. They are also very high in vitamin E (a powerful anti-oxidant), magnesium and potassium (important for maintaining healthy blood pressure).

Chocolate snowball cookies rolled in powdered sugar for a craggy, snow-dusted finish. Brown sugar and unsweetened chocolate give these holiday cookies a deep cocoa flavor that's not too sweet.

Sugarplum cookies with dried or candied fruit hidden inside each ball of vanilla sugar cookie dough. Topped with creamy frosting and colored sugar for Christmas cookie trays.

Mexican mocha balls: shortbread-style chocolate-coffee cookies with chopped walnuts and maraschino cherries, rolled in extra-fine sugar. Perfect for the holiday cookie tray.

Spice cookies with pumpkin dip: molasses-and-ginger cookies rolled in sugar, served with a creamy cream cheese and pumpkin pie dip. A holiday cookie plate with a dunking twist.

Banana-Walnut Cookies pack two cups of rolled oats into a soft, cinnamon-spiced drop cookie with mashed banana and brown sugar. A generous 60-cookie batch ready in 30 minutes.

Soft drop cookies made with mincemeat stirred into a fluffy sugar cookie base. A nostalgic holiday cookie recipe that yields a big batch from simple pantry ingredients.

Finska Pinnar are classic Finnish butter cookies rolled in pearl sugar - crisp, buttery shortbread fingers made in 30 minutes that yield 4 dozen cookies.

Matzo meal cookies with coconut and brown sugar, baked until rich brown and filled with jam centers. A Passover-friendly cookie with no flour, no eggs, no leavening.

Cream cheese snowflake cookies with lemon zest, topped with powdered sugar icing and edible glitter. Delicate, buttery Christmas cutout cookies that sparkle.

Magic window cookies are sugar cookies with stained glass centers made from crushed hard candy that melts during baking. A holiday favorite for tree ornaments and gifts.

Santa Claus cookies decorate flat sugar cookies with red sugar caps, miniature marshmallow tassels, currant eyes, cinnamon candy noses, and coconut beards. A festive holiday craft cookie kids can help build from baked rounds.

Orange sugar-crusted meltaway cookies with chocolate chips and chopped nuts, dipped in fresh orange juice and rolled in sugar to form a delicate citrus-sugar shell. A bright, buttery shortbread-style holiday cookie.

Frosted applesauce cookies with molasses, bran flakes, raisins, and a boiled caramel frosting. Soft, spiced drop cookies with warm allspice and clove flavors topped with buttery brown sugar icing.