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 totally would’ve done the trick! They’re full of hearty oats and plenty of cozy cinnamon—but no refined flour or sugar—and perfect for quick grab-and-go breakfasts!
And I’m always a huge fan of wholesome breakfast foods that taste like dessert!
This easy recipe is the next installment in my oatmeal breakfast cookies recipe series. ← Have you tried any of those other ones yet? They have the sweetness level of muffins yet the same chewy texture as traditional “dessert-style” oatmeal cookies. An irresistible combination in my book!
These wholesome 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 truly dependable and top-quality—and that makes my baked treats taste even better!
Tip: Quick cooking oats are also called instant or one-minute oats, and they’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned oats. This means they soften a bit more while baking, which makes your cookies perfectly soft and chewy!
Tip 2: 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!) to make your breakfast cookies gluten-free!
It’s extremely important to measure the flour and oats correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either will dry out your dough and make your cookies cakey or crumbly, especially 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 the fake pancake syrups! 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.
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 firm texture for baking. Plus they taste really comforting when paired with cozy cinnamon and nutmeg!
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 usually too sticky to touch with my 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 breakfast cookies!
| Healthy Apple Pie Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies | | Print |
- 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
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup
- 5 tbsp (75mL) nonfat milk
- ¾ cup (94g) finely diced red apple
- 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 the desired thickness and width 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.
Quick cooking oats are also known as instant 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.
For a gluten-free version, use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free quick cooking oats and Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
I use Fuji apples because they’re naturally sweet and have a great texture for baking. Make sure the apples are diced to be no larger than the size of mini chocolate chips to ensure they bake all the way through!
For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
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 Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal cookie recipes!
Hi Amy
Does it matter if I use egg white or a whole egg for the apple oat cookies? It looks like the recipe shows egg white and the video shows a whole egg.
Thanks
Ps I love your recipes – thank you x
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes, Sarah! It means a lot that you’re enjoying them. 🙂
I apologize for the confusion. The video is for my “dessert” apple pie oatmeal cookies, whereas this recipe is for my “breakfast” apple pie oatmeal cookies (they have half the sweetness level). I know it can be confusing since the recipe names are so similar! If you’d like to use a whole egg to make these breakfast cookies, then reduce the milk by ½ tablespoon to compensate for the added liquid volume from the yolk.
I’d love to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies if you try making them!
This recipe is awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Do the cookies need to be refrigerated after cooling?
Can they be frozen?
I’m so happy you like these breakfast cookies, Sarah! I’ve actually covered the answers to both of your questions in the paragraph directly underneath the recipe title in the recipe box. I know it can be really easy to miss though! 🙂
Delicious, easy, and guilt-free! Will definitely make again, but I will probably double the recipe, as this didn’t make many cookies. I also used green apples and doubled the amount asked for in the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Emilee! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
I made these as an easy, healthy family breakfast and they were a huge hit! So soft and delicious!
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed these breakfast cookies Amandine! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Can these breakfast cookies be frozen? Have you tried it? Just don’t know that we will eat them fast enough.
P.S. I must have seen an older recipe as it had the glaze option, which I did. These are delicious!!
I’m really glad you enjoyed these breakfast cookies, Laurie! They freeze and thaw really well. My favorite way to thaw is to reheat individual cookies in the microwave on 30% power until they’re warmed all the way through. They almost taste freshly baked when thawed like that! 🙂
Perfect! Thank you.
My pleasure, Laurie!
I doubled this recipe and used instant oats with flax seed and chia seeds (all I had in the house,) I also added about 2 cups of walnuts as well as extra apples and some nutmeg. Talk about delicious- this is my new go to healthy cookie recipe. Even those who told me they didn’t like healthy things liked them! Kuddos for an amazing recipe!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them, Deb! That’s such a huge compliment, if even people who don’t like healthy things enjoyed them. I’m honored that you’d call this your new “go to” healthy cookie recipe too — you just put them biggest smile on my face! Thanks so much for taking the time to share and let me know!!
Hi Amy, i do love all youre recipes!!! I am from Mexico citty, sorry for my English. The thing is that here i cant buy that kind of quick oats, can I use the ones of quaker ?? those i can find at the supermaket. I really like to do this kind of cookies. Hope you can answer me
thank you in advance
Debbie
It means so much that you’re enjoying my recipes and would like to try making these breakfast cookies, Debbie! Here in the US, Quaker offers two main types of oats. These are old-fashioned oats and quick-cooking one-minute oats. Either one will work! However, if it’s the first kind (old-fashioned oats), then pop them in a blender or food processor first, and pulse until they’re about ⅛ to ¼ of their original size. Then they’ll be fine to use!
I can’t wait to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies! 🙂
Hello: I used this recipe in my high school nutrition class-we had to swap out the pure maple syrup with monkfruit syrup-maple flavor. For some reason, the cookies have no flavor–followed recipe exactly. Any ideas as to why they were so bland?
It means a lot that you tried making my recipe, Lisa! That sounds disappointing and not like how these cookies should turn out, so I’m happy to help figure out what happened. In order to do so, I have some questions for you!
Was it just the sweetness level that was lacking? Or could you not taste the spices either?
Can you describe the sweetness level in a bit more detail? Was it close to the sweetness level of muffins or scones? Or more like the “non”-sweetness of a bagel or sandwich bread?
Did you make any other substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section, other than the maple-flavored monkfruit syrup?
Was it Lakanto’s maple-flavored syrup, by any chance? If not, what brand was it?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure all of the ingredients, especially the flour, oats, and syrup?
Can you describe the consistency of the cookie dough before and after chilling (ie liquidy, wet, stiff, thick, dry, like muffin batter, etc)?
Can you describe the texture of your fully baked cookies? Were they soft and chewy, cakey and bready, or something else?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once I know your answers to all of them! 🙂
Hello-the only swap was the syrup, and it was the brand Birch Bender’s
https://www.amazon.com/Birch-Benders-Flavored-Fruit-Classic/dp/B07SN5GPGH
and we could not taste the spices either-however, the cookies looked and baked perfectly and we could smell the spices. It was so odd! I may try them again, using the pure maple syrup. And yes, we weighed the ingredients using a scale, a skill I teach my students and promote heavily! The texture of the cookies seemed fine–and I saved the day by letting the students enjoy some vanilla ice cream with the cookies-which of course they claim improved everything! Oh, and the cookies tasted just bland,no sweetness at all-the whole wheat flour dominated–and we used King Arthur brand.
Thanks for sharing this information, Lisa! I have a better idea of the culprit, but a few follow-up questions will confirm if I’m right…
Did you weigh all of the ingredients, including the Birch Bender’s Keto Maple Syrup and the milk?
Have you used this particular syrup to make other cookies before? Or any other desserts?
What brands of spices did you use?
Serving them with vanilla ice cream sounds like a great way to save the day, but hopefully that won’t be necessary in the future once I’ve determined the culprit for you! 🙂
There were delish! I substitute the whole wheat flour with rye flour <3 Amazing.
I do not know if there still a healthy version but they tasted amazing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these breakfast cookies, Desiree! I really appreciate you sharing your rye substitution too. I always love hearing what tweaks work! 🙂 (And in my opinion, I think that your rye version would still be healthy!)
Can I use something besides coconut oil? I’m not a fan of coconut flavor.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Andrea! Unsalted butter is the best alternative. (It’s included in the ingredients list — I wasn’t sure if you saw that! 🙂 ) If you’re avoiding dairy, then stick-style vegan butter would be the next best thing. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies if you try making them!