Healthy-ish Breakfast Cookies made with a banana, oat, and peanut butter base and ready for any mix-ins that you want!
Healthy-ish Breakfast Cookies
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These cookies took no time at all to make, and are delicious. Similar flavour to banana bread, but with the benefit of being easier to grab and go.
Chantel
Healthy-ish breakfast cookies!
So, yes, they are like a cookie-version of banana bread and energy bites and granola bars, and YES, they are as oaty and wholesome and delicious as they look.
Also, those are blueberries AND chocolate chips! TOGETHER. In a cookie. I don’t even know myself right now. Reader aka Cookie Maker Extraordinaire Lindsay worked her magic on us this month and convinced us to get healthy-ish with these little nuggets, and it totally worked. I put blueberries in my cookies with chocolate chips. Consider me charmed.
This month’s recipe came from Lindsay (not, like, ME Lindsay…. THIS Lindsay):
As we went through all the submissions this month (THANK YOU!!!), we were not really looking for something healthy or healthy-ish. We were just looking for desserts. But I think we were all so intrigued by these healthy-ish cookies, and amidst a pile of beautiful, decadent, full-on cakes and pies and bars and beyond, we just couldn’t stop thinking about them.
Would they actually taste good? Would we actually like the combination? Would they give us permission to eat cookies for breakfast?
So we saved all the cakes and pies for another rainy day, and we just went ahead and made these little bombshell healthy cookies. Team approval rating? High.
The thing I like about these is that you can really add almost anything to them.
Not sure about the blueberries and chocolate? That’s fine – I wasn’t either at first. Go with blueberries and white chocolate. Or nuts and dried fruit. Or chocolate and flaked coconut (MY PERSONAL FAVORITE). You can kind of do whatever you want with these little golden treasures! You’re the boss. You make it happen.
Also – absolutely fair game to eat for breakfast. Or second breakfast. Or third team breakfast.
I wish you many happy mornings to come, with a breakfast cookie in one hand and a coffee in the other.
Thanks for the awesome recipe, Lindsay!
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Healthy-ish Breakfast Cookies
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
Description
These healthy-ish breakfast cookies are made with an oat, banana, and peanut butter base and can be packed with any mix-ins that you like! Personal favorites: flaked coconut and chocolate chip.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 large banana, mashed
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (you can get away with less, too)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup chocolate chunks
- any other mix-ins that you like, including blueberries, white chocolate, dried fruit, or flaked coconut
Instructions
- Make the dough: Use a hand mixer to combine the banana, peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate, blueberries, or other mix-ins.
- Get ready for baking: Chill the dough for about 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Bake: With wet hands to prevent sticking, roll the dough into 16-18 balls. Bake for 12-15 minutes (depending on your oven and the size of your cookies). They should stay nice and round, but you can flatten gently with a spatula when you take them out of the oven if you want. YUMMM!
Notes
Lindsay’s original recipe was lovely and one of the things we loved about it was its flexibility! I made a few small changes based on my cookie preferences:
- I used creamy instead of crunchy peanut butter.
- I left out the pinch of cinnamon.
- I used maple syrup when I didn’t have honey.
If you are using a very ripe banana, you can probably get away with less sweetener!
I like storing these in the freezer, and, like, actually EATING them out of the freezer. I just have a thing about frozen cookies. Anyone?
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: breakfast cookies, healthy breakfast cookies, healthy cookies
Okay, onto May! More recipes! More you!
May’s Reader Recipe category is: Recipes That Are Special To You.
We want to feature a recipe next month that is near and dear to your heart. When you submit your recipe, be sure to tell us why this recipe is so special to you. We are looking for food stories and experiences, so give us the all deets!
I can’t even explain to you how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE going through your submissions. I look at all your pictures because I’m a creep and I like to see who you are. 👀 It’s so fun. Thank you, as always for being a part of this little corner of the internet!
Click HERE to submit your recipe. Submission form will be open for 24 hours. Submissions are now closed.
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of easy brunch recipes. Check it out!
Filed Under: All Recipes Baking Breakfast Chocolate Dairy-Free Healthy Peanut Butter Spring Stovetop Sugar-Free
April 19, 2018
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
Did you make a recipe? Tag @pinchofyum on Instagram so we can find you!
Hi, there! Thank you so much for sharing. I love your healthier versions of things – I make a batch of your almond butter cups almost every week! I can’t wait to try these cookies.
Question – did you use natural peanut butter (no sugar added) or regular ol’ peanut butter (like Skippy) for these? I know baking calls for “regular” peanut butter instead of natural sometimes, so I thought I’d ask!
Thank you so much and thanks for always being an inspiration in the kitchen as well!
xo – Alyssa
yum! I’m always on board for breakfast cookies
I can’t even. SO much YUM about this recipe! Plus super easy and great for kiddos too! My nephew would be all over these!!
