Baked Breakfast Cookie
Take your breakfast on-the-go and satisfy your sweet tooth with this make-ahead healthy baked breakfast cookie. Made with oats and healthy protein to start your day right.
Here’s the back story:
Almost 5 years ago (has it really been that long?!) I endeavored to create a portable, healthy breakfast option. I was always on the go, especially in the mornings, and wanted something I could pack up and take with me to work, the gym, or to enjoy after class. It had to be something new, something dessert-like, easy to make ahead, and BOOM: the breakfast cookie was born!
Of all the wild and crazy creations I’ve made since I’ve started the blog, the breakfast cookie is probably my favorite. It’s customizable, has awesome nutrition stats, and while not the most aesthetically appealing, it’s a pretty amazing breakfast option. Even so, it’s not *perfect*:
-While cookie-like, it’s more of a patty than an actual cookie… it has to be eaten with a spoon.
-It’s cold. Not always the best option for winter breakfasts (even though a zap in the microwave helps).
-Mashed Banana. Some people love it, some people hate it or are allergic.
I’d been scheming of ways to create an actual baked cookie as an extension my beloved overnight oats-esque creation.
I haven’t actually attempted it because I was nervous! Whatever I made had to live up to the original bfast cookie, instead of being a regular oatmeal cookie with some protein powder thrown in.
I think I did it 😉
Introducing the new baked breakfast cookie recipe, no spoon required:
These are the perfect grab-and-go breakfast. Mix up the ingredients and bake up a batch ahead of time to have them on hand for your busy mornings.
Here’s the healthy recipe for ya!
Ingredients you need:
- 2 cups old fashioned oats (quick oats would work fine, too)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
- pinch sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 small container applesauce (4oz)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 pack Stevia (or other sweetener, to taste)
- 1/2 cup nut butter (almond butter is my fav!)
- 2-4 oz chocolate chips, dried fruit (like dried cranberries), any mix-ins you love (pumpkin seeds are great, too). *If you’re not using chocolate chips, I’d be sure to add in some brown sugar or something similar, since the chocolate adds a nice amount of sweetness.
The Baked Breakfast Cookie
A healthy, make ahead baked breakfast cookie for your on-the-go mornings!
Ingredients
- 2 C oats
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
- pinch sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 small container applesauce (4oz)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 pack Stevia (or other sweetener, to taste)
- 1/2 C nut butter
- 2–4 oz chocolate chips, dried fruit, any mix-ins you love. *If you’re not using chocolate chips, I’d be sure to add in some brown sugar or something similar, since the chocolate adds a nice amount of sweetness.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a large cookie sheet with olive oil or nonstick spray.
- Mix all of the dry ingredients (plus any mix-ins) in a large bowl.
- Next, add the egg, applesauce, and sweetener-mix well.
- Using your hands (it helps to wet them a little-the dough is sticky!), shape the dough into 8 large cookies and place on the greased baking sheet.
- Bake 10-12 minutes.
- Let cool on the baking sheet and store in the fridge (eat within 3 days) or in the freezer to heat and enjoy.
Move over boring granola bar. I hope you love these!
xoxo
Gina
Do you take breakfast to-go very often? What’s your favorite?
I also love breakfast cookie dough cereal, protein pancakes and egg burritos for easy grab-and-go options.
139 Comments
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It would be helpful if you would list in the instructions when to add the vanilla and the nut butter. I was making these and had them all arranged on the baking sheet when I realized I hadn’t added the nut butter or the vanilla because I was just following along with your instructions and they weren’t listed with the wet ingredients. fyi. I had to put everything back into the bowl to start over.
ETA: I just finished making these (after putting everything back in the bowl to add the nut butter and the vanilla) and they are delicious. I think I should try a different protein powder (do you recommend any in particular) because I think that is giving them a little bit of a funny taste, but these are delicious. Thanks for the recipe. I would just suggest you clarify the instructions so hopefully people don’t make the same mistake I do. Thanks again – yummy!
