Posted Aug 28, 2023, Updated Feb 12, 2024 My 6th baby is a cookie fiend. He calls them “go gos” and it’s the cutest thing in the world. So, with my sole motivation being wanting him to wake up ecstatic that he gets to eat “go gos” for breakfast, I created these healthy breakfast cookies. In this breakfast cookie recipe, bananas, peanut butter, oats and your favorite mix-ins create a hearty cookie that will keep you full until lunch. They’re naturally sweetened with applesauce and honey so you can feel great about starting your day with cookies for breakfast!
Breakfast Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
Overripe bananas. The bananas need to be ripe and sweet. If using bananas that have been previously frozen, thaw them in the microwave or at room temperature before using in this recipe. Creamy Peanut Butter. Any nut or seed butter works well in these cookies. Applesauce. You can substitute sweet potato puree or pumpkin for the applesauce, you may just need to adjust the amount of honey in the recipe. Honey. maple syrup is a great substitute for honey. Egg. you can use a flax egg or egg replacer to make these vegan/egg-free. Quick-cooking oats. Rolled/old fashioned oats can be used, however the texture will be chewier. You can also pulse old fashioned oats in the blender to turn them into quick cooking oats. Dried cranberries. Any dried fruit tastes great in these breakfast cookies: dried cherries, raisins, etc. Mini chocolate chips. I prefer mini chips because they distribute more evenly throughout the cookies. Regular-sized chips work well too.
How to Make Breakfast Cookies
Let’s walk through how to make breakfast cookies step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video. Begin by mashing the bananas in a large mixing bowl. I like to do this first to ensure there are no large lumps of banana in the batter. Then, stir in the peanut butter, applesauce honey, egg and vanilla. Next, add the oats, cinnamon and sea salt and stir until combined. Fold in the dried cranberries and chocolate chips. If cranberries and chocolate aren’t your think, were are some additional mix-in suggestions:
Cinnamon Chips White chocolate chips Shredded, unsweetened coconut Peanut butter chips Chopped nuts like pecans, slivered almonds or walnuts Dried cherries, blueberries, or raisins
Next, use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon or a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to measure portions of the dough and place them on the prepared baking sheet spaced about 2” apart. Gently flatten the tops of each cookie (they do not change shape or flatten when they bake). Then, bake the breakfast cookies in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the tops are just set and the bottoms are very lightly browned. Do not over bake! Remove the breakfast cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Serve
Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. I love serving them alongside our favorite smoothie recipes – especially this green smoothie. They also make a great snack, and you’ll score major “cool mom’ points for letting your kids have cookies for a healthy snack! 🙂
Store/freeze
Once cooled, store these healthy breakfast cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat gently in the microwave or oven set to warm to restore their fresh-from-the-oven taste and texture. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
