Mar 6, 2017
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These healthy breakfast cookies are packed with the nutrition your body needs for a wholesome breakfast you can enjoy on the go.
Made without grains or dairy, each cookie is packed with 8 grams of protein, 5.6 g of fiber, and 24 g of complex carbohydrates. They are a much better option (and more affordable) than pre-made bars, and you can serve them with fruit and yogurt for a balanced meal.
These cookies are an especially good idea if you’re doing paleo and need a nutritious breakfast idea that doesn’t involve eggs. I’m sure you know what I mean if you’ve been doing paleo for some time or have an egg allergy.
Thankfully, these breakfast cookies make it just as easy to get enough protein and healthy fats in your mornings without having to crack another egg. And once you take a bite of the delicious chewy texture, they are sure to be a staple for breakfast and snacks.
Healthy Breakfast Cookie Ingredients
This recipe comes together with pantry ingredients and an overripe banana. No dairy or eggs are needed. Let’s take a look at the ingredients that make these breakfast cookies a healthy option:
- banana: gives the cookies flavor and reduces the amount of sweetener needed. The riper the banana, the better.
- almond butter: add healthy fats and protein making these cookies more satiating and it helps bind the cookie dough.
- honey: just enough to give these cookies sweet flavor.
- vanilla extract: for flavor.
- cinnamon: adds that warm cinnamon flavor to the cookies, also optional.
- unsweetened shredded coconut: for texture and fiber, it’s also a complex carbohydrate high in healthy fats and minerals such as manganese, copper, and iron.
- hemp seeds: are an excellent source of omega-3’s, fiber, and protein. If you don’t have any on hand, use coarsely chopped sunflower seeds.
- baking soda: gives these cookies a little ‘lift’.
- salt: enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- raisins: for a little something sweet in each bite and optional. You could swap these for dried cranberries, chopped nuts, or dark chocolate chips.
You can also replace the honey with ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce and ½ teaspoon liquid stevia to make this a low-carb breakfast option.
This healthy breakfast cookie is one of my paleo-approved breakfast recipes my family loves.
Recipes like these breakfast cookies are a great example of how good healthy can taste, and if you’re looking for more ways to feed your family fresh meals, the Family Kickstart Program has everything you need.
It’s a 4-week meal plan with kid-approved breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes and resources like a weekly prep guide and shopping list to help parents stay on track.
You can grab more details on the Family Kickstart below.
A Family Approach to Healthier Eating
Tired of searching for healthy, family-friendly recipes?
Learn how many parents eliminate processed foods and sugars from their family’s diet with the Family KickStart Program.
How to Make Healthy Breakfast Cookies
This cookie dough is simple to make, and you can use a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer or fork, whatever makes it easiest for you.
- Prep
Preheat the oven to 350F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. - Combine the wet ingredients
In a large bowl, mash the banana with a fork and stir in the almond butter, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. - Mix it all together
In a small bowl combine the coconut, hemp seeds, baking soda, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the banana and almond butter mixture until combined. Fold in the raisins or your add-in of choice. - Drop and shape
Using a ¼ measuring cup, drop mounds of dough 3-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Use a small baking spatula, dipped in water, to press each cookie down into a 2 ¾-inch round and ½ inch thick disc. - Bake
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving (otherwise, they’ll fall apart).
Watch how these yummy breakfast cookies are made in the video below:
Make Next: Banana Breakfast Cookies
Healthy Breakfast Cookie Variations
This recipe is a great ‘base’ for other breakfast cookie variations. All of the ingredients from the banana up to the salt form a basic dough. From there, you can swap the raisin for other mix-ins like the ones mentioned below:
- dried fruit: cranberries, cherries, and apricots are a natural way to sweeten the cookies and add great texture.
- berries: strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries provide antioxidants, fiber, and delicious fruit flavor. Fresh or frozen will work, but make sure the strawberries are diced, and any frozen berries are defrosted before adding them to the dough.
- dark chocolate chips: the darker the chocolate, the more antioxidants. You can use chips or chopped chocolate pieces.
Paleo Breakfast Cookie Texture
These paleo breakfast cookies have a hearty and chewy texture similar to oatmeal cookies. The shredded coconut and raisins give them even more bite and extra sweetness.
Can You Freeze Breakfast Cookies?
