Sugar-Free Holiday Baking: Your Complete Christmas Guide
The holidays are the hardest time to avoid sugar. Between cookie exchanges, family recipes, and constant treats at every gathering, it can feel impossible. This guide arms you with everything you need for a full sugar-free Christmas baking season that nobody will know is sugar-free.
Essential Supplies
Stock up before the season starts:
Pantry
- Allulose, granulated (3–5 lbs — you'll use it)
- Allulose, powdered (or blend your own from granulated)
- Almond flour, superfine
- Coconut flour
- Sugar-free chocolate chips (dark and white)
- Sugar-free chocolate bars for melting
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Cream cheese (several blocks)
- Heavy cream
- Butter (lots)
- Vanilla extract, pure
- Peppermint extract
- Almond extract
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves
- Cream of tartar
- Pecans, walnuts, almonds
Equipment
- Parchment paper (essential for allulose baking)
- Cookie cutters
- Piping bags and tips
- Candy thermometer (for caramels and fudge)
- Light-colored baking sheets
Recipe 1: Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
The classic. These hold their shape, take frosting beautifully, and taste like real sugar cookies.
- 2.5 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup powdered allulose
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Beat butter, cream cheese, and allulose until fluffy. Add egg and extracts. Mix in flours and salt. Form into a disc, wrap, and chill 2 hours. Roll between parchment sheets to 1/4 inch. Cut shapes. Bake at 325°F for 11–13 minutes (watch for browning). Cool completely before frosting.
Royal Icing
- 2 cups powdered allulose
- 2–3 tablespoons cream or milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- Food coloring
Whisk until smooth and pipeable. Adjust liquid for desired consistency.
Recipe 2: Peppermint Bark
Impossibly easy and always a hit at parties.
- 12 oz sugar-free dark chocolate
- 12 oz sugar-free white chocolate
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Crushed sugar-free peppermint candies (or candy cane pieces — see tip below)
Melt dark chocolate and spread in an even layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Refrigerate 15 minutes until set. Melt white chocolate with peppermint extract. Pour over dark chocolate layer and spread evenly. Sprinkle with crushed peppermints. Refrigerate until firm. Break into pieces.
Tip: For crushed peppermint, make your own: cook allulose to hard crack stage (300°F — watch carefully), add peppermint extract and red food coloring, pour onto parchment, let cool, and smash with a rolling pin.
Recipe 3: Pecan Snowball Cookies (Russian Tea Cakes)
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/3 cup powdered allulose
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- Extra powdered allulose for rolling
Cream butter, allulose, and vanilla. Mix in almond flour and pecans. Chill 30 minutes. Roll into 1-inch balls. Bake at 325°F for 15–17 minutes. While warm, roll in powdered allulose. Let cool and roll again.
Recipe 4: Candy Cane Fudge
- 2 cups sugar-free white chocolate chips
- 1 can (14 oz) coconut cream
- 2 tablespoons allulose
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Red food coloring
- Crushed sugar-free peppermints
Heat coconut cream and allulose until simmering. Pour over white chocolate, let sit 2 minutes, stir until smooth. Add peppermint. Pour half into a parchment-lined pan. Tint remaining half pink/red and pour on top. Swirl with a knife. Top with crushed peppermints. Refrigerate 3 hours. Cut into squares.
Recipe 5: Eggnog (Sugar-Free)
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup allulose
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- Bourbon, rum, or brandy (optional, 2–4 oz)
Whisk yolks and allulose until thick and pale. Heat milk until steaming, then slowly temper into the yolks while whisking. Return to the pot and cook over medium-low, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats a spoon (170°F). Strain, stir in cream, vanilla, spices, and spirits if using. Chill thoroughly. Serve with a grating of nutmeg.
Recipe 6: Gingerbread House Components
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup allulose
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons molasses (the only sugar — 2 tbsp across the whole house is negligible)
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Form dough and chill 1 hour. Roll to 1/4 inch between parchment. Cut house pieces using templates. Bake at 325°F for 14–16 minutes until firm. Cool completely.
Royal Icing for Assembly
Use the royal icing recipe above, but make it thicker (less liquid) for structural gluing.
Cookie Exchange Strategy
If you're participating in a cookie exchange:
- Make the snowball cookies — they're the most universally loved and nobody suspects they're sugar-free
- Package beautifully — presentation goes a long way
- Include a recipe card — people will ask
- Don't label them as "sugar-free" on the plate — let taste speak first
Timeline for Holiday Baking
3 Weeks Before Christmas
- Stock up on supplies
- Make and freeze cookie doughs (most freeze well for 2 months)
2 Weeks Before
- Bake cookies that store well (snowballs, gingerbread)
- Make peppermint bark and fudge (store in fridge)
1 Week Before
- Bake cut-out cookies and decorate
- Make eggnog
- Build gingerbread house (if making one)
Day Before/Day Of
- Arrange cookie platters
- Make any last-minute items
- Brew coffee and set out the eggnog
Storage Tips
- Cookies: Most stay fresh 5–7 days in airtight containers at room temperature
- Fudge and bark: Refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 3 weeks
- Eggnog: Refrigerate and use within 5 days (3 days if it contains raw eggs; this recipe cooks the eggs)
- Decorated cookies: Store in single layers with parchment between layers to protect icing
The holidays should be joyful, not stressful. With these recipes prepped and ready, you can participate fully in every celebration without worrying about sugar. That's the real gift.