A little over a year after I finished my chemistry degree, my dad and I scheduled another one of our baseball vacations. On that particular trip, we planned to visit three stadiums on the east coast: Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, followed by Camden Yards in Baltimore, and finishing at Nationals Park in Washington, DC.
As usual, we also set aside a few days for sightseeing, so we flew to Philadelphia a full day ahead of our first ballgame to get a taste of the city (starting with classic cheesesteaks, of course!) and soak in some of the historical sights (the Liberty Bell Center and bell itself were big highlights!). We also tacked on a couple of extra days in the Nation’s Capitol to wander around the National Mall, walk past the White House and Lincoln Monument, and spend a full afternoon at the Air and Space Museum.
As we sat at our gate in the California airport on the morning of our trip, we brainstormed how to fit everything into those five days, and I grew more excited with each passing minute while waiting for our flight. The only downside?
There were very few flights to Philadelphia from our usual airport… So we booked the only one that would arrive before midnight local time, which meant waking up at the crack of dawn back on the west coast because of the time difference and layovers!
As a result, my dad and I both stopped by the coffee shop a few yards away from our gate to grab a little extra caffeine as soon as we passed through security at the airport. While I opted for a simple latte to pair with the soft and chewy granola bar I had brought for breakfast, my dad ordered a large black coffee and…
A chocolate muffin. A really big, supremely moist, extremely chocolaty muffin with lots of large chocolate chunks pressed into the top and studded throughout the inside too.
Knowing how much of a chocoholic I am, Dad generously offered to give me a taste or even split his breakfast treat with me. Smiling, I accepted a bite, and as I swallowed, my eyes lit up. That chocolate muffin tasted so good…
…but a little more like a really sweet and butter-laden cupcake than a breakfast item. So to keep my sugar cravings in check, I stopped after that first bite and returned to my chewy oatmeal breakfast bar as I sipped my latte and waited for our plane to arrive.
With the start of the Major League Baseball season right around the corner, Dad and I recently talked about what baseball trips we could potentially plan this year… Which reminded me of that really fun east coast vacation and our early morning airport breakfast!
And now, far too many years later, I combined the two of our breakfasts into one recipe: these Healthy Flourless Double Chocolate Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies! They’re soft and chewy, exactly the way I love my regular cookies (and oatmeal-based granola bars!), and they have the same extra rich and chocolaty flavor of Dad’s muffin.
Yet unlike either of our breakfasts on that particular morning, these healthy breakfast cookies are flourless, eggless, dairy-free, and have no refined sugar. They’re also really easy to make and 66 calories!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY FLOURLESS DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BREAKFAST COOKIES
Let’s go over how to make these healthy flourless chocolate oatmeal breakfast cookies! They remind me of eating brownies for breakfast, which is definitely a good thing in my {chocoholic} book! 😉
You’ll start with a combination of instant oats and unsweetened cocoa powder. Instant oats are also called quick-cooking and one-minute oats. They’re not the ones sold in those individual brown paper packets with flavors like “apple cinnamon” and “maple brown sugar!”
Instant oats have the same exact health benefits as traditional old-fashioned rolled oats. The only difference? They’re smaller and thinner! This means they soften faster, which gives your healthy flourless chocolate oatmeal breakfast cookies the best soft and chewy texture.
And you just need regular unsweetened cocoa powder, like this! I don’t recommend using Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. These other two options have a different acidity level than regular unsweetened cocoa powder, which can affect the taste and texture of your cookies. Besides, you’re using a full ½ cup of cocoa powder, so your healthy flourless double chocolate oatmeal breakfast cookies already taste really rich and decadent!
Hint: The cocoa powder actually replaces the flour, so if you use gluten-free instant oats, then these healthy double chocolate oatmeal breakfast cookies are gluten-free!
Just remember… It’s extremely important to measure the oats and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much cocoa powder will make your cookies taste bitter, rather than rich and chocolaty. Too much of either will also dry out the cookie dough and make your cookies taste cakey or dry, instead of soft and chewy. This is especially true of the oats because they act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture!
