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Healthy Cranberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies with no butter, oil, eggs, flour, or sugar. Which means – I can approve eating cookies for breakfast. And so can you!
UPDATE: This recipe was originally posted in October of 2016, but has been updated to improve reader experience. The recipe remains the same.
With two little guys to get fed, dressed, in the car and down the road first thing in the morning, I don’t have a lot of time to mess about with getting the kids to eat something in the mornings.
Enter these “breakfast cookies”. Yup. Looks like a cookie, smells like a cookie… but is it a cookie? No, not really. It has no butter, oil, eggs, flour, or sugar. COOKIES FOR EVERYONE!!
Love these Healthy Cranberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies? Tweet it!How to make Breakfast Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together all ingredients until well combined.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, or use a baking stone.
- Using a small cookie scoop, drop dough onto the the cookie sheet, and then flatten into round shapes.
- Bake approx. 20 – 25 minutes, or until golden.
- Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then move to cooling rack.
Breakfast Cookies Ingredients:
Ingredients that would normally be found in a bowl of oatmeal, but they’re now portable. And are kid approved. YESSSS!!! Breakfast cookies for the WIN!!
- Rolled Oats – use the regular old fashioned kind (or quick), steel cut won’t work for these. rolled oats (regular or quick only, steelcut don’t work)
- Bananas – ripe, soft bananas are better than the super yellow/green. If they have spots – use em! They will be sweeter.
- Apple Sauce – use unsweetened (or mix it up and use a cinnamon flavored one)
- Cinnamon – this adds a really warm flavor to the cookies
- Vanilla extract – use a good quality one, it will elevate the taste!
- Dried Cranberries – if you are watching your sugar intake, opt for unsweetened ones if you can find them. I regularly use raisins, or chopped dried apricots.
Make them with the kids!
We made these, and then found excuses to give them to him. Oh you got dressed? Here’s a cookie…This will backfire, when we have no cookies left…. I better make MORE!
What is YOUR go-to on-the-run breakfast idea? How do you get out the door fast in the mornings? Share with me in the comments!
Kylee’s Top Tips for Breakfast Cookies
You may need more or less time in the oven. Bear in mind, they’ll firm up after cooling, so just make sure the edges are brown and cool them on the baking sheet before moving to a rack.
Switch out the apple sauce for pumpkin puree, and add a little pumpkin pie spice around the holidays
Use raisins, dried apricots or dried apples in this to mix it up!
Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze on parchment paper until firm, then store in a freezer bag until needed.
N0te: These are gluten-free if you use certified gluten-free oats.
Want more Breakfast Recipes?
Try these!
Peanut Butter Protein Balls (No bake)
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- Fresh Oatmeal Waffles
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- Mocha Java Smoothie
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- Peanut Butter Protein Balls
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Breakfast "Cookies" with no butter, oil, eggs, flour, or sugar. Which means - I can approve eating cookies for breakfast. And so can you!
- 2 cups rolled oats (regular or quick only, steelcut don't work)
- 2 bananas ripe
- 1 cup apple sauce unsweetened
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries (or raisins, or chopped dried apricots)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together all ingredients until well combined.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, or use a baking stone.
Using a small cookie scoop, drop dough onto the the cookie sheet, and then flatten into round shapes.
Bake approx. 20 – 25 minutes, or until golden.
- Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then move to cooling rack.
Recipe Video
Kylee's Top Tips for Breakfast Cookies
You may need more or less time in the oven. Bear in mind, they'll firm up after cooling, so just make sure the edges are brown and cool them on the baking sheet before moving to a rack.
Switch out the apple sauce for pumpkin puree, and add a little pumpkin pie spice around the holidays
Use raisins, dried apricots or dried apples in this to mix it up!
Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze on parchment paper until firm, then store in a freezer bag until needed.
Cheri Savory Spoon
Great breakfast idea, Kylee!
Kate
Breakfast cookies are very popular here!
Mira
Breakfast cookies are best breakfast ever!
Martine
Ah these look so great! Look forward to try them out 🙂
Eva @ Eva Bakes
YESSSSSSS to cookies for breakfast!
wholesomeyum
These look delicious! I love how simple the ingredient list is. I’ll have to try them with my toddler, too.
Michele
I entered the recipe on WW. 2 sp if made exactly how written.
Jan W
I figured 2 cookies per serving for 3 WW Smart Points!!
Jessica
How many calories? 🙂
Kylee
I input the recipe into MyFitnessPal (I’m no nutritionist though!) I use reduced sugar craisins. The nutrition breakdown is this for 18 cookies (1 cookie per serving)
Calories: 64
Fat: 1g
Total Carbs: 14g
Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 4g
Protein: 1g
lori2562014
I call them pre-workout cookies!
Karen Cashen
Dried or fresh cranberries?
