Quick Summary
Breakfast Cookies- you only need one bowl to make these healthy breakfast cookies. They are gluten-free, naturally sweetened, and made without butter or oil, but SO delicious. The perfect grab and go breakfast or anytime snack.
Breakfast Cookies, too good to be true? Nope, we are really eating cookies for breakfast! And these breakfast cookies are kid tested and mother approved.
These cookies are totally acceptable to eat for breakfast because they are made with healthy, wholesome ingredients. I mean, I would eat any of my cookies for breakfast, but these cookies really are the breakfast of champions.
The cookies are:
- naturally gluten-free (oat flour and oats)
- naturally sweetened (no refined sugars)
- made without butter or oil
- made with basic ingredients
- made in ONE bowl
I am sure you are thinking there is no way these cookies taste good, BUT I am a cookie monster and I promise you these cookies are winners. I only make and eat delicious cookies and I LOVE these cookies. And they are kid approved too. My boys devour these cookies and ask for them all of the time.
So how are these cookies so delicious? They are perfectly sweet thanks to the ripe, mashed bananas and pure maple syrup. I use almond butter and an egg (can be made vegan) for protein and to bind all of the ingredients together. The oats make them super satisfying, kind of like a bowl of oatmeal but in cookie form:)
I like to stir in a small handful of chocolate chips because chocolate is good for the soul:) You can leave it out if you want to keep the cookies super duper healthy, but I say live a little, ha! And keep reading because these cookies are VERY flexible. I have lots of variations for you!
If you want to have a good day, start your morning with Breakfast Cookies. They are the BEST!
Cookie Ingredients
- Bananas– use ripe bananas, the browner the better, for ultimate sweetness. For this recipe, you will need 2 large bananas. Mash them up with a fork.
- Almond butter– stir the almond butter really well before measuring. Use a brand that is creamy and drippy. If your almond butter is dry, your cookies will be dry and we don’t want that.
- Maple syrup– make sure you use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup:)
- Egg– for protein and to bind everything together. You can use a flax egg if you need the cookies to be vegan.
- Vanilla extract– a must for cookies!
- Oat flour– You can buy oat flour, BUT it is so easy to make at home. Just put oats in a blender and blend for 20 seconds and you have oat flour. SO easy! If you need the cookies to be gluten-free, use gluten-free oats.
- Cinnamon– cinnamon and oats are a match made in heaven.
- Baking soda– to give the cookies a little lift in the oven.
- Sea salt– I add sea salt to the cookie dough and I sprinkle a little on top of the finished cookies.
- Oats– I stir in oats to make the cookies super hearty. Make sure you use old-fashioned oats and not quick oats.
- Raisins– since these are breakfast cookies, I stir in raisins. Raisins and oatmeal go together, in my opinion, but if you aren’t a fan of raisins in your cookies, you can leave them out:)
- Chocolate chips– optional, but I always add them:) If you need allergy friendly chocolate chips, I love this brand.
How to Make Breakfast Cookies
- Preheat the oven and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, almond butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.
- Add the oat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir, but don’t over mix.
- Stir in the old fashioned oats, dried fruit, and chocolate chips, if using.
- I like to let the dough sit for about 5 to 10 minutes so the oats can soak into the mixture a little. This will help give the cookies a nice shape and the oats will soften a bit.
- Scoop the dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 tablespoons per cookie. You can use a cookie scoop or spoon.
- Bake the cookies until they’re set, but still slightly soft. Don’t over bake them.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Variations
This is an easy recipe to play around with. If you want to mix things up, here are some ideas.
- Instead of almond butter you can use creamy peanut butter.
- If you don’t need the cookies to be vegan, you can sweeten them with honey instead of pure maple syrup.
- If you don’t like raisins in your cookies, I know that is a touchy subject, leave them out! You can add in dried cranberries, dried cherries, or even dried blueberries.
- If you want to use fresh fruit, go with blueberries. Gently stir them in so they don’t turn the batter purple.
- Stir in chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds if you like nuts in your cookies.
