Breakfast cookies are a hearty, portable treat! They're made with healthy ingredients like oats and peanut butter for on-the go breakfasts.
Like most kids, I couldn't wait to grow up so that I could eat cookies for breakfast! These breakfast cookies are both super tasty and made with good-for-you ingredients. So, they make a perfectly good adult breakfast, but they're cookies!
These cookies fall somewhere between a traditional dessert cookie and a granola bar. They're soft, and they have a similar texture to oatmeal cookies.
They're also really easy to customize! If chocolate chips in your breakfast cookies are too much, swap in more fruit or nuts. If fruit has no place in your cookies, use more chocolate chips. It's your cookie, so make it what you like!
How To Make Breakfast Cookies
Begin by beating the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl on high until well-combined. Mix in the eggs and the (liquid) milk until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the flours, dry milk, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in just until combined. Stir the oats, cranberries, chocolate chips, and nuts in just until incorporated.
Flatten the scoops of dough slightly. They will hardly spread, and they will be pretty much the same shape going into the oven as they are coming out of it.
Bake for about 16-22 minutes, or until the cookies are light brown. Don't overbake the cookies! Overbaking them will leave you with dry cookies.
Tips For Making Breakfast Cookies
One of the great things about this recipe is how easy it is to customize your cookies!
- The cookies aren't as sweet as dessert cookies. If you want a sweeter cookie, increase the brown sugar to 1 and ½ cups.
- Any milk from skim milk to whole milk will work. You can also use a nondairy milk such as almond milk.
- The chopped cranberries can be replaced with other dried fruits such as dried cherries, blueberries, chopped dried apple.
- The chocolate chips can be replaced with white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or more dried fruit or nuts.
- Other types of chopped nuts and seeds can be used in place of the walnuts or pecans. Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds can be great subs for the nuts.
- The cookies don't have a leavning agent (i.e. baking soda or baking powder). So they will be more or less the same shape coming out of the oven as going in.
How To Store Breakfast Cookies
How To Store Breakfast CookiesThese cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days. They can also be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
These cookies freeze well, so they can also be frozen for later use.
More Portable Breakfast Recipes
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Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup peanut butter1
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar2 packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup milk3
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour4
- ⅓ cup whole-wheat flour
- ⅓ cup dry milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats
- 1 cup chopped dried cranberries5
- ½ cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla together on high speed until well-combined.
- Mix in the eggs and milk, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the flours, dried milk, cinnamon, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together.
- Stir in the oats, cranberries, chocolate chips, and nuts just until incorporated.
- Scoop ¼ cups of batter and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Slightly flatten the scoops of dough. The don't won't spread much as it bakes.
- Bake for 16-22 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned. Do not overbake the cookies or they will be dry.
Notes
- Just regular peanut butter. I don't recommend using natural peanut butter in this recipe.
- The cookies aren't very sweet. If you want a sweeter cookie, increase the sugar to 1 and ½ cups.
- Any milk from skim to whole milk will work.
- Be sure to properly measure thhe flours. Stir or sift the flour to break it up. Then lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off.
- The cranberries, chocolate chips, and nuts can all be substituted with other mix-ins such as coconut, white chocolate chips, other types of dried fruit, and other chopped nuts.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Shella
Could I use pea protein powder instead of dried milk?
Kate
Hi! I haven't tried using pea protein powder in baked goods, so I'm not sure how that would work.
Bonnie
This makes a satisfying hearty snack. I gave some to my daughter on the way to long days at a trade show.. She ended up sharing them with other coworkers when they had no time for breaks. I have sent this blog page to many of her coworkers because they were so filling and tasty. They travelled well, and are easily altered to using sunflower seeds, dried figs, dates, and raisins! Lovely recipe. ?
Kate
Thank you so much! I'm thrilled that these have cookies have been a hit, and I love that you've been able to make them your own by changing up the fruit and seeds. =)
Bonnie
Everyone who I share a cookie with wants the recipe. I was short on dried cranberries, so I just added other dried stuff like a small amount of coconut and lots of sunflower seeds. I think the sunflower seeds added a super texture and crunch to the cookie. Also, I did not have the dried milk and added nonfat creamer. I think this can get a bit sweet, so next time I will add a vanilla protein shake powder.
This is a wonderful filling breakfast/snack. Thanks.
Sharlana
I would like to try making these with gluten free flour. What can I substitute the whole wheat flour with?
Thanks!
Kate
Hi! You could try using a 1:1 gf flour blend for both the whole wheat flour and the all-purpose flour.
Sheila
Why use whole wheat flour??
Kate
The whole wheat flour helps to make the cookies a little heartier and a little healthier. I use a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose to help keep the cookies soft. Hope that helps!