Cookie Swap: 20 Delicious Holiday Cookie Recipes for Every Diet


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If you’re staring down a cookie swap this weekend and have no clue what to bring, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re aiming to please a Paleo devotee with a sweet tooth, a gluten-free cookie lover, or a vegan who’s just dying for some eggnog, we’ve got you covered.

Paleo Holiday Cookie Recipes

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
via Hummusapien

The babies are free of flour, butter and refined sugar, as the author notes, and the cranberries make them oh-so-festive.

Cashew Cardamom Date Balls
via Taylor Made It Paleo

Am I the only one who grew up eating stuffed dates on holidays? These coconut-rolled cookie balls would make me feel plenty nostalgic.

“Molasses” Spice Cookies
via Elana’s Pantry

The molasses there is in quotes, because this recipe actually contains zero molasses. Instead, it subs in yacon syrup, a low-glycemic syrup that tastes like molasses. These gingersnap-like cookies also feature almond flour and plenty of wintery spices.

Hot Cocoa Cookies
via Fit Foodie Finds

Hot cocoa? In a cookie? Yes, please. These are topped with coconut whipped cream frosting.

Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cookies
via Refined Tastes

The whole whoopie pie thing goes Paleo here, with coconut-peppermint cream sandwiched between chocolate cookies.

Low-Carb Holiday Cookie Recipes

Pecan Crescents
via All Day I Dream About Food

These are almost too cute to eat. Almost.

“Sugar” Kiss Cookies
via Splendid Low-Carbing

Another recipe gets the quotation-mark treatment. The sugar in this case is swapped with a sugar substitute, like Truvia. The result? Each cookie has less than a gram of net carbs.

Lemon-Almond Shortbread Cookies
via I Breathe … I’m Hungry … 

If shortbread cookies are on your holiday-tradition list, try these this year. Best part: They only require four ingredients.

Low-Carb Snowballs
via Busy But Healthy

Nothing says the holidays like snow. And while you may not have any on your lawn next week, you can at least have some on your dessert table.

Sugar-Free Magic Cookie Bars
via Healthy Indulgences

This recipe comes with a bonus tutorial on how to make sugar-free milk chocolate chips.

Vegan Holiday Cookie Recipes

Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
via POPSUGAR Fitness

You know the ones: those little bite-size pecan morsels with a dollop of jam on the middle. These are those, vegan-ized.

Chocolate-Dipped Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
via Keepin’ It Kind

Yes, an herb makes an appearance here. Twice—both in the cookie, and on top.

Eggnog Sugar Cookies
via A Dash of Soul

Get your ‘nog fix in cookie form. The eggnog in question here is, of course, dairy-free.

Orange Spice Holiday Cookies
via Babble

Cinnamon, pumpkin and citrus come together for the ultimate holiday-cookie trifecta.

Maple-Pecan Cookies
via Wholly Vegan

These probably fall more into the autumn-cookie category, but since I haven’t had enough of fall quite yet, I’m putting them on this list. You’re welcome.

Gluten-Free Holiday Cookie Recipes

Gluten-Free Brownie Tartlets with Peppermint Glaze
via About.com Food

Your guests will be wowed by this one, but while it looks fancy and hard to make, it’s actually very easy.

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles
via Oh She Glows

If you’re related to someone who’s obsessed with snickerdoodles, like I am (hello, Husband), this is a must-make.

Maple-Cinnamon Meringues with Toasted Almonds
via Gourmande in the Kitchen

These look like little pillows of snow, so that’s probably what you should tell people they are.

Linzer Cookies
via The Culinary Life

These star-shaped cookies with a center of jam and dusted with powdered sugar are everything a Christmas cookie is supposed to be.

Gluten-Free Pizzelles
via Kitchen Apparel

A friend used to give me a tin of pizzelles every holiday season. I’ll happily take a batch of these GF versions off your hands.

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