- Coconut is also a nice addition, regular or toasted.
- Spice it up! Add a little nutmeg or cardamom.
Storing Tips
After the cookies have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
These cookies also freeze well. I love having a stash in the freezer at all times. I love eating them right from the freezer. They might even be better frozen, so make sure you save some to put in the freezer, trust me! They will keep in a freezer container or bag for up to 3 months.
More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Find all of my cookie recipes HERE!
Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed bananas, 2 large bananas
- 1/3 cup creamy almond butter, can use peanut butter
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, can use honey
- 1 large egg, can use a flax egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup raisins, can use dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips, optional
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on top, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, nut butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.
- Add the oat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir until just combined. Stir in the oats, dried fruit, and chocolate chips, if using.
- Let the dough sit for about 5 to 10 minutes so the oats can soak into the mixture a little.
- Scoop the dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 tablespoons per cookie.
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 14 minutes or until they’re set, but still soft.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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These look amazing! I can’t eat bananas though. Do you think they would work using pumpkin instead? Or is there something else that might be a good substitute there?
Pumpkin will work!
We have tried other breakfast cookies in the past, but these are by far the best ones we have ever had! I made them for the kids for breakfast this morning and I am now making a double batch for tomorrow because they love them so much!! I think it’s the oat flour in addition to just the oats that really make these so great! So so good!
You made my day. I am so so glad you loved the cookies. They are the best:)
I’m not real crazy about banana, can I substrate applesauce for the bananas?
I haven’t tried the recipe with applesauce, let me know if you try it. Pumpkin will work.
Can this be eaten on WW program and how many points?
I don’t follow the WW diet so I am not sure. I am sure you could plug the recipe into a tracker and figure out the points.
It look cool kids would love those
My boys love them:)
These look so delicious! Unfortunately I can’t eat bananas either. Or nuts or squash lol. Any other ideas for substitutions besides pumpkin?
You can use avocado, applesauce (1/2 cup vs 1 reg banana) , or mashed cooked potato or sweet potato. If you are making smoothies or shakes there is a variety of fruits you can use; Pineapple, mango, avocado, or strawberry you can even use chia seeds and Greek yogurt.
Applesauce might work but I haven’t tried it.
How much Pumpkin would you use to substitute the bananas?
Use the same amount as the bananas.
Can I use regular flour instead of oat flour?
I haven’t tried all-purpose flour but I am guessing it would be fine. Let me know if you try it!
I used half flour and half almond flour, and the recipe turned out great! I bet all flour would be fine too. Good luck!
Glad they worked well with those flours! Thanks for sharing!
I used almond flour and they are spectacular
Oh good!
Hi Maria, thanks for the recipe. Quick question about nutrition facts. Are those for one cookie?
Yes!
Can you use almond flour?
I haven’t tried almond flour. It does have a different texture and might make the cookies more dry. You could add a little coconut oil?? Let me know if you try it!!
These sound delicious. Could I use almond flour instead of oat?
I haven’t tried almond flour in this recipe. It does have a different texture and might affect the end result. If you try it, let me know!
Can you sub almond flour or GF flour in this
Recipe??
Oops. Sorry for the repeat question.
I haven’t tried almond flour, but gf all-purpose flour should work just fine. If you use gluten-free oats and blend them, you will have gf oat flour:) The cookies are gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free oats.
I was looking for an easier breakfast cookie and baked these this morning. Used dried cherries instead of raisins, mini choc chips and added slivered almonds. Blitzed old fashioned oats in the blender to make oat flour. We liked them so much I’m making a double batch for the freezer. Thanks for the great recipe!
Love your additions! So happy you loved the cookies!
Could you add a protein powder to this cookie?
Sure, just add less oats.
Yum Yum! Made this morning for breakfast. I followed the recipe. Did not add chocolate chips and the cookies are delicious as is but next time will try the chips. I love the texture of the cookies.
Sometimes I add blueberries instead of chocolate chips and raisins or dried cranberries. Check out the variations section in the post. This is a fun recipe to play around with! So glad you loved the cookies!
