Recipe

Healthy cookies loaded with oats, peanut butter, and raisins- these Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies a dream come true for a quick morning meal!

Grab your glass of milk and watch how this Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie recipe comes together for a nutritious and easy breakfast idea your kids will love!

Don’t they look amazing? I mean, what’s not to love about oats, peanut butter, honey—yum.

What’s the difference between a regular cookie and a breakfast cookie? One is a soft, delicious baked round you enjoy for a treat, the other is a soft, delicious baked round, that also happens to be healthy so you can eat it for breakfast too!

And yes, these homemade Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies actually taste good- unlike other breakfast “cookies” we’ve tried.

How to Make Breakfast Cookies Healthier

If it looks like a cookie and tastes like a cookie, then it must be a cookie! said Cookie Monster on Sesame Street. It is—sort of.

This is a breakfast favorite in our house. Little does my family know that these cookies have protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and omega-3s. Sssssshhhhhhhhh! Don't tell them!

Traditional cookie ingredients include butter, all-purpose flour, eggs, sugar. While there is nothing wrong with enjoying a classic cookie or two, when it comes to breakfast cookies, I like to swap out the regular ingredients with healthier ones. Speaking of, that brings us to our next point.

Best Ingredients for Healthier Breakfast Cookies

So let’s talk about the ingredients swaps this recipe uses to help make these breakfast cookies healthy.

Instead of butter
Peanut butter, unsweetened applesauce, coconut oil, or pumpkin pureé. If you’re family can’t have peanut butter, I’ve got an entire review of the BEST peanut butter alternatives you can use in everything from a classic PB & J to these healthy cookies!

Instead of sugar
Honey, maple syrup or agave nectar are great substitutes for regular granulated sugars. Their moisture content also helps to yield a soft, chewy cookie.

I will tell you that while the original recipe calls for ½ cup of honey, you can cut it down to ¼ cup and still achieve a delicious cookie.

Instead of white flour
Old fashioned oats, oat flour, whole wheat flour, or gluten-free flour all make great flour substitutes for cookies and quick bread. This recipe uses a combination of rolled oats and whole wheat flour.

If you want to make it completely gluten-free, swap the whole wheat flour for an all-purpose gluten-free variety.

Instead of Eggs
If you’re avoiding eggs or simple ran out, you can use applesauce, mashed banana, or flax eggs (1 tablespoon flaxseed mixed with 1 tablespoon water per egg).

For these Oatmeal breakfast cookies, I swapped eggs, butter, sugar, and flour for bananas, peanut butter, honey, oats, and whole wheat flour. They also include additional ingredients like flaxseed and milk or protein powder for extra fiber and protein.

After all, they are BREAKFAST cookies, and you can feel good about serving them to your family.

If you want to make this recipe vegan, replace the honey for maple syrup and your favorite vegan protein powder for milk powder and they’ll turn out just fine.

If you’re looking for a handy list of ingredient swaps you can keep on hand, click the link and I’ll share my best substitutions with you!

How to Make Breakfast Cookies

Like any regular cookie recipe, there’s a lot of combining, sifting, stirring, and raw cookie dough eating involved.

Thankfully with this recipe, it’s 100% safe to eat the raw dough, not to mention delicious but make sure to save some for baked cookies.

Prep
Like any responsible cookie maker, start by preheating the oven to 350F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Combine wet ingredients
In a bowl, combine the banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla.
Combine dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, combine the oats, flour, ground flax, milk powder or protein powder, cinnamon, and baking soda.
Combine both
Working in batches, gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the raisins. This is the part where you grab a spoon and help yourself to some raw cookie dough.
Shape the cookies
Using a ¼ measuring cup, drop mounds of remaining dough about 3-inches apart onto the baking sheet. Using the back of a spatula, press the dough into a 2 ¾-inch round circle. This will make the giant, monster cookie size we’re going for.
Bake
Bake one pan of cookies at a time for 14 to 16 minutes, until they are slightly golden. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
Pour a tall glass of milk and enjoy while the other pan finishes baking ;).

I know you want to see how these epic breakfast cookies come together, so take a look at this quick recipe video:

You’ll find this recipe in my cookbook, The Best Homemade Kids’ Lunches on the Planet along with other breakfast favorites.

This recipe is also an excellent base for all sorts of yummy breakfast cookies. Swap the raisins for any of your family’s favorite add-ins like dried cranberries, chopped nuts, even chocolate bits.

How to Freeze Breakfast Cookies

Another reason to love these oatmeal breakfast cookies? They like to hang out in the freezer so you can have a quick grab for breakfast or snack time.

All you need to do is place the baked and cooled cookies in a large resealable bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

When you’re ready for a cookie, remove as many as you need from the bag, and allow them to thaw before eating. If you’re feeling extra, pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds, it tastes fresh out the oven.

How Long Do These Cookies Last?

When stored at room temperature in an airtight container, these cookies will last about 3 days. If you freeze, they’re good for up to 2 months, not that you’ll be able to keep them that long.

Once you start eating cookies for breakfast, you won’t want to stop. Good thing for you I’ve got more healthy breakfast treats you can try, like these Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies for carrot cake lovers, but healthier and with a hearty, chewy texture. They make the ideal morning fuel.

These Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Cookies have the perfect delicious texture and easy to whip up! With this Blueberry Breakfast Cookie recipe, the beloved Blueberry Baked Oatmeal gets reborn into a warm, soft breakfast cookie! They’re made with only 5 simple ingredients and bake up fast for a quick and delicious breakfast.

Chocolate and cookies for breakfast? Don’t mind if I do! Thanks to the oats, peanut butter, and banana, these Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies are so easy to make and super hearty!

Yes, I let my kids have a “cookie” for breakfast, but you know it’s way better than some of the processed breakfast foods found at the store. At least I know it’s made with real ingredients, and they are filling.

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie

Servings: 12

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Healthy cookies loaded with oats, peanut butter, and raisins- these Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies a dream come true for a quick morning meal!

4.96 from 119 votes

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Ingredients

½ cup mashed banana, approx 1 large
½ cup smooth peanut butter
½ cup honey or maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup old fashioned oats
¼ cup flour
¼ cup ground flaxseed*
¼ cup vanilla protein powder*
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup raisins, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray; set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla.
In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, ground flax, protein powder, cinnamon, and baking soda.
Stir the oat mixture into the banana mixture until combined. Stir 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 2 ¾-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 an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months; thaw before serving.

Notes

Make sure to use old-fashioned oats (not quick or instant) for this recipe. Using quick/instant oats will make the cookies lose their shape.
Make this recipe gluten-free by using a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose baking flour.
You may substitute the ground flaxseed (flax meal) for the same amount of flour.
If your mixture is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water to the mixture. Some protein powders are thicker than others and they will yield slightly different textures to the dough.

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