These healthy oatmeal Breakfast Cookies are like a bowl of nutritious granola crossed with a chewy oatmeal raisin cookie. They’re a nutritious, dense and filling grab-and-go breakfast that’s ideal for meal prep. They are vegan, refined sugar free and made with wholesome dry ingredients like quick oats, nut butter, dried fruits and nuts. They can be easily customized depending on what you have in the pantry and will stay fresh for up to five days.
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Why Breakfast Cookies?
The inspiration for these Breakfast Cookies comes from chaotic mornings. I’ve always wanted to be an early-riser but it’s never come easily to me. Once I had my son, Ollie in 2023, my mornings went from sluggish to hectic. Getting everybody showered, dressed and out of the house in the morning feels like I’ve done a triathlon by 8:30am. I’m rarely hungry first thing, so I typically start the day with a coffee. Which starts off fine, but by the time I’ve done childcare drop-off and am about to get stuck into work: hunger strikes. So I’ve come to depend on make-ahead breakfasts. These breakfast cookies are particularly convenient as they can be eaten on the go – perfect if you’re commuting or need an energizing snack during the day.
Also, because I’m not much of a breakfast person, I make sure all my breakfast recipes are extra tasty. I like to lure myself into eating to avoid a mid-morning hunger crash. Sometimes it’s just easier to trick yourself into making healthy choices rather than using willpower, am I right?!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Convenient and Nutritious: Perfect for busy mornings, these cookies are a make ahead option for a quick, grab-and-go breakfast. They are made with wholesome ingredients, plus they are vegan and refined sugar free.
- Satisfying and Energizing: With a blend of oats, nut butters, and dried fruits, they provide a satisfying mix of fiber, healthy fats, and natural sweetness to keep you energized.
- Customizable: You can easily swap out ingredients like nut butter, seeds and dried fruit in this recipe depending on what you like and have in the pantry.
- Easy to Make: Simple to prepare – just mix the wet and dry ingredients, combine, then bake. They’re ideal for meal prep and will keep for up to five days in the fridge, so you can make a batch and have breakfast prepped for the whole work week.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll find the specific quantities for each ingredient listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but for your convenience, here’s a shopping list of everything you’ll need:
- Quick oats or rolled oats (do not use steel cut oats – they are too tough)
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Nut butter (such as almond, peanut, or a mix)
- Pure maple syrup
- Apple sauce
- Mashed banana
- Dried cranberries
- Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Pecans
- Raisins or currants
- Ground flaxseed (optional)
Instructions
These Breakfast Cookies are very easy to make – check out the photos below for a visual guide. For detailed timings, temperatures, and exact quantities, check the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One: Preheat the oven and line two baking sheets.
In a large bowl, combine all dried ingredients: oats, dried cranberries, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), pecans, raisins or currants, ground flaxseed, salt, and ground cinnamon. Stir until well mixed.
Step Two: In another bowl, mix together the nut butter, pure maple syrup, apple sauce, and mashed banana until smooth and well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry oat mixture.
Step Three: Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the dough is thick and sticky.
Step Four: Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop out portions of the dough and place them onto the prepared baking sheets.
Step Five: Flatten each mound slightly with the back of a spoon, as the cookies won’t spread during baking.
Step Six: Bake in the preheated oven for 17-20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.
Step Seven: Allow the cookies to partially cool on the baking sheet, then carefully transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or at room temperature for 3 days.
Substitutions & Variations
The great thing about these breakfast cookies is that you can swap out the seeds, nuts or nut butter to suit your taste or what you have on hand. Here are some suggestions:
- Nut Butter: Substitute the almond and peanut butter with any nut or seed butter of your choice, such as cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini. You could use your own homemade nut butter too – this would be super tasty with my Healthy Copycat Biscoff.
- Sweeteners: If you prefer a different sweetener, you can replace the pure maple syrup with agave, or brown rice syrup. Note that some sweeteners can vary in intensity, so taste as you go and adjust to your preference.
- Fruit Mix-Ins: Swap out the dried cranberries for other dried fruits like chopped dried apricots, raisins, or dried cherries.
- Seeds & Nuts: You can use different seeds or nuts according to what you have on hand. Try chia seeds, hemp seeds, or walnuts in place of pepitas and pecans.
- Other Add-Ins: For extra flavor, consider adding mini chocolate chips, coconut flakes, or a sprinkle of sea salt on top of the cookies before baking.
- Flaxseed: Ground flaxseed is used as an egg alternative to bind the cookie dough and prevents the baked cookies from being too crumbly. If you don’t have ground flaxseed, you can use chia seeds as an alternative.
Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If refrigerating, make sure the container is well sealed to avoid them drying out. Allow them to come to room temperature before eating otherwise they’ll be a bit tough and extra chewy. I haven’t tested freezing these cookies myself, but I think in theory it could also work.
Expert Tips
Feel free to get creative with your cookie add-ins. The recipe as written is a classic fall-inspired granola flavor profile but this could easily be adjusted. I think chopped almonds instead of pecans, and dark chocolate chips with a sprinkle of sea salt on top before baking would be delicious too.
FAQ
Yes, you can use quick oats or old-fashioned rolled oats. Both work well, but quick oats may result in a softer cookie texture. Do not use steel cut oats as they are too hard.
Absolutely! Feel free to use any nut or seed butter you prefer, such as sunflower seed butter or cashew butter.
These cookies can be made gluten-free by ensuring the oats you use are certified gluten-free.
This recipe is already vegan! If you adjust any of the mix-ins, like chocolate chips, just make sure they are also vegan.
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can omit the maple syrup if you prefer, but the cookies might be less sweet. Adjust the sweetness with a little extra mashed banana or applesauce if needed.
More Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes
You know I love a tasty make-ahead breakfast, here are some of my most popular ones you should try after this recipe:
- Blueberry Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Chia Pudding
- Cookie Dough Oats
- Air Fryer Single Serve Breakfast Cookie
- Zucchini Muffins
These chewy, nutritious Breakfast Cookies are a convenient and tasty make-ahead breakfast option.
Let me know what you thought in the comments section below and if you customized the recipe with your own mix-ins. I love to hear your ideas for different flavor combinations and ideas.
You can also tag me in your photos on Instagram @glowdiaries___ so I can see your creations and share them with the community on my stories 🙂
Breakfast Cookies
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 cups quick oats or rolled oats
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup raisins or currants
- 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1/4 cup pecans roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup natural nut butter I use a mix of almond and peanut
- 1/2 cup mashed banana roughly 1 large banana
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup apple sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320°F (160°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients: nut butter, mashed banana, maple syrup and apple sauce.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well until combined. The dough will be thick and sticky.
- Take a large scoop (about 1/4 cup) of the cookie dough and transfer to the lined baking sheets. The cookies will not spread in the oven, so press them down with the back of a spoon or your hand.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 days at room temperature.
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