Breakfast Cookies

By The Modern Nonna

on Jun 26, 2025, Updated Jul 07, 2025

5 from 1 vote
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This recipe is a childhood dream fulfilled: cookies for breakfast 🤗! My breakfast cookies are chewy, nutty, chocolatey, and absolutely irresistible 🍪. Plus, they can be adapted for everyone to enjoy, no matter your diet or allergies. They’re naturally vegan, dairy and gluten free, and they have no refined sugar. You probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now: a ripe banana and a handful of simple pantry staples. Start your day off strong with these nutritious, delicious breakfast cookies. No sugar crash – just a perfect, not-too-sweet way to start your morning 🌞.

Table of Contents

A stack of chocolate chip cookies sits on a white plate, with a bottle of milk in the background. The scene is set against a white tiled wall on a light countertop.

Why You’ll Love Breakfast Cookies

Ready in just 15 minutes, these breakfast cookies are perfect for busy mornings. The best part? They’re naturally sweetened and packed with wholesome ingredients, so you can feel good about starting your day off AND immediately satisfying your sweet tooth 😉. Make them ahead for a grab-and-go breakfast or snack. They’re soft, chewy, and studded with crunchy nuts and melty chocolate—like trail mix in cookie form.

Ingredients

A banana, a bowl of rolled oats, and small bowls of honey, peanut butter, salt, pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips, and sunflower seeds are arranged on a white marble surface.

Banana: Who doesn’t have an overripe banana on their kitchen counter right now? The banana acts as a binder for all the ingredients in this cookie recipe, and adds moisture, natural sweetness, and nutrition.

Maple syrup: I love this low glycemic index choice for a sweetener. Plus, maple syrup is vegan. And the Canadian in me can’t help but opt for maple syrup 🇨🇦. But runny honey will work in a pinch 🍯.

Quick-Cooking Rolled Oats: This variety of oats—versus old-fashioned—will give you the most cohesive, soft, pleasantly textured cookies, thanks to their small flake size.

Peanut Butter: Opt for creamy, sugar- and oil-free peanut butter (as in, the jar should contain just one ingredient: peanuts!) to add protein, flavor, and healthy fat to these breakfast cookies.

Salt: A pinch of salt helps bring out the flavors in this nutty, oaty cookie 🧂.

Pumpkin Seeds: Also called pepitas, these seeds are loaded in omega-6s, magnesium, and iron.

Crushed Walnuts: Another excellent source of protein and omegas. I take whole, toasted, unsalted walnuts, and roughly chop them with a large knife. These add lovely texture and additional protein to the recipe.

Mini Chocolate Chips: What’s a cookie without chocolate 🍫? Finish off the cookies with a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips. If you don’t eat dairy, be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips.

Nonna’s Tip 🔍

To ensure these are gluten-free, look for quick-cooking oats that are labeled “gluten-free.”

Secrets to Perfect Results

Cookies…for breakfast 🍪? Yes, we’re doing this! If you want breakfast cookies that taste like a warm good morning hug, then follow these secrets for perfect results:

  • Use super ripe bananas – Don’t toss those brown bananas! Mix them into the batter to add syrupy sweetness without the need for refined sugar.
  • Don’t skip the chill time – This, my loves ❤️, is cookie baking 101! Even 10–15 minutes in the fridge helps the dough hold its shape and bake up beautifully. 
  • Oats matter – Use quick cooking rolled oats 🌾 – not old fashioned or steel cut. They absorb the liquid ingredients much better and give the cookies their chewy texture without coming out crumbly.
  • Shape with your hands – These cookies won’t spread much, so give them a little press and shape into round edges before baking 👩‍🍳.
  • Let them cool completely – They will be soft and delicate right out of the oven. Give them a few minutes to set so they don’t crumble while handling. 

Breakfast Cookies Variations and Substitutions

  1. To make these nut-free, simply swap the peanut butter for a seed butter, such as tahini or sunflower seed butter, and use your favorite seeds in place of walnuts 🥜.
  2. Feel free to add other toppings instead of or in place of the mini chocolate chips, such as a sprinkling of unsweetened shredded coconut 🥥. Additionally, you can add flaky sea salt 🧂.
  3. Instead of crushed walnuts, try slivered almonds or crushed hazelnuts 🌰.
  4. To make mini muffins, simply place the batter inside a mini muffin tin lined with mini liners. Then, bake for about 10 to 12 minutes 🧁.
A hand holding an oatmeal cookie topped with chocolate chips and seeds, with more cookies on a plate lined with newspaper-style paper in the background.

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Similar Recipes

A hand holds an oatmeal cookie topped with chocolate chips over a cooling rack with more similar cookies. Additional baked goods are blurred in the background.

