We all know that Santa looks forward to a plate of cookies from good little boys and girls, but those of us who have seen his waistline know that it wouldn't hurt him to be a little more health conscious.

So we caught up with Catherine McCord of Weelicious.com and she shared some great, easy recipes to make with your kids.

Let's face it, Santa and his elves (that would be us) are going to splurge this time of year. But instead of heading to the store and grabbing treats filled with food coloring and processed ingredients, Catherine suggests these delights.

Holiday snowballs (Makes 2 Dozen)

Ingredients: 

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1 Cup Raw Walnuts

½ Tsp Vanilla Extract

½ Tsp Ground Cinnamon

½ Cup Unsalted Butter, softened

¼ Cup Confectioners' Sugar, plus additional for dusting

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Place the walnuts in a food processor for 30 seconds or until finely chopped.

3. Place the ground walnuts, flour and cinnamon in a bowl and combine.

4. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a standing mixer or bowl using a hand mixer and cream for 3-4 minutes.

5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until combined.

6. Using a cookie scooper, scoop out the dough and place on a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet.

7. Bake for 15 minutes.

8. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.

Gingerbread Pancakes (Serves 4)

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1/3 Cup Dark-Brown Sugar

2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp Ginger

1/4 Tsp Nutmeg

1/4 Tsp Cloves

¼ Tsp Salt

1 Cup Milk

2 Tbsp Molasses

2 Large Eggs

2 Tbsp Butter, melted and cooled

Accompaniments: Maple Syrup and Honey

Directions: 

1. Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. In a separate bowl whisk the liquid ingredients.

3. Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and whisk until just combined.

4. Let the batter stand for 10-15 minutes to thicken.

5. Place 2 tbsp of the mixture in a large greased saute pan over medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.

6. Serve with maple syrup or honey.

Almond Cookies (Makes 2 Dozen)

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 Cup Raw Almonds, divided

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar, packed

1 Large Egg

1/2 Tsp Almond Extract

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Place 1 cup of almonds in a food processor and ground for 30 seconds.*

3. Place the ground almonds, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and combine.

4. Place the butter and sugar in a standing mixer or bowl using a hand mixer and cream for 3-4 minutes.

5. Add the egg and almond extract and mix another minute.

6. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until combined.

7. Using a cookie scooper, scoop out the dough and place on a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet.

8. Place one almond in the middle of each cookie.

9. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

10. Cool and serve.

* You can substitute almond flour if you prefer