When I recently stopped by my neighbor’s house to drop off some of these chocolate muffins, their little not quite three-year-old daughter wanted to show me all of their Halloween decorations. I smiled as the impromptu tour began… I’m pretty sure I would’ve done the same thing at her age!
She pointed out the scarecrow on the front sidewalk with a tiny Jack-be-Little pumpkin at his feet. He was dressed in black denim pants and a plaid orange shirt, complete with suspenders and a bright orange hat. Her mom explained they named him Billy, so now my dog and I say hi to Billy every day when we head out for a walk!
Next came the big carving pumpkin on their front step, alongside a cute friendly-looking glittery skull. The tour finished with shiny orange, purple, and black ornaments with sparkly decorations hung on a large potted plant next to their front door.
With Halloween right around the corner, I asked the little girl about her favorite candy. I haven’t lived in a neighborhood with trick-or-treaters for four years, so I wanted to make sure I bought the good kind!
She shyly ducked behind her mom, so her mom explained that anything with chocolate was always a big hit. (Music to my ears… I wrote a chocolate cookbook, after all!) Her mom continued on, sharing that Reese’s were especially popular, thanks to the irresistible combination of chocolate and peanut butter.
When I returned back to my house, I scribbled down the kind of candy to buy at the grocery store, which wasn’t hard to remember… It’s the kind that I love too! ?
A few days later, after whipping up an extra batch of these Healthy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies, I knew exactly who to give them to! They’re supremely chewy and have the sweetness level of a muffin (which hopefully appealed to the little girl’s mom, who’s a personal trainer!). Plus they contain no butter, oil, refined flour or sugar and only 93 calories!
Her mom texted me just a few minutes after I returned back home… There were already three missing from the bag, and these cookies have been their favorite baked treats of mine so far! ♡ That’s the best kind of compliment!
This recipe is the next flavor in my healthy oatmeal breakfast cookies recipe series! ← Have you tried any of those yet? Or any of these healthy dessert oatmeal cookie recipes? They’re some of the most popular recipes on my blog! They taste just like traditional cookies (not healthy at all!), and they’re still supremely chewy even without refined flour or sugar.
So let’s talk about how to make them!
You’ll start with whole wheat flour (or gluten-free!) and instant oats (like this!). Instant oats are also called “quick-cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned oats, so they soften better in the oven and make these cookies taste extra chewy. You can find them right next to the rolled oats at the grocery store!
Remember, it’s extremely important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will make your dough dry and your cookies cakey. This is especially true for the oats… They act like little sponges and soak up as much moisture as they can from the dough!
This is the kitchen scale that I own and love. I highly recommend it! It only cost $20, and I use it to make every recipe that I share with you here because it ensures my treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time I make them.
You’ll sweeten your cookies with pure maple syrup (like this!) instead of refined sugar. The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup,” so skip the pancake syrups and sugar-free syrups! You’re only adding half the amount of sweetener compared to my dessert oatmeal cookie recipes, so you’ll also add milk into your cookie dough to compensate for the missing liquid—and ensure your cookies turn out soft and chewy!
Now for the two best parts… Starting with the creamy peanut butter! For the best results, use my easy blender peanut butter. You just need 5 minutes to make it! Otherwise, use natural-style drippy peanut butter. The only ingredients should be peanuts and salt!
Note: Don’t substitute chunky peanut butter! Your cookies won’t turn out correctly.
And finally… The mini chocolate chips! My chocoholic heart’s favorite! I prefer using mini chips because their small size ensures that every bite contains chocolate. I’m obsessed with these because they taste really rich and melt so well in the oven!
Healthy cookies for breakfast will definitely get me out of bed any day of the week! ?? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your breakfast cookies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (64g) homemade creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- 2 ½ tbsp (35g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg white and vanilla. Stir in the peanut butter until fully incorporated. Stir in the maple syrup and milk. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 2 tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips. Let the cookie dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten to the desired thickness and width using a spatula. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 9-11 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times or until the oats are about ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free instant oats and the following gluten-free flour blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will also work, if measured like this.
I highly recommend my easy blender peanut butter for these cookies! It only takes 5 minutes to make (literally—I timed it!), and it tastes amazing. Otherwise, you can use a store-bought natural-style peanut butter where the only ingredients are peanuts and salt. Do not use crunchy peanut butter.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
For answers to all other questions (including substitutions and tips), see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
Hello!
Is the peanut butter essential to the baking of the cookie, or can I omit it?
Thanks
Lisa
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Jolie! The peanut butter is required for this recipe. However, you can substitute almond butter or cashew butter if you prefer! Another option would be to use another one of my oatmeal breakfast cookie recipes (you can find those here!) that don’t require nut butter. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think if you try any of my oatmeal breakfast cookie recipes!
They look great! Will definitely try IA.
Can i use whole egg? If yes then will i have to reduce amount of liquid (milk) going into the recipe? TIA
Yes, you can use a whole egg! In this particular recipe, you don’t need to make modifications to any of the other ingredients. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies Maryam!
Hi, I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Are instant oats required, or can I use old fashioned steel cut oats? Thank you!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Nicole! I’ve actually covered this on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page, and there’s a link included to that in the Notes section (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know it can be easy to miss that! 🙂 I’m so excited to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies!
Delicious! You get an award for making something healthy actually taste not healthy! My kids and I love it and they just keep wanting more. I’m going to share this recipe with family and friends for sure!
I should add one thing though – I didn’t have maple syrup so I used honey instead but it was amazing and I loved it!
Oh my goodness, that’s the best compliment ever!! Thank you so much Julianna! I’m so excited that you and your kids loved these cookies. 🙂 I truly appreciate you sharing my recipe — that means the world to me!