I wish I had read the comments before I made these – whoops. I almost left out the peanut butter and did leave out the vanilla. Still tasted alright!
Made these last night- LOVED them, I added a bunch of stuff and tweaked it a bit and forgot some stuff (oops) I linked your recipe to my blog runningaragnar.blogspot.com and added in some dry fruit and coconut and what ever else I could find in the cabinet..
Thanks for sharing !
Hey Gina,
This. Looks. AWESOME. I’m lacking the financial funds to be able to get more protein powder so what would you suggest as a substitute??
Thanks 🙂
Emma
Emma,
For a less-expensive base that has lots of fiber and protein, you can use a small can of pre-cooked black beans, make sure to rinse (to remove the sodium) and drain them well and process in a food processor.
Liz
liz, have you tried this?! i never would have thought of that 🙂
Yep-I’ve tried it and it works, I use approx. half a small can of black beans, rinse and dry them completely (blotting with a paper towel helps).
It does help if I add an extra egg or flax seed to increase moisture but that also adds a bit more fat too.
These cookies are amazing! I can’t believe how healthy but good thy taste! New goal. Don’t stuff my face all night
Wow! These are the best breakfast cookies I have seen yet. They have the most flavor of all the ones I have tried on Pinterest and they are hearty…with protein and other ingredients. Made them for my husband and I for Valentine’s Breakfast this morning:)
yay, i’m so happy you liked them!
THANK YOU for making these without banana! I have been wanting to try these out, but the banana has always been holding me back.
Wow–these look simple and tastyy!! I’m always looking for an easy on the go healthy bar. Thanks for the recipe :] love your blog!!
Yum! I made mine with almond butter, chocolate chips, craisins and chocolate protein powder. And Alissa, great call on the banana. A girl can only eat so many…
What kind of protein powder did you use? I used egg white and they turned out hard as a brick. Bummer…
that makes me so sad! i used brown rice
I’m going to try again and just use flour instead of the protien powder. Maybe add another egg white for more protein 🙂
Try making them with peanut flour, should be great.
Wow! These were so easy and delicious! Popped them into the oven after making homemade ‘healthified’ pizza, done in 10 minutes. I subbed applesauce for a mashed banana which I had on hand, and added maple syrup for some extra moisture and sweetness. For mix ins I added crushed walnuts, choc chips and craisins – yum! Thanks Gina – the breakfast cookie goes mobile! Took it with me travelling interstate today and it travelled great 🙂
Just made these also this weekend! New to your blog and really enjoying it!
I used two full scoops of powder (so 1/2 cup of protein powder for 42 g protein)…did you use less? I used vanilla whey and they were also a bit wonky in flavor. I love them anyway though so I’m excited to modify next time 🙂
I made these into smaller cookies for treats instead of breakfast (oats don’t keep me full at all). The batch made 22 cookies. I used banana instead of applesauce and 2 tbsp each chocolate chunks and pumpkin seeds for the add-ins.
I thought they were ok. I used whey protein which bakes differently than vegan protein powders, in my experience. I think they would be better with vegan protein like you used. The texture is off. Taste wise, they’re decent.
you’re right- i need to notate that in the recipe. whey protein is great for smoothies, but doesn’t taste fab in much else
Can you give a breakdown of the calories? I just made these and used the same ingredients as you listed and I’m coming up with 334 calories, 22 carbs, 19 fat and 15 protein per cookie. I want to lower the caloric content to match yours, but I’m not sure where I’m off since I followed the recipe exactly (even used 2 T of chocolate chips and sunflower seed butter). At any rate, these taste amazing and thanks for the recipe!!
i plugged everything into the spark people calculator and those are the values it came up with
so happy you like them!
I just made these tonight and they are sooooooo good!!
