Do you love to bake during the holiday season? Growing up my Mom and family always baked a variety of cookies for us to enjoy when we played board games during the holiday break. Family favorites included a fudge oat cookie with chocolate and peanut butter, white and red sugar canes and peanut butter kisses.
Sweet sugar cookies covered in sprinkles and icing have always been my favorite low nickel cookie option. The best part about using nickel free plastic cookie cutters is they will never rust after years of use like traditional stainless steel cookie cutters. Sugar cookies don’t need sprinkles, but they’re fun and many companies now make additive free and soy free sprinkles. Be sure to check the ingredients before you purchase.
I bake using all-purpose unbleached white flour. What about wheat you ask? White flour contains less nickel than whole wheat and whole grain foods. Some people with systemic nickel allergies avoid all wheat as they are gluten intolerant. Whereas some individuals may have previously avoided eating foods with gluten, but may be able to eat white flour. The majority of processed “gluten free foods” consist of ingredients higher in nickel, such as flours derived from seed, nuts, soy or sorghum flour.
If you still need or choose to avoid gluten and all types of white flour, you could try baking and cooking with alternative low nickel flours, including white rice flour, arrowroot flour, banana flour, sweet potato or regular potato flours. If you can tolerate coconut, coconut flour could also be an option too. Personally I don’t have experience using any of these flours as I eat white flour, so I don’t know how well they substitute or what ratios are recommended.
This recipe makes about 35-40 cookies, which is a lot of cookies! I halve the recipe and still have plenty to eat and share. If you’ve ever wondered how to half an egg, in a small bowl break and beat the egg, so the yolk and egg whites are thoroughly combined. Then use 1 ½ – 2 Tablespoons of the beaten egg in the halved cookie batter.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose white flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup butter at room temperature or melted
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 teaspoons milk add after combining dry and wet ingredients
- 2-3 Tablespoons all-purpose white flour for rolling the dough and cutting the shapes
Instructions
- In a large bowl (preferably a pyrex glass bowl with a lid), mix the all-purpose white flour with the baking powder and set aside.
- Using soft or melted butter, combine the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a small bowl.
- Pour the combined wet ingredients from the smaller bowl into the larger bowl and add 3 teaspoons milk.
- Chill the dough covered, with a lid or plastic wrap, for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Lightly flour the rolling pin and counter with 1-2 Tablespoons of flour. Using half of the chilled dough, roll out the dough so it’s about ¼ of an inch thick.
- Use lightly floured plastic cookie cutters to cut out shapes of your choice. If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can always lightly flour glass cups or mugs.
- Using a plastic spatulata, carefully transfer the cut out cookie cut out shapes on to the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15 minutes at or until slightly brown on the edges. Avoid overbaking.
- Repeat lightly flouring the rolling pin and counter, rolling the remaining dough, cutting out shapes and transferring them to the lined baking sheets until all of the cookie dough is cut out and baked.
- Once the cookies are baked, transfer them to a cooling rack and let them cool for about 60 minutes.
Low Nickel Icing
- Place the powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl. Next pour in the milk and vanilla and whisk all of the ingredients together.
- Transfer an equal share of the icing into 2-3 small bowls, each for their own distinct color.
- Squeeze two drops of food coloring in each bowl and mix the white frosting with the food coloring.
- Once the sugar cookies have cooled for about 60 minutes, decorate the cookies with the different color icing and sprinkles.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container to stay fresh and enjoy!
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars below.
Low Nickel Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Low Nickel Sugar Cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose white flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup butter at room temperature or melted
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 teaspoons milk add after combining dry and wet ingredients
- 2-3 Tablespoons all-purpose white flour for rolling the dough and cutting the shapes
Low Nickel Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-4 varieties of food coloring
- 2-4 varieties of sprinkles verify they don’t include soy
Instructions
Low Nickel Sugar Cookies
- In a large bowl (preferably a pyrex glass bowl with a lid), mix the all-purpose white flour with the baking powder and set aside.
- Using soft or melted butter, combine the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a small bowl.
- Pour the combined wet ingredients from the smaller bowl into the larger bowl and add 3 teaspoons milk.
- Chill the dough covered, with a lid or plastic wrap, for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Lightly flour the rolling pin and counter with 1-2 Tablespoons of flour. Using half of the chilled dough, roll out the dough so it’s about ¼ of an inch thick.
- Use lightly floured plastic cookie cutters to cut out shapes of your choice. If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can always lightly flour glass cups or mugs.
- Using a plastic spatulata, carefully transfer the cut out cookie cut out shapes on to the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15 minutes at or until slightly brown on the edges. Avoid overbaking.
- Repeat lightly flouring the rolling pin and counter, rolling the remaining dough, cutting out shapes and transferring them to the lined baking sheets until all of the cookie dough is cut out and baked.
- Once the cookies are baked, transfer them to a cooling rack and let them cool for about 60 minutes.
Low Nickel Icing
- Place the powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl. Next pour in the milk and vanilla and whisk all of the ingredients together.
- Transfer an equal share of the icing into 2-3 small bowls, each for their own distinct color.
- Squeeze two drops of food coloring in each bowl and mix the white frosting with the food coloring.
- Once the sugar cookies have cooled for about 60 minutes, decorate the cookies with the different color icing and sprinkles.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container to stay fresh and enjoy!
2 comments
We have made these 3 times and everyone loves them!! Thankyou!!
Hi Cassandra,
Thanks for your awesome comment/rating of this low nickel sugar cookie recipe! I love them too.
Warm regards,
Christy