Cookies for breakfast? Yes, please! These oatmeal breakfast cookies are sweet, nutty, and filled with healthy ingredients like oats, nuts, and fruit.
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
More Favorite Breakfasts and Snacks
If you love these oatmeal breakfast cookies, try one of these healthy recipes next:
- Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
- Overnight Oats, Many Ways
- Perfect Steel-Cut Oatmeal
- Savory Porridge
- No Bake Energy Balls
- Homemade Granola Bars
Then, check out this post for 60+ Healthy Breakfast Ideas and this one for 47 more healthy snacks!
Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
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
- ⅓ 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
Hello. Thanks for this delicious recipe. I just baked them this morning. Mine are having a tendency to break. I didn’t have fresh blueberries and used thawed drained blueberries instead. I think that may be why they are breaking. Your thoughts?
Hi Karyn, it’s possible… did you let them cool on the baking sheet for at least the full 5 minutes before trying to move them?
Yes. They cooled even longer. I will try fresh blueberries next time. Thanks
These are so good! I used craisins instead of blueberries so my two year old could walk around with it and not stain everything. lol They’re a hit for us!
These sound so good! Couple of questions:
1) We are oil free. I could either use additional almond butter or applesauce. Any thoughts?
2) I have oat flour. Can I just use the weight equivalent of 1-1/4 c oats? (Asking because I have encountered recipes where a grittier grind than store-bought flour was needed.)
Hi Karen, I haven’t tried either of these options – homemade oat flour might be more gritty than store bought, I think it could make a difference here.
Any idea how many carbs per cookie?
I’m sorry, I don’t calculate nutrition info but you could plug the ingredients into a site like my fitness pal.
I’d like to print the Oatmeal Breakfast cookie recipe, but the print button isn’t working?? Can you please fix it? Thank you 😊
hmm… it’s working for me right now. What browser and browser version are you using? We can try to take a look.
I would love to try making these cookies as all of your recipes I’ve tried this far have been wonderful. I prefer not to bake with flaxseeds and am wondering what you recommend as a substitution for the ground flaxseed?
Thank you!
Hi Kim, it’s necessary to bind these – I think others have used an egg. Or chia might work?
These cookies are a delicious breakfast treat! I swapped the blueberry/lemon combo for chocolate chips and my kids absolutely loved them! Thank you, keep up the great work!
These were amazing! My kids usually get all my healthy options, but they loved this one. I couldn’t stop eating the batter!
I just made these and they’re insanely good! Nothing I make off the internet ever tastes that great but these were so easy to make and they taste amazing! Thank you for this wonderful recipe
Ha, I’m glad you loved them so much!
If I don’t have any almond flour, can I sub with regular flour? Would I have to modify any other parts of the recipe? Can’t wait to make these!
Hi ELi, no almond flour and regular flour aren’t a 1:1 exchange. I’d make these oatmeal cookies (that use regular flour) instead: https://www.loveandlemons.com/oatmeal-cookies/
OMG! Keeper recipe. I only like healthy foods that use simple ingredients and that have a great “normal” taste. Love these. Sweetness is under a scone but above a biscuit. Simply delicious yet healthy. TY so much for this!
Yum! These cookies are amazing. I used an egg and reduced the amount of maple syrup and it still worked really well. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I’m glad you loved them!
Hi, can someone tell me in step 5 what are the wet and dry ingredients after mixing. I am a student who is new to baking and is trialing this recipe for an assignment. Gotta say am quite keen to make this. Thanks and have a good day! 🙂
Hi Kevin, when you’re done with steps 3 and 4, you’ll have one bowl with dry ingredients, and one bowl with wet ingredients.
Love this recipe. I made it yesterday and took one to work had to share it with my coworkers who asked me to bring more in! So I started to bake another batch but realized I don’t have enough maple syrup topped the half cup up with date molasses. I used the egg and water substitute. They are perfect! Will definitely be trying all the different variations 🙂 thank you so much!!!
Hi Siba, I’m so glad you loved them!
Hello! I’m planning to make these for my son to take to daycare. However they have a nut free policy. What could I substitute for the almond flour? Thanks!!
Would it be okay if I swapped the almond flour with regular flour?
Hi Keilyn, no those flours are not a 1:1 swap.
Omg! These are absolutely delicious! I primarily eat them as a snack or when I’m craving a little something sweet! Purchased both of your cookbooks, hats off to you…they are so awesome!!! I’d rate these a “10”
Aww, I’m so glad you loved them! I hope you enjoy the books!
I substitute the blueberries for chocolate chips, a great treat for breakfast!!!
i’ve been really wanting to try these, but i was wondering if you have the nutrition facts for them? how many calories are in one cookie? that would be really helpful to know!
Just popped these in the oven. Only modifications I made were I swapped lemon zest for vanilla extract and I swapped 1/4 cup of the almond flour for a plant-based protein powder (unflavored) to get some extra protein. Thanks for the inspiration!