Kylee
dried! (sorry, updated recipe to be clearer)
shania
Hi Kylee just tried these ! I baked them for more then it said and the instead where the bananas are seem not cooked is it supposed to be that soft and still Look raw on the inside ? Or should I throw them back in ? Thanks
Kylee
Absolutely – as your oven will differ from mine, throw them back in for a few minutes. They ARE a soft cookie, but they shouldn’t fall apart.
Jen
Can I somehow add protein powder? Would I need to add more applesauce or banana to cambat the dry ingredient? I have two gymnast children and this is meet season and always looking for new protein packed snacks! Thanks!
Kylee
Sure you could! Depending on how much – just see in the video how it should look texture wise, and add extra applesauce or bananas as you go.
laurie
anyone know how many calories per cookie?
Kylee
Hi Laurie. I input the recipe into MyFitnessPal (I’m no nutritionist though!) I use reduced sugar craisins. The nutrition breakdown is this for 18 cookies (1 cookie per serving)
Calories: 64
Fat: 1g
Total Carbs: 14g
Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 4g
Protein: 1g
Jill L
Ever try it with almond butter instead? Or adding. Flax seed meal for extra omegas?
Kylee
I HAVE actually – and it’s good with the almond butter. I haven’t added flax meal, because I usually make them for my kids (and one is in diapers, so… )
Jill L
Thanks! When you’re over 50, ya gotta get those omegas! Love your idea of pumpkin purée too!
Vickie
What can use if you don’t like bananas?
Kylee
Try canned pumpkin puree!
Gail
The video shows 8 cookies on the sheet and you use what appears to be an ice cream scoop, but the recipe calls for a cookie scoop and says it’s for 18 cookies. Is the nutrition info you give for the smaller or the larger cookies? I’m diabetic and have to be careful about carb intake.
Kylee
You will have to do more than one sheet of cookies.
I use a small cookie scoop. The nutrition info is for the batch to make 18 cookies. If you only get 12 cookies, because your scoop is bigger, or you get 24 because your scoop is smaller, the nutrition info will change.
Additionally – I used myfitnesspal to calculate the nutrition (since I am not a qualified dietician), so you might want to take the recipe and calculate your own numbers?
Julie
Tasty but mine are mushy. Did I just not cook them long enough?
Kylee
That’s possible, Julie! Every oven is different, so the time works perfectly for mine!
Debbie
Should they be refrigerated after cooled from baking? I just made them. They are still a little warm and they are soft and not hard like a cookie. Are they supposed to be crunchy? These will be soft. Should I have baked them longer?
Kylee
I do refrigerate mine (and even freeze). They’re not going to be hard, they’re more of a soft cookie.
Louise
I’d love to try these, any idea of the metric weights?
Kylee
I’m sorry, Louise – I don’t! I should try to play fairer with the metric folks among us (I used to be one!), but… I use cups to measure!
Louise
Thanks for getting back to me, I should really go and buy a set of cups – the conversion tables just confuse me 🙂
cindy llenos
how about for storage? I am planning to make them and mail it to my son in college.
Kylee
I would really recommend refrigeration. They are best eaten within a day or two when kept on the counter, but in the fridge for any longer.
Margaret Fregeau
Can you substitute something else for the applesauce?
Kylee
Of course! Try pumpkin puree 😉
Melissa
I just made these cookies for the first time and they are delicious! I’m sure the extra don’t have to be refrigerated because there are no ingredients that would require that. Perfect at night too when I’m looking for something sweet!
Michele c.
Can you make this in a rectangle dish and cut them into squares or bars.
Kylee
Hi Michele – I don’t see why not! I haven’t done it, so I’m not sure how well they’d hold up – or if they’d need to be baked longer so they are firmer? If you try it let me know!
CindyFay
I make a double batch and spread it all out in a lined cookie sheet. I cut the pan into squares before baking. It works great, and I’m so glad I found this recipe!!
Carla
I made these and added a little more apple sauce and approx. 2 TBSPs each of flax, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. So you get your healthy fat and protein too!
Vanessa
Can you use gluten free oats??
Kylee
You sure can!
Zeina
Hi can i put cholate chip
Kylee
Hi Zeina
Yes, you can add chocolate chips.
Sandra McLeod
I might try replacing the banana with egg whites. Should increase protein and reduce calories. Could also try substituting yogurt as long as it is plain Greek yogurt. Will change nutrition content but still make for great snack or breakfast
These are similar to the oatmeal / protein waffles I make with oatmeal, dried fruit, egg whites, spices. They are super easy and can change recipe to suit your taste.
Judy Romero
I’m going to try these real soon, was wondering if you could use chopped fresh cranberries instead of dried?
Kylee
Hi Judy
you could, but I wouldn’t. These cookies are very low in sugar – and fresh cranberries are very tart. Dried ones have been processed in fruit juice, which makes them sweeter!