Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Cookies for breakfast? Yes, please! These oatmeal breakfast cookies are sweet, nutty, and filled with healthy ingredients like oats, nuts, and fruit.

oatmeal breakfast cookies

Here’s how much I love these oatmeal breakfast cookies: after I finish typing this post, I’m going to head to the kitchen to make more. They’re vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free, and they have fiber from the oats and protein and healthy fats from almond butter. Thanks to maple syrup, they’re naturally sweetened too. But these breakfast cookies aren’t just good for you. They’re also delicious! The same ingredients that pack them with nutrients give them a sweet, nutty flavor and soft, puffy texture. Who wants to eat a bowl of oatmeal when you can eat a cookie for breakfast!?

Breakfast cookie recipe ingredients

Breakfast Cookie Recipe Ingredients

This breakfast cookie recipe is a revamped version of my Carrot Quinoa Oatmeal Cookies. They have been a fan favorite (and family favorite) for years now. This time, I swapped the carrots and dried cranberries for a more summery combination of blueberries and lemon zest. Here’s what else is in them:

  • Ground flaxseed: It acts as a binder and adds fiber and omega-3s.
  • Oat flour, almond flour, and whole rolled oats: This combination is naturally gluten-free, and it gives the cookies a soft, oat-y texture.
  • Baking powder and baking soda: To help them puff up in the oven!
  • Cinnamon: For warm, spiced flavor.
  • Maple syrup: It sweetens these cookies naturally.
  • Coconut oil and almond butter: They bind everything together and make the cookies moist and tender.
  • Walnuts: They add healthy fats and a delicious nutty crunch.
  • And sea salt: To make the sweet, nutty flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Blueberries, oats, and walnuts in a mixing bowl

These cookies get lightly crisp on the bottom, but as you’ll see, they’re pretty puffy – more like a muffin top than a flat/crispy oatmeal cookie. They’re big and substantial, but not too dense and not at all dry.

Folding blueberries and walnuts into batter

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies Tips

  • It’ll be tempting to underbake them. Don’t! When you’re working with oat flour, it can be tricky to gauge when baked goods are done. These cookies might look nicely puffed and ready to eat after just 18 or 20 minutes in the oven, but in actuality, they may need a few minutes more. The best indicator here is their coloring. Make sure that they’re beginning to brown around the edges before you remove them from the oven. If the breakfast cookies are underdone, they’ll end up very soft and crumbly.
  • Leave them on the baking sheet for a few minutes to cool. Like many vegan cookies, these oatmeal breakfast cookies will be delicate when you take them out of the oven. It’s tempting to reach for one right away, but if you let them rest for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, they’ll have a more cohesive texture and richer flavor. After 5 minutes, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Freeze the extras. If you plan to eat all these breakfast cookies within a few days, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. However, they also freeze really well. I love to make a double recipe to keep on hand for a quick healthy breakfast or snack! The freezer is also a great way to hide them from Jack, who would otherwise eat one every time he walks past the kitchen counter. ? Transfer the frozen cookies to the fridge to thaw overnight, or pop one in the microwave for 30 seconds when you’re ready to eat.

Woman scooping healthy breakfast cookies onto baking sheet

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies Variations

I love the blueberry and lemon zest combination in this healthy breakfast cookie recipe, but feel free to swap in whatever mix-ins sound good to you. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Switch the fruit. Replace the blueberries with your favorite dried fruit. Dried tart cherries or cranberries would be great!
  • Spice it up. Cardamom, nutmeg, and/or ginger are delicious in addition to the cinnamon.
  • Swap the nuts. Instead of walnuts, use pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped almonds, or pecans.
  • Add chocolate. Nix the lemon zest, and replace the berries with chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips.

Let me know what variations you try!

Breakfast cookies recipe

More Favorite Breakfasts and Snacks

If you love these oatmeal breakfast cookies, try one of these healthy recipes next:

Then, check out this post for 60+ Healthy Breakfast Ideas and this one for 47 more healthy snacks!

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Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

rate this recipe:
4.96 from 84 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves 12
These healthy oatmeal breakfast cookies are my favorite grab-and-go breakfast! Soft & puffy like muffin tops, they're vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and absolutely delicious.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 5 tablespoons warm water
  • 1 cup oat flour, made from 1¼ cups whole rolled oats*
  • 1 cup additional whole rolled oats
  • ½ cup almond flour
  • zest of 1 lemon, about ½ tablespoon
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup creamy natural almond butter**
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • cup walnuts
  • ¾ cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed and warm water and set aside to thicken for 5 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the oat flour, the additional 1 cup rolled oats, almond flour, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the almond butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup and stir well to incorporate. Stir in the flaxseed mixture.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and fold in just until combined. Fold in the walnuts and blueberries.
  • Scoop ¼ cup of batter for each cookie onto the baking sheet. Bake 20 to 24 minutes, or until browned around the edges. Cool on the pan for 5 to 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. If you take them off the sheet too soon, the cookies may fall apart.
  • When cookies are completely cool, they can be stored in an airtight container or frozen.

Notes

*If you are gluten free, be sure to use certified gluten free oats.
**Use natural almond butter that doesn't contain any added oils - this can affect cookie cohesion. I use Whole Foods 365 Almond Butter.

 

220 comments

4.96 from 84 votes (27 ratings without comment)

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  1. Abby
    11.08.2024

    These turned out disappointing. I’m sure it’s hard to diagnose what could have gone wrong from a comment but, I followed the recipe exactly and they came out more spread out than the picture. They’re also “flat” in flavor and too sweet. I wish I had only added 1/4 c maple syrup. The blueberry’s help a little with their added sourness. There are so many lovely recipes on this site, I would personally skip this one.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      11.09.2024

      Hi Abby, I’m so sorry to hear that the cookies didn’t come out to your liking! My best guess is that the result could have been due to your oat flour, whether it was store-bought or homemade and how packed it was in your measuring cup. Using slightly more flour would result in a thicker cookie. For what it’s worth, we make these with finely ground homemade oat flour. We find that 1 1/4 cups whole rolled oats typically yields the right amount of flour.

  2. Jackie
    10.18.2024

    thank you for gluten free cookies, if you have more recipes could you please share. I’ve just been diagnosed with celiac, thanks

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      10.25.2024

      Hi Jackie! You might like these tahini cookies or these no bake cookies. Many readers have also had success using a 1-for-1 gluten-free flour blend in place of all-purpose flour in our traditional cookie recipes. I hope this helps!

  3. Abbie
    09.18.2024

    This would be a good recipe (if eaten in moderation and omitting the sea salt) for somebody on the renal diet as well. Are there any nutritional facts for these?

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.