Recipe: Healthy Breakfast Cookies

If you’re looking for an excuse to have cookies for breakfast – try these healthy breakfast cookies! They’re a soft and chewy banana cookie made from just a handful of wholesome & healthy ingredients.

Mornings can be hard. Whether you’re getting kids out the door or just getting yourself into work, eating a healthy breakfast can sometimes be a challenge. This healthy breakfast cookie recipe is made from a base of bananas and oats.

I’ve found them to be the perfect solution for those busy mornings!

Make a double batch of these healthy breakfast oatmeal cookies on Sunday and have them ready to pack in baggies for the kids to bring on the bus or to take in your car. Easy, healthy, filling – the whole family will love them.

What You’ll Love about these Healthy Breakfast Oat Cookies

• Made from simple, wholesome ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
• Everything is mixed with just a wooden spoon – no mixer required!
• A nutrient-dense cookie you can feel good about having for breakfast or as a snack on-the-go.
• Endlessly customizable with different mix-ins and spices. 
• Way more fun to eat than another bowl of oatmeal!

Ingredients in Healthy Breakfast Cookies

These healthy breakfast cookies are packed with nutrient-dense ingredients that will keep you feeling satisfied!

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• Bananas: use extra-ripe bananas here for a sweeter cookie. You can use fresh or thawed frozen bananas. (If using frozen, drain any liquid that drains out during thawing.)
• Old Fashioned Rolled Oats: we love the texture and chewiness of old fashioned oats, but you can use quick-cooking oats for these healthy cookies too.
• Whole Wheat Flour: we like whole wheat flour for this healthy cookie recipe, but all purpose flour and oat flour can be substituted.
• Oil: for healthy baking, we most often reach for coconut oil but you can use olive oil or avocado oil for these instead. 
• Maple Syrup: for a little extra sweetness, we add some maple syrup to these oatmeal breakfast cookies. You can substitute with honey or agave nectar. 
• Vanilla & Cinnamon: both of these add delicious flavor to these easy breakfast cookies. 
• Baking Powder: adds a little bit of lightness.
• Coconut & Walnuts: we like this combo of mix-ins but you can swap these out for your preferred nut or dried fruit.

Variations and Substitutions

Try Different Mix-Ins: we like adding coconut and walnuts to these healthy banana breakfast cookies, but you can add just about any dried fruit or nuts in these chewy cookies. For dried fruit, try: dried cranberries, raisins, dried apricots, dried blueberries, or dates. For nuts, we also like almonds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, or pecans. You can even add dark chocolate chips if you’d like!

Swap the Sweetener: Don’t like maple syrup – use agave nectar instead. If you don’t need these cookies to be vegan, you can use honey in place of the maple syrup.

Switch up the Spices: cinnamon is great for these cookies, but you can experiment with other spices like cardamom, nutmeg, apple pie spice, pumpkin spice, or ginger.

Make them Gluten Free: to make these breakfast cookies gluten-free, use gluten free certified oats and swap the whole wheat flour for a 1-1 gluten free flour OR gluten free oat flour.

Make them Nut Free: omit the walnuts or use pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds instead.

How to Make Healthy Breakfast Oatmeal Cookies

Follow these simple steps to make delicious breakfast cookies the whole family will enjoy!

Stir all the wet ingredients together: Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl, then add the coconut oil, vanilla extract and maple syrup to the bowl with the mashed bananas.

Mix the dry ingredients together: add the oats, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt to a separate bowl and whisk together.

Combine: combine the wet and dry ingredients together then use 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Transfer to a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Flatten the Cookies: Slightly flatten the tops of each cookie using the back of a spoon to make large discs instead of tall mounds. The cookies don’t spread so flattening them gives them a better shape.

Bake: These cookies only take about 15-18 minutes in a preheated oven. Try not to over bake them; take them out when the edges are lightly browned.

Recommended Tools for this Recipe

• Measuring cups
• Mixing bowls
• Baking Sheet
• Cookie scoop (2 tablespoon size)

Tips for Making the BEST Breakfast Cookies

Use extra-ripe bananas: since there is only a little bit of maple syrup added to these for sweetness, most of the sweetness comes from the bananas so try to use extra ripe ones for these cookies. 

Flatten the cookies: these cookies don’t spread when they bake, so use a spoon or the bottom of a glass to flatten them into a disc rather than a tall mound. Since they don’t spread during baking, you can fit them a little closer together on the baking sheet than normal. 

Line your baking sheet: to make sure these cookies don’t stick to your baking sheet, make sure to line it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Don’t over-bake: take these cookies out as soon as the edges start to get a little brown, somewhere around the 15 minute mark.

Storage

How long do these cookies last? You can store these cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. These cookies soften over time with storage – but they’re still delicious. 

Can you freeze healthy breakfast cookies? Yes- these cookies freezer very well! Store in a freezer container or bag for up to 3 months. Snack on them straight from the freezer or pop them into the microwave for a few seconds to thaw.

More Healthy Breakfast Ideas

• Delicious Egg White Bites (Starbucks Copycat)
• Healthy Oat Flour Banana Muffins
• Breakfast Quinoa Bowl
• Healthy Breakfast Burritos
• Healthy Vegetable Frittata