I’m partnering with Bob’s Red Mill® to bring you today’s recipe! I absolutely love their healthy, top-quality products (flours, oats, protein powder, and more!). They ensure my recipes turn out perfectly and taste delicious every time I make them!
During the winter quarter of my first year of graduate school, I ended up with one class that started at 8 am three days a week, plus a spectroscopy lab at 7:30 am on a fourth day. Around twenty other organic chemistry grad students suffered through the same schedule, and we regularly headed to the closest coffee shop on campus for a caffeine boost as soon as the professors let us out of lecture.
For those four days each week, I set my alarm for 5:30 am (or o’dark thirty, as one of my close friends calls it!) to squeeze in a yoga session, shower, and blow dry my hair. But as a result, I barely ended up with enough time to boil water for tea before dashing out the door… Let alone make a decent breakfast. Staying warm was a much higher priority that winter!
So instead, I usually grabbed a banana to tuck into my backpack. Although a healthier option than the Pop-Tarts and bite-sized powdered sugar donuts that my classmates brought, the banana never kept me full all the way until lunch.
But these healthy apple pie oatmeal breakfast cookies definitely would’ve done the trick! They’re full of hearty oats and plenty of cozy cinnamon — but no refined flour or refined sugar! — and perfect for quick grab-and-go breakfasts. (Snacks too!)
And I’m always a huge fan of wholesome breakfast foods that taste like dessert!
QUICK OVERVIEW – HEALTHY APPLE PIE OATMEAL BREAKFAST COOKIES
Difficulty: Fairly easy, including for many beginner bakers.
Taste: Lightly sweetened with plenty of cozy oats, warm spices, and juicy apples filling every bite.
Texture: Soft, moist, and chewy.
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY APPLE PIE OATMEAL BREAKFAST COOKIES
This easy recipe is the next installment in my oatmeal breakfast cookies recipe series. ← Have you tried any of those other ones? They have the sweetness level of muffins or scones and the same chewy texture as traditional “dessert-style” oatmeal cookies. An irresistible combination in my book!
These healthy apple oatmeal breakfast cookies begin with Bob’s Red Mill quick cooking oats (these!) and Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat flour (this kind!). I’m completely obsessed with Bob’s Red Mill products and keep dozens of them in my pantry! Everything from whole wheat flour and oats to coconut flour and protein powder to almond meal and oat flour. All of the Bob’s Red Mill products that I’ve tried have been so reliable and truly top-quality — and that makes my baked treats taste even better!
Hint: Quick cooking oats are also called instant or one-minute oats, and they’re smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats. This size difference means they soften faster while baking, which makes your cookies perfectly soft and chewy!
Tip: If you’d like to make your healthy apple pie oatmeal breakfast cookies gluten-free, then use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free quick cooking oats (these!) and Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour (this one!). They work perfectly as substitutes!
It’s extremely important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either will dry out your dough and make your cookies cakey, bready, or crumbly. This is especially true of the oats. They act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture from your cookie dough!
You’ll sweeten your healthy breakfast cookies with pure maple syrup (like this!) instead of refined sugar. Make sure your maple syrup is the kind that comes directly from maple trees, not pancake syrup or sugar-free syrup! Those contain other added ingredients, which often changes the way they behave in baking recipes.
Because we’re only adding half the amount of sweetener compared to traditional “dessert-style” oatmeal cookies, you’ll also mix in some milk to compensate for the “missing” liquid and keep your cookies perfectly chewy. Just about any type will work, so feel free to use whatever is in your fridge right now!
Of course, we can’t forget the apples and spices that make these cookies taste like apple pie! I prefer red Fuji apples because they’re naturally sweet and have a great texture for baking. They also taste really comforting when paired with the cozy cinnamon and nutmeg!
It’s really important to dice the apples finely. See how small mine are in these photos, especially the one of the mixing bowl? The pieces should be no larger than the size of standard chocolate chips! This ensures they soften while baking. These breakfast cookies don’t spend very long in the oven, so if your apple chunks are larger, they’ll stay crisp and firm. Also, because someone always asks… I leave the skin on my apples — but you’re welcome to peel yours, if you prefer!