Absolutely delicious!! I didn’t have oat flour looked up to see how to make it. So easy I just threw a little over a cup of Oatmeal in a blender and poof I have oat flour. Had to make them first. I’ve eaten 3 already after all ot is my breakfast
Yes, oat flour is so easy to make! I share how to make it in the post above:) So glad you loved the cookies!
These were a hit with the whole family! Just enough sweetness, and it’s filling. I used peanut butter instead of almond butter and used chocolate chips. Next time I’m going to add walnuts. I Will be making a batch every week. Thank you!
Walnuts are a great addition! I am so glad you loved the recipe! Thanks for reporting back!!
I want to make these and mail to my son in college. They would dev great for a quick breakfast and for a snack for he and his roommate. Would they keep longer if stored in the fridge?
How sweet! You can freeze them! They are SO good frozen or you can let them thaw and then eat!
I just mixed them up and they seem like they are too wet. I’m afraid they will spread out too much when baking. I added a little more oats. But am afraid to get them too dry. Any suggestions?
The dough is somewhat wet because of the bananas. I wouldn’t add too many oats to the recipe or they will not spread at all. Let me know how they turn out after baking.
The flavor was good but the texture was kind of… gummy. Where did I go wrong?
The cookies are more moist because of the banana and chewy because of the oats. They aren’t supposed to be crispy.
I made these cookies today. I used a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and got 22 cookies instead of 16. I mashed the bananas with a potato masher because I like a little chunky banana in my bread and cookies. I used peanut butter instead of almond butter and I used agave instead of honey, because maple syrup is a little on the pricey side. I thought the texture of these cookies was more like banana bread. Couldn’t really taste the peanut butter that much. And the cookies didn’t flatten out, they stayed pretty much in the tablespoon shape. Did the chunky bananas make them not spread? BTW, I live in Colorado at 8000ft, always a challenge when it comes to baking! And my oven is sketchy with maintaining correct temperature, UGH!! Any suggestions?
Thanks for sharing your substitutions but it seems like you gave a 4-star rating to a totally different cookie. Doesn’t seem fair to throw off the rating score when you didn’t even make the same cookie.
Loving the flavours in this recipe. Not sure about the texture. My cookies are coming out almost more of a muffin texture. I thought they would be a little more chewy. I use a muesli mix instead of plain oats, so it basically is oats with a much of add ins already (blueberries, coconuts, seeds, raisins etc). Do you think the recipe might need more oats to be chewier?
They are moist and thick because of the banana, nut butter, and oats. It is a heartier texture. I like them that way:) You could try removing some of the banana/nut butter and add in coconut oil or real butter, but I haven’t tried that.
You talk about oat flour, but on the photos, the oat is not blend into flour at all. The oat is natural, why ?
I use oat flour. I just blend oats in a blender!
Another 5 star recipe review from me! I made these yesterday & they are excellent. No white flour. No white sugar. Healthy oats. And the maple syrup is sufficient for sweetening. Everyone in the house loved them. Plus, no guilt (minimal because I did add the chocolate chips).
So awesome!
These cookies are *hands down* my favorite breakfast cookie recipe out there!
Yahoo!
I just made these and love them! They are a perfectly soft cookie. I replaced the chocolate chips with chopped pecans. I didn’t make any other substitutions. A great cookie for breakfast, on the go, or an afternoon snack. Yum!
I am so glad you loved the cookies!! They are great anytime of the day:)
So easy and soooo good! I love that I didn’t need to add sugar!
I seriously make them ALL of the time. SO good! Glad you liked them too!
Now I know why you keep making these! So easy and kid approved!!
Any suggestions for a nut-free sub for the nut butter? No allergies, just a damn picky kid, haha. I’d eat them with either nut butter!
The almond butter isn’t strong, they might not know:) Or you can try sunbutter, which is nut free, but I think it has a stronger taste.
Try Biskoff cookie butter?