I’m a huge Pinch of Yum blog & recipe fan but I will be honest, I kinda feel bad for the recipe winner when you completely altered the recipe with 4 out of 9 ingredients 🙁 …removed cinnamon and honey, add maple syrup, add coconut oil, creamy is better than crunchy. A winner’s original recipe should be good enough, defeats the purpose to rewrite it.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for sharing your opinion. No need to feel bad for anyone – Lindsay’s recipe is gold! The edits we made are very, very minor. Cinnamon is optional. Type of liquid sweetener and type of peanut butter is personal preference. By nature, this is a make-it-what-you-want recipe, which is one of the reasons we loved it. I feel it’s important to communicate exactly how I make the recipes so that people can replicate them. That’s my job. 🙂
Thoughts on a gluten free substitute for whole wheat flour?
Worked for me- used an all purpose GF mix
Thanks Robin for sharing! We just found out our youngest has a wheat sensitivity so knowing when you can and can’t sub wheat/gluten free options is all new!
We don’t have much experience using GF flours, but you could definitely give standard GF flour a try!
I’ll second that! I used Pamela’s Baking Mix and these came out awesome.
Is there a nut-free alternative you would recommend instead of peanut butter?
Andrea, I’m not on team Pinch of Yum, but I can answer your question. Sunflower seed butter makes an excellent alternative to peanut butter in many recipes. I used to make a delicious no-bake cookie with sunflower seed butter (until I learned that my son is allergic to sunflower seeds too!).
Yaaasssss, frozen cookies are the best!! I always stick some in the freezer when I make a batch of cookies. My boyfriend thinks I’m super weird but when you let them soften just a bit so they are still cold but extra chewy it’s so perfect!
Yes I’m all about frozen cookies. I just made your chocolate chip cookie recipe this weekend and put most in the freezer and left some out for my little boys so they could have some. Looking to also make your modern scotcheroos this weekend too.
Yes! Freezable cookies are the best!
YAS I’ll be trying these as I’ve actually been on the lookout for more interesting breakfast options!
Just made these and they have a great taste! Mine came out gritty but I subbed cashew butter for peanut, used shaved coconut and chocolate chips. They’re also very crumbly.. May add an egg next time and will definitely try the blueberries!
These cookies look great …but I hate bananas. Any good recommendations for a swap?
Well, I do need something healthish to eat before my circuit training workout so I’m going to make these and have them ready to go! Thanks for the recipe Lindsay!
Hope you enjoy them, Casey!
Could I use Almond Flour??
Hi! Recipes like these are a hit in my home for breakfast and that fresh cup of coffee???? Can I sub peanut butter to something else? We are not peanut butter eaters, and these cookies sounds amazing not too try:) thanks
I made these this morning and they are awesome!! They don’t taste like a “breakfast” cookie to me because of the chocolate, but they are a delicious “cookie” cookie! I used all natural creamy PB (because that’s what I had), and only did a drizzle of honey into the batter (maybe it was 1-2 tbsp). I did a mix of dark chocolate chunks and semi-sweet chips and added in some unsweetened coconut. I didn’t use blueberries because I was afraid…maybe next time though! Also, you can’t taste that banana at all (at least I couldn’t), so if you are anti-banana, don’t worry. I would definitely make these again – so easy, quick and delicious! Thanks to both of the Lindsays!
Yum, these cookies look great! I wonder if these will also work really well as granola bars? I would love to add dried blueberries and toasted coconut in my batch!
That would be awesome!
They look good for a sunday morning breafast.
Can you suggest substitutes for peanut butter for nut allergies (sesame seed allergy too )?
Sunflower butter would be a great alternative!
Breakfast cookies are my favourite! Who wouldn’t want to start the day with a delicious cookie, right?
Hi! This is for reader Lindsay who did the breakfast cookie recipe…
A small plate and 5 screws…I am so curious. Do you have a Sophono hearing devic e? I have one of those and I would love to hear from someone else who does!
I hope this is an ok question. If not, delete! Sabrina
Hi Lindsay, I was wondering if you think another kind of fruit besides banana could be used in this recipe? These sound delicious…I am definitely going to make them, but unfortunately banana is one of my migraine triggers. ugh! Love your blog! Thank you.
Love everything about this post! Team creamy peanut butter for lyfeeee! The photography looks amazing as usual! Hope you are having a great week!
These were a hit with my 8 and 6 year olds. I did not include chocolate, just put in blueberries. They are more fragile than real cookies so be careful so they don’t crumble immediately.
I used the Natural Jiffy because it is creamy and it was smooth enough that I didn’t even need to use the hand mixer, just a good ol’ fashioned wooden spoon. I used a super super ripe banana as well to avoid lumpiness.
Just made these this morning and followed the recipe, they smelled great but they came out more flat and didn’t keep their shape at all, any idea why?
these were delicious! thank you!