One final thing! These cookies do not spread while baking, so you must flatten the cookie dough before popping your tray in the oven. I just use a little spatula (like this!) to do so because the dough is too sticky to touch with your hands.
Quick, healthy, yummy… All of my breakfast problems are solved! 😉 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 healthy apple pie oatmeal breakfast cookies!
Healthy Apple Pie Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) Bob’s Red Mill quick cooking oats (measured like this)
- ¾ cup (90g) Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg white (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup (room temperature)
- 5 tbsp (75mL) nonfat milk (room temperature)
- ¾ cup (94g) finely diced red apple
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, egg white, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup and milk. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the apple. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Using a spoon and spatula, drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten to ⅜”-thick using a spatula. Bake at 325°F for 9-11 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
This post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. As always, all text, photographs, recipes, and opinions are my own.
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy breakfast cookie recipes and healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
These look delicious. I’m wondering. In the instructions you mention adding the remaining chocolate chips. I don’t see them listed anywhere else. Is there another place they should be added? How many should be used. Thanks.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Kathy! Thanks for catching that typo — all fixed! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies!
9″ dish at 325 deg for 15m was perfect! I can so see me eating these warm with an extra drizzle of syrup ?
Yay!! I’m so glad you loved these Leigh — and thank you for letting me know what worked! 🙂
I’m alllll about the breakfasts that taste like dessert. Apple is my favorite pie flavor, so these would definitely be a go to for me. I can’t even recall the last time I had apple pie.
If I could make a version of these that you could actually eat, you KNOW I’d do that in a heartbeat!! ♡ (And I’d totally make you an apple pie too!)
I’m wondering about the chocolate chips too! Are they suppose to be included and were they included in the nutritional information?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Catherine! Thanks for catching that little typo — all fixed! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies!
I was excited to try your breakfast cookies, but after baking & cooling them…..they’re tasteless. I’m trying to figure out what to do if I bake them again. HELP!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Sally! Let’s figure out what happened. 🙂 Can you elaborate a bit more on “tasteless?” Were they not sweet enough, lacking in spice flavor, or something else? Also, were your cookies more cakey or more chewy? The more info you can give me, the better I can help! We’ll get this sorted out so your next batch turns out perfectly!
These look and sound totally yummy! I love oatmeal cookies, but hate raisins, so I’m excited to try them with the apple!! Just a note – the only thing I noticed about chocolate chips was a SIZE comparison, not actually adding chocolate. I’m contemplating adding maybe cinnamon chips, maybe even white chocolate chips, just because I love the texture.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Amy! I absolutely love your idea of cinnamon chips — they’re so irresistible! 🙂 I’d love to hear how your cookies turn out if you try that — or if you try white chocolate chips too!
You should remake these https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2013/06/11/peanut-butter-pretzel-bars/ (I can’t find soy crisps?)
I appreciate your interest in my recipe Candace! I found my soy crisps at Whole Foods. If you scroll through the comments on that recipe blog post, you’ll find a few suggestions I made for other readers who couldn’t find soy crisps. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try those snack bars!
These are the kinda cookies everyone loves! full of so much flavor and healthy at the same time! great stuff, my kids will love this 🙂
Thanks Albert! I can’t wait to hear what you and your kids think of these cookies! 🙂
I love all those beautiful apple chunks in the cookies – those are always my favorite part of apple desserts! And I can’t believe you got up at 5:30 to get yoga in before class – you’re a warrior!
Thanks so much Melissa! The fruit is always my favorite part of apple desserts too. 😉 The only reason I could get up that early was because I knew it was only for 10 weeks of my life! ?
I absolutly hate maple syrup. Is there a good substitute I can use?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Tiffany! I’ve actually answered this already in the Notes section underneath the Instructions, on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page. I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies!
I wonder if you could bake it all at once and cut into squares? Im not patient when it comes to cookie making, lol. Would it change cooking time/temp?
Yes, you could do that! I’d recommend a 9″-square pan. The baking temperature will stay the same, but I’m not quite sure about the baking time since I haven’t tried that myself with the recipe. They’ll be done when the edges look firm and done. The center may look a little underdone, but if you let the cookie bars cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and then rest for an additional 3+ hours, the center will finish fully cooking through. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these Leigh!