I just made those. I used mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries and added 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes. My almond butter was on the dry side so added 1tbsp of coconut oil. I rested the dough 45 mins before baking to let the oats absorb moisture. The big change I made is I cooked the dough in my biscotti pan (6×12). I will never stop making these. They are beyond delicious! I’m looking forward to trying different types of mix-ins!
Great recipe! I used sunflower butter instead of almond butter because my son has a nut allergy. Just an fyi, they turned green a few hours after being in an air tight container. After a little research I found that the chlorogenic acid (Chlorophyll) sunflower can react with baking soda and cause the green color — it’s harmless.
Thank you so much for doing this research! I did sunbutter as well- phew! Glad it’s okay, already fed them to my boys. Still delicious! Maybe a new St. Patrick’s day option? haha
So yummy and a perfect morning grab before the gym! I have made these a few times using almond, mixed nut and peanut butters and changing up the fruit and chips. Even the picky hubs likes them.
These cookies are great! The recipe is perfect! I highly recommend making them!
Yay!!
I have to double the recipe to keep these in my house!
When doubling, I like to substitute the second cup of oat flour with 2/3c whole wheat (I find they are a bit more cookie like that way and we don’t have any gluten intolerances)
I also like to mix dark chocolate chips and white chocolate chips for visual interest and taste. And use both raisins and dried cranberries.
They are also delicious straight out of the freezer.
So thankful for this recipe!
These are SO GOOD. I was tempted to just sit down w the batter bowl and eat it all, but I restrained myself. YUM!
Ha! I completely understand. I am glad you love the recipe!
I used whole wheat flower and dried cranberries and they came out great. They are going to make a wonderful grab and go breakfast!
Absolutely love these cookies! Perfect with a cup of coffee and I always have some in the freezer to warm up.
Maria, my cookies are turning out too puffy and a little dry. I measure my oat flour and cut down to 1 cup of oats. Any tips?
I am so glad you love the cookies. Hmmm, make sure you are using a drippy nut butter, enough banana, and not packing your flour when measuring. You can always try 2 tablespoons less oat flour.
maria,
what a great, quick breakfast grab. these are so tasty and pretty HEALTHY.
(I subbed out the chocolate chips for almond slices.)
thanks for a great recipe.
and sorry – I forgot to give it the 5 stars! :0)
Delicious and so easy to make. Those mornings when we don’t have time for a sit down breakfast, your breakfast cookies are a great hit. Thank you for delicious recipes!!!
and sorry – I forgot to give it the 5 stars! :0)
So Deanna, I follow WW and plugged in the ingredients and each cookie are 4 points, which is not bad for a really good and easy snack. I made these tonight and they were so yummy. And I am not really a banana lover but it really didn’t taste a lot like bananas so I was great with it. My hubby even tried the batter and said it was really good. So thank you Maria for all your amazing recipes..
Hi. I love this recipe. I’m curious where the 1g of trans fat comes from as I try to avoid trans fats.
Thank you
Can I substitute regular flour or whole wheat flour for the oat flour?
Yes!
Absolutely love these “muffins” I used peanut butter powder which was runny so instead of cookies I ended up making 24 small muffins. I also doubled the chocolate chips (Dark Chocolate) DOH .. added 1/2 cup raisans and 1/2 cup coconut. Deeelicious.
I love these cookies! My only question was, are they supposed to be more spongy? I used peanut butter, which made the dough thicker, but they were more muffin consistency. Overall, I loved these thanks for the recipe!
These are yummy! Why do they turn green after the batter has sat for a bit? Bananas?
Could I use quick oats instead of old fashioned?
Sure!
Came out perfectly and my kids loved them. Thank you!
Yahoo!
Hi Maria! Do you think I would be able to add shredded zucchini/carrot? if so, would I have to change the measurements of any of the other ingredients?
They will make the cookies more moist, so you will need to add more oats.
Followed the recipe, but dough is very sticky. How will it effect the dough if I add about another 1/2 cup? Otherwise, love the taste.
It is a moist dough because of the bananas. You can add more oats or oat flour but they will be thicker and not flatten out as much.
What is the serving size? These look so delicious. I need quick breakfasts before work.
