These Breakfast Cookies are a delicious start to the day. Bananas, dates, chia seeds and oats make these a healthy and balanced way to enjoy cookies for breakfast.
Hiya guys, hope you all had a great weekend. We went out for a meal with my family which was nice. I managed to drive there and back, which is the furthest I’ve been able to drive in almost 6 months. I love driving so much, so it’s been super frustrating not being able to. In November, I managed a few short journeys, but then my pain flared again, so I had to stop.
Getting in and out is still painful, but once I’m in it is alright. I still think 30 mins is my limit, but it’s a start!
Today, I have these delicious Healthy Breakfast Cookies to share with you. They are easy to make, packed full of goodness and a balanced start to the day. I’ve been testing these for the last week and have finally nailed the recipe!
Soft, chewy, not too sweet, an earthy rounded flavour with pockets of sweet from chopped dates. They have banana in, but I didn’t want the banana to be overpowering in comparison to the other flavours. I also added chia seeds, but you can leave them out or make them with other add ins. Nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds. They’d all be delicious!
When I first made these Breakfast Cookies, I added in some flour. They were delicious, but a bit cake like. That wasn’t what I was going for at all with these cookies, so I played around with taking it out and adding more oats. To begin with I only added a 1/4 cup extra, then this went to 1/2 cup more. It’s important to get the right consistency with these cookies. Not too sticky, not too wet and not too dry. Goldilocks cookies really!
I also tried these cookies without applesauce. However, the banana overpowered all the other flavours. The applesauce helps bind the Breakfast Cookies together, but also helps balance out the banana. I used Sweet Freedom light syrup to sweeten the cookies slightly. You could use honey, agave nectar or maple syrup. Golden syrup would be nice too. I wanted to keep sugar as low as possible, so I used the Sweet Freedom. For what they lack in added sugar, they definitely don’t lack in taste!
I played around with adding different amounts of vanilla extract, then I added cinnamon. The cinnamon wasn’t there to heavily change the taste, but to round out all of the flavours. You can leave the cinnamon out of these cookies if you’d like, but I noticed the difference. For me, they were missing… something. Ever make dinner, taste it and you can’t put your finger on what is missing? It was like that with these cookies when I made them without cinnamon.
HOW DO YOU MAKE THESE HEALTHY BREAKFAST COOKIES?
They could not be easier! No fancy equipment, since the butter is melted, I just used a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients together. There’s no beating butter or sugar together for these babies.
You can use vegan or dairy butter. I used vegan since I can’t have dairy. The butter is the thing that either makes these cookies vegan or non vegan.
I started things off by mashing 2 overripe bananas with a fork. Then I added all of the wet ingredients; the melted vegan butter, vanilla, applesauce and light syrup. Whisk together until smooth. Next, I added the oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, chia seeds and dates. Fold those into the wet ingredients until all the ingredients stick together into one large lump.
The chia seeds are optional, they don’t particularly add anything flavour wise. They add a slight crunch, but I mostly used them as they can help you feel fuller for longer. Plus they add fibre, minerals and protein. I added 1tbsp to this recipe.
The mixture shouldn’t be overly sticky, but not dry either. It should hold together into one lump. This mixture will make 10 three tbsp cookies. I normally make cookies with 1.5tbsp of dough. However, since these are Breakfast Cookies, I wanted the portion to be a size that would mean you’re not left starving after an hour! Of course, you can make these cookies smaller. You would just have to adjust the baking time slightly.
These cookies don’t spread, so you don’t need to leave much space between each one. I baked them for 12 minutes at 180C. They should look like they’ve firmed up a bit, but it’s not like a standard cookie dough where you had raw dough and you’re looking for flour to cook. The cookies will bind together and hold their shape, but look less wet than when you put them in the oven. They will change colour ever so slightly too, going a light golden colour.
Leave to cool on the baking tray, then store in an airtight container. They’re best served at room temperature and will keep for a week. Perfect for quick breakfasts, post workout snacks or just because you want something sweet, but healthy!
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Healthy Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 6.3 oz (180g) ripe bananas, this was 2 medium for me in one batch and 3 small in another
- 3 tbsp applesauce
- 1/2 stick (56g) vegan or non vegan butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3 tbsp Sweet Freedom light syrup/honey/maple syrup/agave nectar, totally up to you, I wanted low sugar, so used Sweet Freedom
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (240g) rolled oats
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp chia seeds, optional
- 3/4 cup (112g) chopped dates
- 1/4 cup (around 50g) optional add ins: nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a baking tray with grease proof paper or a silicone mat.
- Place the bananas into a medium sized bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. Add in the applesauce, melted butter, syrup and vanilla extract and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until well combined.
- Add in the oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, chia seeds (if using) and dates. Also any additions you might be including.
- Mix everything together until the dried ingredients are coated in the wet and the mixture just holds together.
- You can make either 2tbsp or 3tbsp sized cookies. I made 3tbsp, so used my 1.5tbsp cookie scoop to place 2 scoops on top of each other onto my baking tray. Then I pressed them into one larger cookie. Place each cookie 1 inch apart. I got ten 3tbsp sized cookies from this recipe; I guesstimate that you would get around fourteen 2tbsp cookies.
- For 2tbsp sized cookies, bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. For 3tbsp sized cookies, bake for 10-12 minutes. Cookies will be very lightly golden and feel a little firm when you touch the top.
- Leave to cool completely on the baking tray before storing, at room temperature, in an airtight container, for 1 week.
Annie is a self-taught baker, recipe developer and food photographer, who has an obsession with dessert and beauty! 
