Easy Breakfast Cookies

Yes, I Eat Cookies for Breakfast, and You Can, Too!

I’m absolutely not a morning person, yet most activities and jobs I’ve pursued require early starts—becoming a professional baker, running, and outdoor adventures. When I struggle to get going, I often sacrifice breakfast, even when I know I need to fuel my day. Over the years, I’ve tried countless make-ahead breakfasts, including these whole wheat blueberry muffins, but I always come back to breakfast cookies because they are so easy.

Over time, I’ve tried many versions using mashed bananas, applesauce, or puréed dates as sweeteners, oats or whole wheat flour to bind the dough, oil or nut butters for richness, and so many mix-ins. To make this, my go-to breakfast cookie recipe, I combined aspects I liked from previous versions. That they’ve evolved over time means they’re easy to customize. With a few ingredient swaps, you can make them vegan or gluten-free, or completely change the flavors.

These soft, cakey cookies are sweetened with mashed banana, applesauce, and a touch of honey. A large dollop of tahini adds richness without the need for oil or butter. Oats and whole wheat flour provide healthy whole grains. They’re finished with plenty of mix-ins, in this case walnuts, chopped dates, and pumpkin seeds. So yes, it’s cookies for breakfast, but it’s not exactly dessert for breakfast!

How to Make Breakfast Cookies

This one-bowl, no-chill cookie recipe takes just 35 minutes to prepare, and then you’ll have breakfast sorted for the rest of the week. Here’s how to make them:

• Get ready. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup (227g) mashed banana, 1/3 cup (85g) unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup (128g) tahini, 1/4 cup (84g) honey, and 1 large egg until smooth.
• Add the dry ingredients. Add 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats, 1 cup (113g) whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix with a silicone spatula just until combined. Add 3/4 cup (113g) chopped dates, 1/2 cup (57g) chopped walnuts, and 1/4 cup (40g) pepitas, and mix until evenly distributed through the cookie dough. The dough will seem loose.
• Scoop the cookies. Scoop the cookies with a medium cookie scoop (about 2-tablespoon portions) onto the lined baking sheets, spacing them at least 1 inch apart. You should get 12 cookies per baking sheet, for a total of 24. Use the back of a spoon to slightly flatten each mound into a cookie shape. The cookies will not spread in the oven.
• Bake. Bake the trays, one at a time, for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the cookies are set and the edges are lightly browned.
• Cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool to room temperature before serving.

Make Vegan Breakfast Cookies

To make this breakfast cookie recipe vegan:

• Swap the honey. In place of honey, try your favorite liquid sweetener, such as maple syrup, agave nectar, or date syrup.
• Replace the egg: A flax egg works just as well as a regular egg in these cookies. To make a flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water. Let it rest for 5 minutes to thicken, then use it in place of the egg in the recipe as written.

Make Gluten-Free Breakfast Cookies

• For gluten-free breakfast cookies, use certified gluten-free oats and replace the whole wheat flour with either a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour or certified gluten-free oat flour.

Variations  and Tips

The best part about these cookies, aside from eating cookies for breakfast, is how easy it is to customize them. By switching up the mix-ins each batch, you’ll never get flavor fatigue.

Tips for Making Breakfast Cookies Your Own

• Stick with 1 1/2 to 2 cups of total mix-ins for this batch size.
• Add equal parts dried fruit and nuts or seeds for a balanced mix of sweet and crunchy.
• If using chia seeds or shredded coconut, don’t add more than one to two tablespoons of chia seeds or more than 1/2 cup of shredded coconut, since they will affect the thickness of the batter.

My Favorite Mix-Ins

• Dried fruit: raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, chopped dried mango, dried blueberries.
• Nuts: pecans, almonds, pistachios, cashews, macadamia nuts.
• Seeds: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, hemp hearts, chia seeds.
• Other: chocolate chips, unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted coconut flakes.

What to Serve with Breakfast Cookies

I have one or two cookies with my morning coffee for an easy breakfast on busy mornings. In the summer, I change it up with a refreshing freddo espresso.
If you’re more of a tea drinker, the warm spices and sweet dates in these cookies pair well with a hot cup of black tea or Greek mountain tea if you’re avoiding caffeine.

Make Ahead and Storage

I make a batch of these cookies over the weekend and eat them throughout the week. I store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. They also freeze well before or after baking:

• To freeze cookies after baking: Let the baked cookies cool completely. Freeze the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet, then place them in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag. They only take about 15 minutes to defrost on the counter, so they’re usually thawed by the time the coffee is ready. Or you can warm them in the microwave for a few seconds.
• To freeze unbaked, scooped cookies: Scoop the cookies onto a parchment-lined tray that fits in your freezer. Because the cookies won’t spread in the oven, you can press them into a flat disk for a more cookie-like shape, or leave them be if you don’t mind tall, mounded cookies. Freeze the cookie dough balls on the tray until solid, then transfer to an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag. I bake them from frozen, but they need an extra minute or two in the oven.
• How long will they last in the freezer? Whether you are freezing the cookie batter or the fully baked cookies, they will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

A Note from Suzy

“You’ll love this breakfast cookie recipe is full of wholesome whole food ingredients that you can adapt to almost any diet!”