Breakfast Cookies

Start your day off strong with these nutritious, delicious breakfast cookies. They're naturally vegan, dairy and gluten free, and they have no refined sugar. No sugar crash – just a perfect, not-too-sweet way to start your morning.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Makes: 6 cookies
Author: The Modern Nonna
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Video

Equipment

Measuring Cups + Spoons
Redmond Real Salt
Cookie Scoop
Baking Sheet
Parchment Paper
Mixing Bowls
Silicone Spatula

Ingredients 

  • 1 large banana, ripe
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup, or honey
  • 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats, 100 grams, *see note
  • ¼ cup smooth peanut butter, any nut butter
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ⅛ cup pumpkin seeds
  • ⅛ cup crushed walnuts, or sunflower seeds
  • mini chocolate chips, for topping (optional)

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Peel the banana and add it to a large bowl. Using a fork, mash the banana. Add the oats, peanut butter, salt, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts, and using a silicone spatula, stir to combine.
    A metal bowl containing rolled oats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanut butter, honey, and mashed banana on a light marble surface.
  • Use a cookie scoop to make 6 large, equal balls of cookie dough.
    A metal mixing bowl with a spoon inside, containing a thick, mixed batter or dough with visible grains and herbs, placed on a light marble surface.
  • Place the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, leaving a few inches between each ball. Using the bottom of a sturdy drinking cup or measuring cup, gently press down on each ball, making sure the cookie is flat, but round.
    Six scoops of unbaked cookie dough spaced evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet, ready to be baked, set on a white marble surface.
  • Place mini chocolate chips on top of each cookie, if using, and gently press them into the batter. I like to shape the cookie with my fingers making sure they are smooth all around.
    Six unbaked chocolate chip cookies are arranged on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, ready to be baked. The cookies are spaced evenly apart on a white surface.
  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Enjoy!
    Six round oatmeal cookies are arranged in two rows on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Some cookies are topped with chocolate chips, while others have seeds. The background is a white, marble-like surface.

Notes

  • Quick-Cooking Rolled Oats: I chose this particular style of oats because they have a smaller flake size and make for the most pleasant, softer texture in these cookies (at least, IMHO). Old-Fashioned Oats, which have a longer cook time than the quick-cooking variety, have a larger, coarser texture and make for chewier, heartier cookies. If you use old-fashioned oats, expect the cookies to have more texture, structure, and chew. 
  • Colossal Cookies: This recipe makes 6 LARGE cookies. If you want yours smaller, you can reduce the cooking time to 8 to 10 minutes. 
  • Storage: I store these in an airtight container in a dark, cool space for 3 days or in the fridge for 5 days. Refrigeration will alter the texture of the cookies. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie, Calories: 168kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.002g, Sodium: 54mg, Potassium: 220mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 15IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
COOKED IT? SLAYED IT? 💅
Tag @themodernnonna so I can hype you up 👏 and don’t forget to rate ⭐, drop a comment 💬, and show some love right here on the recipe!

Common Questions

Are these breakfast cookies gluten free?

Yes, the cookies are gluten free IF you purchase quick-cooking, gluten free oats. So, make sure the oats you purchase are labeled “gluten free.” If you’d rather have chewier, more textured cookies, you can use gluten free old-fasioned oats.

How can i make these cookies nut-free, or allergen friendly?

To make these cookies nut-free, use tahini or sunflower seed butter in place of peanut butter and swap the walnuts for your favorite seeds, such as sunflower seeds or sesame seeds.

Are these cookies dairy free?

Yes, these are dairy free IF you use dairy-free chocolate chips or omit the chocolate chips. You can also opt for sugar-free chocolate if you like.

Are these vegan?

Yes, these breakfast cookies are vegan. In addition, be sure to use dairy-free, vegan chocolate chips.

can i meal prep these cookies?

Certainly, these make a great meal prep recipe. Bake the cookies, let them cool completely, and then store in an airtight container in a cool, dark area for up to 3 days. Or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Refrigeration will alter the texture of the cookies.

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Hi! I'm Sneji. Nice to meet you!

I am more commonly known as “The Modern Nonna” on social media where I create easy home cooked meals with a modern twist. I was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria and learned how to cook at the best culinary school in the world – my grandma’s kitchen. I lived in Greece on the Island of Crete with my parents for a while and then moved to Toronto, Canada when I was in grade 5. I started to really cook and experiment with food 11 years ago when I was 21 years old. Everything I currently know is a reflection of some part of my life…

More about me

Keep up to date with me on social media! Follow @themodernnonna

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3 Comments

  1. Hi – Love your recipes and excited to try these since I’ve got some ripe bananas that are very ripe. Is there any way you can offer metric measurements for this recipe but ultimately all your recipes?

    Reply