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Healthy Breakfast Cookies

By Holly Darnell, RD

January 19, 2023

Who said cookies were only best had later in the day? Introducing the concept of healthy breakfast cookies, which often have a base of oats and including several other ingredients that make these work well as a morning meal or snack.

Ideally, your breakfast cookies aren't sugar-laden or too heavy in carbohydrates. Instead, they should be balanced in their macronutrients, and these breakfast cookies fit the bill. Each cookie includes 21 grams of carbs, 7 grams of fat and 5 grams of protein. At 169 calories, two is a perfect serving size ... and pairs nicely with either a smoothie (such as Dr. Axe's go-to morning smoothie or our brain boosting smoothie) or a warm drink (try our healthy hot chocolate or matcha latte).

Best Breakfast Cookie Ingredients

The best kind of breakfast cookie will remind you of a great breakfast rather than simply a cookie. It's not the time of day for a chocolate chip cookie, for example. Instead, hints of a great, flavorful bowl of oatmeal makes more sense.

This healthy breakfast cookies recipe takes that idea and runs with it, with many healthy and flavorful ingredients that blend extremely well together.

Unsweetened applesauce allows you to mold the cookies well and adds some natural sweetness. Same story with maple syrup, one of the best natural sweeteners and that give the cookies a pleasant breakfast taste.

Almond butter supplies some healthy fats along with a nutty flavor. Pumpkin seeds and shredded coconut also deliver healthy fats alongside fun texture for the breakfast cookies.

Oats! The base of this breakfast cookie, like many, are oats. Specifically, both oat flour and gluten-free rolled oats. Oats are a heart-healthy foods because they provide B vitamins, iron, magnesium and selenium.

Lastly, a little extra sweetness and chewiness is provided by the dried cranberries, which are naturally lower in sugar than raisins.

How to Make Breakfast Cookies

First, preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the applesauce, almond butter, maple syrup and one egg. Using a wooden spoon, mix until well combined. You can also use a food processor if you own one.

Add in vanilla, oat flour, chia seeds, cinnamon, baking soda and sea salt. Mix until well combined. 

Gently stir in the oats, cranberries, pumpkin seeds and shredded coconut until mixed throughout. 

Allow the dough to sit for about 5 to 10 minutes so the oats can soak into the mixture.

Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, about two tablespoons per cookie. You can use a quarter cup mixture or a big spoon.

Place the baking sheeting into the oven and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until they’re set, but soft.

Remove the cookies from the oven and let them continue to cook on a baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer for a cooling rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to four days. Cookies then can be frozen in an airtight container and stored for up to three months.

Recipe developed by Holly Darnell, RD. Holly is a registered dietitian nutritionist who unlocked self-love at the intersection of exceptional food and practical solutions for healthy living. She’s passionate about helping others make simple, positive lifestyle changes on their individual path to healing.