Sugar-Free Swig Style Sugar Cookies

If you haven’t heard of the Swig sugar cookie craze, you’re going to be in for a treat.

Swig is a very popular little soft drink shack founded in St. George, Utah. They have since opened several locations around Utah and nothing but the buzz about Swig’s drinks and refreshments is heard throughout the area. Swig is famous for their “dirty” sodas, which are added flavor additions to favorite fountain drinks. But what they might be the most famous for are their sweet, pink frosted sugar cookies.

In researching this cookie, I discovered a few key factors that make Swig sugar cookies totally unique from others. The cookies themselves are not overly sweet, but are super soft and very, very dense. I think Swig intended to make this cookie less sweet than other sugar cookies so it would pair well with their ginormous soft drink concoctions. BUT paired with the sweet, creamy frosting, this cookie reaches perfection. What’s even more unique about these cookies is that the sweet frosting contains sour cream – making a seriously creamy frosting!

Swig sugar cookies are also unique in that they are not cut out. Their large rustic cracked edges give a homemade, comfy feel that is easy to make at home! They are also served chilled. Who wouldn’t think a chilled cookie is a brilliant idea during a hot summer afternoon?

I may be bold in comparing these Swig styled cookies to Swig cookies when I obviously changed out the sugar… but my natural changes make for a healthier treat.

• A typical Swig sugar cookie UNFROSTED has about 293 calories, 15 grams of fat and 14 grams of sugar.
• My Swig cookies WITH frosting are about 215 calories, 10 grams of fat and about 14 grams of sugar, depending on how much frosting you like to add!

Since frostings are nothing but added butter and sugar, you can imagine how the real Swig cookie stats increase when including the frosting. In trying to keep with the Swig style theme, I kept the butter and sour cream called for in many Swig recipes.  Loads of vanilla, a soft bite and low calorie count make for a great natural rendition that everyone will appreciate! The cookie itself is very soft and sweet and when chilled – gives the experience of Swig cookies! In true Swig spirit, you could enjoy these sugar-free cookies with a can of calorie-free Zevia soda for good measure. Enjoy!

Sugar-Free Swig Style Sugar Cookies  
Print Recipe

Sugar Cookies
1 cup Organic Butter, softened
3/4 cup Organic Non-Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening or Coconut Oil
1 cup Powdered Honey
1 cup Erythritol
2 Large Organic Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons White Wheat Flour
4 cups White Spelt Flour or Organic White Flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter, shortening, sweeteners and eggs. Mix in baking soda, cream of tarter and salt. And the flour and mix just until the flour disappears and the mixture comes together in a ball of dough. If the dough is a bit too sticky, you can add an extra tablespoon or two as needed.

Scoop dough with a large ice cream scoop (2 inches), filling the scoop almost all the way full. Place balls on parchment lined baking sheets. A 2 inch scoop creates cookies similar in size to real Swig cookies. If you would like smaller cookies, a 11/2 inch cookie scoop will work too.

Flatten each cookie dough mound with a small round dish or glass (I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup for mine), by pressing gently, but firmly into the balls to form a smooth center and a crinkled edge.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 8-9 minutes for large cookies or 5-7 minutes for smaller cookies. They will probably look under baked, but part of these cookies charm is the just barely baked, soft texture.

Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool.  Real Swig cookies are chilled when frosted. This step is optional but make sure cookies have cooled before frosting.

Sugar-Free Swig Frosting:
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Powdered Erythritol***

1/2 teaspoon Liquid Stevia

2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

1/3 cup Rice Flour (or another light gluten-free flour)

3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream, or more to desired consistency

1 Drop Natural Red Food Coloring

Cream together butter and sour cream. In a high powdered blender, blend the erythritol until a smooth powder that resembles powdered sugar. Measure out the 1 cup and 2 Tablespoons and add to the mixture. Add rest of ingredients except the cream and beat until incorporated. Add cream slowly until well combined and the frosting reaches desired consistency. Spread over chilled or cooled cookies.

Makes 25 Swig sugar cookies
Adapted from this recipe

NOTE:

**Erythritol creates a “cool” flavor to this frosting if too much erythritol is added. To minimize this flavor effect, the rice flour is very important. Please also note that the frosting pairs really well with the actual cookie and eating the two together also minimizes the “cool” flavoring. The powdered honey in the cookie helps with this cool flavor as well and is also important for moistness and softness so please don’t use all erythritol in the actual sugar cookie. If you don’t have powdered honey, you could substitute with maple sugar.