Have you ever made these with PB2 to cut down on calories?
i’ve never been a huge fan of it, so i don’t experiment with it too much. try it and see how it goes! it might need a little extra fat for texture, though
I did make some with PB2 and they turned out great! I mixed 1/2 cup dry powder with 1/4 cup water. Thanks for the great recipe; this is my go-to breakfast now!!
Thanks for the recipe! Just pulled these out of the oven, and they smell really good! Though I made 6 instead of 8 to meet the same macros I usually eat for breakfast. 🙂
I made these yesterday the kids and the hubs loved them (best of all they didn’t realize the cookies were healthy).
I bet they’d be easy to make with various add-ins like dried cherries and a tablespoon of cocoa powder or coconut and almonds.
Great recipe!
awesome!! happy you liked them 🙂
I can’t wait to try this baked variety but if it helps, I have never made your regular breakfast cookie with banana (it’s just not my thing to have raw mushed banana!) and my version is very similar to your recipe and yet can absolutely be eaten by hand, it gets firm enough. So that would also offer a raw version that satisfies those points that you mentioned in this intro.
I just, like your recipe, mix 1/3 cup oats, 1/2 scoop protein powder and whatever seasonings/mix-ins I’m feeling that day (for my usual oatmeal raisin variety, I just use 1 tbsp raisins and 1/2 tsp cinnamon usually) and then cut in 1 tbsp almond butter and add maybe 1 tbsp almond milk to moisten it enough to mix. I then press it between two sheets of parchment paper (I’ve found it really sticks to the plate when it hardens, otherwise!) and refrigerate it overnight.
The next morning I can eat it by hand without it falling apart, and it’s banana-free! I’ve also lately been adding 1 tbsp ground flax into the mix for extra omegas, and that probably helps it to stay together even more, with the almond milk mixing with it to act as a binding agent. Just thought I’d share in case anyone wanted a banana-free raw version! 🙂
that’s an awesome tip, thank you!!!
Hi! These look absolutely fantastic. Finally a bar/cookie which looks yummy and is not loaded with sugar. Can’t wait to try them. Just one question though..with ‘T’ do you mean a teaspoon or a tablespoon? Would be a shame to mess them up.
Super! I subbed almond meal for the protein powder and used chopped dates and sultanas instead of chocolate. I also used mashed banana instead of the apple sauce. My husband said to always have a ready supply baked.
I stumbled across your recipe on Pinterest and and just tried the recipe. It was delish!! I am new to cleaning up my diet and have been playing around with recipes all week and this is the first one that actually tastes GOOD. I haven’t tried protein powder yet but used ground flax seed instead and they turned out amazing. Thanks!
i’m so happy you liked it! welcome to the blog too 🙂 xo
I know this is old, but how much ground flax did you use?
Could I skip the protein powder if I don’t have any?
I had these last night, but when I went to eat them today, the inside looked GREEN! Is this okay and normal?? I used all fresh ingredients and followed the recipe. After they cooled I stored them in a container in the fridge…. They are only 12 hours old, mold already??
not mold! it’s from the sunflower butter interacting with the baking soda. totally weird, huh? i had to google it a while ago to make sure, but it’s totally normal 🙂
GREAT!!! Thanks!
Anyway to make these without nut butter?
hmmm… i haven’t tried it! trying to think what you could use instead
Breakfast is almost always eaten behind the wheel! #onthego
Faves are overnight oats (in the summer) or just regular (in the winter) or protein pancakes. I have yet to try THE egg burrito, but it’s all of my favorite things rolled into one so I’ve got to get on that, stat!
I still remember watching your Breakfast Cookie instruction video way back when! (Loved that kitchen by the way) That video introduced me to things like chia seeds, almond milk, cacao nibs… (because there was a time where chia seeds and almond milk were as unusual as is maple water or whatever new thing there is out now!)