These healthy breakfast cookies hold up great in the freezer. Bake the cookies as directed and allow them to cool down to room temperature before placing them into a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
When you’re ready for a cookie, remove the desired amount from the freezer and allow them to thaw on the counter before serving.
More Healthy Breakfast Cookie Recipes
I’ve got many more delicious breakfast cookie ideas that are kid-approved and made with wholesome ingredients. Most are oatmeal-based, but the flavors vary from a Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookie to Carrot Cake and Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Cookie.
There’s also the giant oatmeal cookie made with vanilla protein powder; they’re super hefty and a personal favorite for a post-run or workout snack.
Healthy Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 1 cup almond butter
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup unsweetened & finely shredded coconut
- ⅓ cup hemp seeds or coarsely chopped sunflower seeds
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup raisins optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash banana with a fork, add in almond butter, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon.
- In a small bowl, combine shredded coconut, hemp seeds, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the banana almond butter mixture. If desired, fold in raisins.
- Using a ¼-cup measuring cup, drop mounds of dough 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. With a thin metal or small plastic spatula dipped in water, flatten and spread each mound of dough to a 2¾-inch round, about ½ inch thick.
- Bake, one sheet at a time, for 14 to 16 minutes or until browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Store in the refrigerator inside an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months; thaw before serving.
Marcia
I’ve been looking for good paleo breakfast cookies and these are GREAT! Also, my kid can’t eat egg, so we can both enjoy this recipe. It’s exactly what we needed it. Thank you Laura!!
Mary
Hi,
These sound amazing. I can’t do coconut though. Is there a sub for the coconut flakes? Thank you!
Laura Fuentes
I have not made this recipe without the coconut. You might have more success with an almond flour breakfast cookie. If you can have oats, this breakfast cookie version is epic.
Lori
BEST Paleo cookie I’ve ever had. Thank you! now on my rotation as fuel for after my runs.
Tennille
I was wondering what to replace instead of using almond milk, my daughter has a bit allergy. The rest sounds great! Thanks!
Trish
I’m seeing the recipe as almond BUTTER not almond MILK. So she is allergic to almonds? Maybe use cashew butter or natural peanut butter? I’m sure Laura would have better answers than me. This sound yummy don’t they??
Laura Fuentes
This recipe is easy to make nut free by using an alternative to nut butter like sunflower butter. I hope this helps! 😉
Jacquelyn
I make these with peanut butter as it’s cheaper but still has healthy fats and protein, but they ended up goopy the first time I made them. The second time, I thought oats might help absorb the moisture, so I replaced half of the coconut with rolled oats. Just for kicks, I also added a scoop of soy protein. I love them after the gym!
Dawn Louise
These sound really good, is there any other alternatives for the seeds as I don’t have any and would have to order and wait to make them?
Laura Fuentes
you can omit the seeds without causing too much distress on the recipe.
Caitlin Smith
Thanks, I can’t wait to make these! One question though – when you say:
“Just one cookie, when you make 16) is packed with 5 grams of protein, 4.5g of fiber, 10g of carbohydrates, and 6g of sugars (from the banana and honey) and at 180 calories.”
Do you mean that this is the nutritional information for 1/16 of the recipe as written?
Thanks again – C.
Laura Fuentes
exactly. I usually make 12-16 regular sized cookies. Sometimes I have 1, sometimes I have 2.
Summer
I’d love to try this recipe. Our family isn’t big on coconut, though. It seems like all healthy cookies, granola bars, etc. call for coconut. Do you have suggestions as to what we could replace it with?
Thanks
Laura Fuentes
Hi Summer, I assure you that this cookie recipe doesn’t taste “coconutty.” Unfortunately, I haven’t tried substituting it for something else but you can try my other breakfast cookie that uses oats. This cookie is the grain-free version of that cookie.
Nancy
On your serving size : “The recipe yields 8 monster sized cookies or 6 regular sized cookies.”
Are those numbers correct? I would think a monster cookie would be bigger than a regular size cookie. Perhaps you meant 6 monster sized cookies or 8 regular sized cookies?
Laura Fuentes
OOPs! thanks for seeing this! that would be 12 🙂
Manisha
These look great! Do you think I would be able to use peanut butter instead of almond butter?
Laura Fuentes
Of course! enjoy. 🙂