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These healthy breakfast cookies are amazing: no flour, refined sugar or dairy, yet they taste like an oatmeal raisin cookie! Morning win.
The path to healthy breakfast ideas is difficult, especially for meals on the go. So here’s a make ahead breakfast that fits in the palm of your hand: these Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies! Yes, it’s magic: oats, nut butter, applesauce, and maple syrup transform into cookies that you can eat for breakfast. There’s none of those traditional cookie ingredients: no flour, no butter, no oil, and no refined sugar. How is it possible? You’ve got to taste. Read the post for some important pointers.
Ingredients in breakfast cookies
Eating cookies for breakfast? Breakfast cookies are a handheld cookie made with healthy ingredients intended tp be eaten for breakfast or snack. They’re similar to a granola bar, but the texture is softer like a cookie. Breakfast cookies are conveniently easy to make in advance and refrigerate or freeze for meals on the go.
These healthy oatmeal breakfast cookies have no flour and no oil, opting for healthy alternatives. They also make both a vegan breakfast idea and gluten free breakfast option! Here are the 8 ingredients you’ll need:
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Creamy peanut butter or creamy almond butter
- Maple syrup
- Old Fashioned rolled oats
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Kosher salt
- Raisins
Calories per cookie and serving suggestions
These breakfast cookies we created for a friend who asked us for healthy breakfast ideas for on the go (hi, Chelsea!). She had particular dietary considerations, resulting in these cookies being vegan, gluten-free, and full of nutrient-dense ingredients. Here are a few notes on calories and serving the cookies:
- The recipe yields 11 to 12 cookies. You’ll get 11 cookies if you make ¼ cup scoops, or 12 cookies if you make them slightly smaller.
- The cookies are 170 calories each, for a batch of 12.
- Serving size is 1 cookie. The cookies are fairly sweet so we’d suggest another item if you want a more filling breakfast. Add an apple or other grab-and-go item.
A few breakfast cookie tips before you start
These breakfast cookies are not like a traditional cookie! There are a few things that are a bit different and pointers to note:
- The dough is very wet. It’s not like a normal cookie dough, so don’t expect it to be! It’s very wet.
- You’ll have to form the dough into the cookie shapes with your hands. Again, it doesn’t shape like you expect it to: but that’s ok!
- They also don’t spread when baking like a normal cookie. When you shape it, that will be the final shape of the cookie when baked. You can press a few extra raisins into the top before you bake if the cookie looks a little sparse on top.
Storage info
The best thing about breakfast cookies? They’re easy to make ahead and store for on-the-go breakfasts! Here’s what to know about storage:
- Store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for 3 months. Then grab them on your way out the door.
- You can also store at room temp for about 5 days. They get very soft when stored at room temp (and delicious!).
- The cookies become softer when stored. You’ll notice they’re a little crisp at the edges after baking, but they hydrate more during storage.
More healthy breakfast ideas
Looking for easy healthy ways to start the day? (Who isn’t?) Here are a few healthy breakfast ideas:
- Try Scrambled Eggs with Cottage Cheese, a way to stretch 1 egg to a filling breakfast
- Opt for Yogurt Parfaits, Almond Butter Toast, or Vegan Breakfast Sandwich
- Go for delicious Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Try a Breakfast Vegetable Scramble or Crustless Quiche with Spinach
- Grab fan-favorite Healthy Bread Muffins or an Easy Tofu Scramble
- Try 15 Make Ahead Breakfasts for Busy Mornings
This healthy oatmeal breakfast cookies recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Magic Breakfast Cookies
These healthy breakfast cookies are amazing: no flour, refined sugar or dairy, yet they taste like an oatmeal raisin cookie! Morning win.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 11 to 12 cookies 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Breakfast
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter or creamy almond butter
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 3 cups Old Fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the applesauce, maple syrup, and peanut butter. Stir in the oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix very well to combine into a dough. Add the raisins and stir until combined. The dough will be wetter than you expect, but it’s as intended.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out 1/4-cup portions of dough and use the palm of your hand to gently shape it into a cookie to about 3/4-inch thick. The cookie won’t spread while baking, so make it the shape you’d like the final cookie. Place it on the prepared baking sheet. If it doesn’t pop right out of the cup, you can remove it with your hands, form it into a ball and then flatten it into a cookie shape with your hands. Again, the dough will be wetter than a normal cookie dough. Repeat to make 11 cookies with the ¼ cup measure, or make 12 slightly smaller cookies. Press a few extra raisins into the tops of any cookies that seem sparse.
- Bake until the cookies are golden and firm, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. The texture becomes softer during storage. Leftover breakfast cookies will store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, and in the freezer for up to 3 months (you can wrap individually in foil if you like or place in a freezer proof container).
You have instructions to line the baking sheet in both steps 1 and 3.
I have made these a few times, and they are always very crumbly. the dough is not very wet, so I am not sure what I am doing differently.
What can be substituted for the 1/2 cup of applesauce?
Oil
My two year old loves these! I add vegan chocolate chips and they make a wonderful snack anytime of the day!
Ahhh amazing!!! We are so glad to hear this! Thank you so much for making.
Could you substitute Honey or Agave for the Maple Syrup? Would the raisins not sweeten them enough without adding any other sweeteners?
Yes, you could substitute! They definitely need a little added sweetener.
these are incredible! perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a snack in between. reheating them before eating makes my kitchen smell incredible and i feel like i am eating a “real” cookie!! thank you for all your amazing recipes!
So tasty!!! Wonderful breakfast or snack, and so quick to put together with ingredients I already had on hand!
Sorry! Low – glycemic. The typo in that other post got it wrong. Even coconut sugar and maple sugar is better tolerated for me. Thanks!
The recipe looks great, but oats are not gluten-free or celiac disease friendly.
If you have celiac disease, talk to your doctor before making this recipe.
canada has a gluten free oat.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_dp_s_mw_0?ie=UTF8&search-alias=aps&field-keywords=One+Degree+Organic+Foods