Now I’m debating as to whether or not to make your baked oatmeal (need to use up some peaches) or these…. oh decisions, decisions!
thank you for reading for that long 🙂 i miss that kitchen! and yes, totally think maple water is the new *thing* 🙂
let me know what you decide to make!
xoxo
Just made these with my kids for breakfast! Thanks! We don’t do protein powder or stevia, so I used chia seed and maple syrup.
Can you use actual sugar instead of Stevia? I am not a huge fan of using any artificial sweeteners (and I know Stevia technically isn’t, but only if you find the actual extract from the leaf). If I can use sugar, how much? Don’t want a lot, just enough to add the sweetness that you are trying to achieve with the Stevia.
Hello again! I just wanted to let you know that these cookies have become my go-to recipe for a healthy cookie. Today I made them as usual, but used a palm sized, heart shaped cookie cutter to shape them. Just squeeze the bejesus out of them and release from the mold. I’d post a photo, but I don’t think I can here. These are brilliant to bring to a friend’s house, because even though I love sweet things, everyone around me seems to have grown up. These heart shaped cookies are going to my friend who had two funerals this week.
I was really excited when I clicked on this recipe, because I’ve been searching for a gluten free granola bar alternative for ages. But, oats aren’t gluten free. Even on the “gluten free” oats there is a warning that they contain a certain amount of contamination. My S.O. Has Celiacs and had to go to the hospital last time we tried “gf” oats.
wow, that’s interesting! even bob’s red mill brand? what a bummer :/ here’s another option using quinoa and almond meal: http://fitnessista.com/2012/10/quinoa-trail-mix-muffins/
Recipe looks great ! I am going to try it.
What is the portion for breakfast ? One cookie ?
Made these twice now. I really enjoy them. Thank you so much for sharing!!! Yum-o.
What are the best kind of oats to use for this recipe? Would steel cut or buckwheat groats work, or does it need to be rolled oats?
rolled oats would work best
I made these for my son, who often needs a quick grab-and-go breakfast before school. I don’t like giving him packaged bars and was looking for a healthy, protein-rich recipe. These cookies were delicious! My entire family loved them, so I will be making these often. I used chocolate protein powder, as that’s what we had on hand, and they turned out perfectly sweet with that and a few chocolate chips (no additional sweeteners were added). The next batch I make I may try adding some flax seeds or crunchy peanut butter, for some added texture. Thank you so much for sharing this healthy, easy breakfast recipe!
Oats are not gluten free! Some people with celiac disease can consume oats, but majority still can’t. Also, oats are almost always contaminated with other grains that conatin gluten.
the ones that are labeled gluten-free are though, right? bob’s red mill and trader joe’s specify gluten-free oats
Do you have the nutritional facts?
Hi, i was wondering if I could replace the applesauce with the same amount of unsweetened cashew milk? Thanks for your help!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! Someone linked it from Reddit and I have been making them once a week for a month now. I use whey protein, brown sugar, peanut butter and cranberries and they are amazing! Great for breakfast on the go or a filling mid afternoon snack!
what do you do to replace applesauce, because i dont want to use applesauce
pumpkin or mashed banana would work!
I’ve made these twice now and they’ve failed both times. The first time the cookies were dry. This time the “dough” was so dry it wouldn’t stick together at all. I don’t know if it’s because I “veganized” it (I used a chia ‘egg’) or if it’s because i used hommade applesauce? I checked and re-checked the ingredients to make sure i didn’t miss some liquid, or put in too much dry.
This time I added another (chia) egg, some maple syrup, and a few tablespoons of coconut oil. They are still too dry. Not sure what I’m doing wrong, but these didn’t work for me.
hello, these sound delicious and I’m excited to try but do you have a suggestion to replace the nut butter? I am allergic to most nuts but I’m not sure what I should do to replace the butter. Thanks in advance!
you could try them with applesauce or smashed banana instead!
Thank you!! I will probably try applesauce, maybe add a little cinnamon? 🙂
what type of dried fruit would you suggest?
any dried fruit! i love dried cranberries or raisins 🙂
Okay i’ll try that thank you!