How To Make Sugar Cookies With Half The Amount Of Sugar

   I love making cookies and for the most part I make healthy cookies. There is one cookie that I have yet to be able to make healthier. That cookie is sugar cookies. I love making sugar cookies at Christmas time as it is a tradition to make them into holiday shapes and then decorate them for Santa. I want my family to eat healthy but I also want Christmas time to be special with making cookies for Santa. I have finally found a sugar cookie that is a little bit healthier with half the amount of sugar when compared to regular sugar cookies. Even though this sugar cookie is made with half the amount of sugar it still tastes awesome just like the sugar cookies I usually make. The secret ingredient in my new lower sugar cookie recipe is Monk Fruit in The Raw®. This zero-calorie sweetener is made from monk fruit. It tastes just like sugar too and can be used just like sugar in hot or cold drinks, cereal, and baking. The monk fruit has been harvest since the 13th century. You can buy this sweetener in packets and in bakers bags. I love that this sweetener converts equally when using it in place of sugar. One packet of Monk Fruit in The Raw® equals 2 teaspoons sugar and 1/4 cup from the bakers bag equals 1/4 cup sugar.

                                          Here is the recipe from In The Raw website:

                                                        Sugar Cookie

                        MONK FRUIT IN THE RAW | COOK TIME: 13 MINUTES | MAKES 48 COOKIES
                                        Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted sweet butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup Monk Fruit In The Raw® Bakers Bag
1/3 cup Sugar In The Raw®, for decoration
Preparation
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high to beat the butter until fluffy, 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture for 3 minutes. Add the egg, then the yolk and vanilla, beating well between additions. Add the Monk Fruit In The Raw Bakers Bag and beat until just combined. Reduce the beater speed to low and gradually add the dry ingredients, beating until the mixture is clumpy. Stop blending and use a flexible spatula to complete mixing the dough by hand.

Turn the dough out onto a counter and divide it in half. The dough will be soft and sticky. Shape each half into a log 6-inches long and 2-inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours, and up to 3 days. You can also chill the dough without shaping it into a log and then use it with cookie cutters.

To bake the cookies, center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the Sugar In The Raw in a small bowl.

With a sharp, thin knife, cut each log into 1/4-inch slices. If the logs have flattened on one side, use your fingers to gently shape the slices into rounds.  One at a time, lightly press one side of the cookies into the Sugar In The Raw, then place it sugar-side up on the prepared cookie sheet, leaving 1 1/2-inches between cookies.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the cookies are firm when pressed in the center and evenly pale gold in color. Let the cookies rest for 1 minute on the baking sheet. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Keep the Sugar Cookies tightly covered in a tin, for up to 1 week.

Nutrition Information
Per serving: 120 calories, 6 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 16 g carbohydrate, 8 g sugar, 2 g protein, 0 g dietary fiber, 38 mg sodium, 15mg cholesterol

            Check out Monk Fruit in The Raw® and other great sugar/sweetener products. They also have a great recipe section with lots of recipes that incorporate their products.

                                                 http://www.intheraw.com/

"These opinions are my own and I received the above mentioned and pictured products from In The Raw at a blog conference that I attended last month."