Goodmorning,
Could I double the recipe and put in a 9 x 13 pan.
These breakfast cookies are so good and great when you are in a hurry in the morning.
Thank you,
Linda
I haven’t tried them in a pan.
Very good. Just what I was looking for to have with my morning coffee. I thought I was out of cranberries, so I cut up a few dates. Then I found the cranberries, so they went in with the last of my sesame seeds. I only had enough for 12 cookies but I think I made them a little bigger than you suggested. Thank you!
These breakfast cookies are incredible! I love not having the artificial sugars and being gluten free! They’re quick and easy to eat on my way to work
I subbed almond flour because I had it on hand and used freeze dried fruit because I like the texture better.
They are my favorite!
These cookies are delicious and perfect for my teen’s morning breakfast. However after baking I stored them in a Tupperware container and this morning they are soft and no longer cookie like. Any idea what I did wrong? Thank you for a great recipe!
In the breakfast cookies….can you sub the almond butter with something else??? Don’t like it!
Peanut butter would be good!
I’ve made breakfast cookies before but this one by far has the best texture. Bananas can give a weird texture sometimes but these were great! I used peanut butter and was a little heavy handed on the chocolate chips ;). Delicious !
They really are the best!
I just made these today and they are so delicious! I also added chopped toasted walnuts. They didn’t spread at all which is fine with me. I may have added a bit more baking soda. My batch made 30 cookies and were done in 9 minutes.
Perfect! So glad you loved them!
It says add the oat flour, but the ingredients call for old fashioned oats. I’m not sure which to do.
The ingredient list says 1 cup oat flour. You can make oat flour by blending oats in a blender or food processor.
Can you substitute the oat flour for regular flour, or anything else?
Yes, you can use all-purpose flour.
These are FABULOUS! I made them with my 2.5 year old, letting him mix up all the ingredients and he had a blast AND made him love them even more when they were done! I swapped almond flour for oat flour and cooked for 16 minutes but they came out perfect. Saving this recipe as a breastfeeding cookie for when baby sister comes 🙂 Thank you for this!!!
Really good and easy to make. I blended the mashed bananas to avoid lumps and the cookies turned out delicious!! Added cranberries, chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds and desiccated coconut. Thanks for the recipe!
I love keeping these in the freezer! Glad you liked the recipe!
Delicious but mine turned like a dark green on top once baked? Is that just the bananas? Otherwise they were very yummy
Green? Interesting, I’ve never seen that. It could have been your bananas.
I love that this recipe is healthy & GF. I used GF baking flour & GF oats. I substituted chocolate covered craisins & they were delicious!!
Yum! Glad you loved the cookies!
These were a hit with the guys in my office. A nice treat after all the Christmas cookies that needed to go away! Easy recipe with pantry basics and those over ripe bananas that needed to be used !
I love how easy they are too…and how delicious:)
Hi Maria, A perfect & satisfying cookie for someone who is always in search of a delicious cookie without refined sugar. Thank you for sharing! I followed exact but for some reason they did not flatten much. But still a keeper in my file:)
Glad you loved them. You can try adding a little less oats next time if they were too puffy for your taste.
I’ve not made any, but am wondering if you have any breakfast cookie recipes that are not gluten free. I understand that many have a need for gluten free, but many do not & gluten is healthy for them. I literally cannot find any healthy breakfast cookies that have gluten. Thank you
You can use regular all-puropose flour in this recipe.
Do you have to use oat flour?
You can use all-purpose flour.
Cookies are heavy. Did I do something wrong? Used cookie scoop, so cookies didn’t flatten
They are a hearty breakfast cookie.
How would I reheat these if I froze them? Thanks !
The on-the-go adults in our family love these! I used regular all-purpose flour and substituted dried cherries. I froze the cookies, then bring them out as needed. My husband loves them with his morning coffee. My son-in-law takes them on the road for snacks. I enjoy them mid-afternoon when I am looking for something light and sweet but filling and nutritious. Thanks so much for this recipe!
I am glad you love the cookies!