So pretty pretty please… Take the few extra moments to properly measure! (And if you use a kitchen scale like I do, then you’ll have fewer measuring cups to wash!)
Next, you’ll need a bit of coconut oil or non-dairy butter (this is my favorite one!). Just 1 tablespoon! That small amount really helps keep your healthy flourless double chocolate oatmeal breakfast cookies low calorie and low fat… Yet they’re still perfectly soft and chewy!
Instead of eggs, you’ll use unsweetened applesauce! I tried that applesauce-for-eggs substitution in this one-bowl flourless brownies recipe, and it worked so well that I decided to try it with these breakfast cookies too. The results? Absolutely perfect! Nobody could tell that these healthy chocolate oatmeal breakfast cookies were egg-free!
Bonus: By using coconut oil and unsweetened applesauce, your healthy flourless chocolate oatmeal breakfast cookies are eggless, dairy-free, and vegan! (Plus gluten-free, if you use gluten-free instant oats!)
Since these are breakfast cookies, rather than traditional dessert cookies, you’ll only use half as much sweetener as compared to my dessert oatmeal cookie recipes. That gives these healthy flourless double chocolate oatmeal breakfast cookies the sweetness level of muffins, rather than true cookies (or cupcakes, like that particular airport muffin!).
And that sweetener? Pure maple syrup! It’s the kind that comes directly from maple trees. The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup,” and it generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).
Then to compensate for the “missing” other half of the sweetener, you’ll stir in some unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Any kind of milk will work! That’s just my family’s favorite non-dairy milk, so I know they’ll always have some on hand. (Unsweetened cashew milk is my other favorite non-dairy milk!)
Finally, it’s impossible to make healthy flourless double chocolate oatmeal breakfast cookies without a second chocolate component… So you’ll fold in a generous sprinkling of miniature chocolate chips into your cookie dough! These are my favorite vegan mini chocolate chips. They taste so rich and turn gooey and melty in the oven!
But wait… I’m getting ahead of myself. You need to chill this cookie dough first! It’s rather moist and liquidy when you first mix all of the ingredients together, but chilling helps stiffen the cookie dough. A mere 30 minutes is all it needs!
Almost time to bake! Because the cookie dough will still be somewhat sticky after chilling (just not wet and liquidy!), use a spoon and a spatula to drop it onto your baking sheet, and flatten each one to be about ¼” to ½” thick. These healthy flourless double chocolate oatmeal breakfast cookies do not spread at all while baking, so they’ll look exactly the same before and after baking… Just no longer raw! 😉
And because someone always asks… No, I don’t use a cookie scoop or any special tools to shape my cookies! I just use this mini spatula to flatten the cookie dough and smooth out the edges to make them look as round as possible.
How tempting do these look as a healthy breakfast?? 😉 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 flourless vegan double chocolate oatmeal breakfast cookies!
Healthy Flourless Double Chocolate Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (115g) instant oats (gluten free if necessary and measured like this)
- ½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or non-dairy butter, melted and cooled slightly (see Notes!)
- 6 tbsp (92g) unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- ¼ cup (60mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk, room temperature
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Whisk together the oats, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the coconut oil or butter, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup and milk. Add in the oat mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 2 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips. 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.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet using a spoon and spatula, and flatten to ¼” to ½” thick using a spatula. (These cookies don’t spread, so they’ll look exactly the same before and after baking!) 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.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Triple Chocolate Scones
♡ Healthy Double Chocolate Mini Muffins
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Waffles
♡ Healthy One-Bowl Flourless Chocolate Chip Brownies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy oatmeal breakfast cookie recipes!
And as I don’t like bananas and I don’t like applesauce can I use an egg instead please
I’m so honored that you love all of my recipes Lily — that truly means a lot to me! 🙂 Yes, you can use one large egg! You may also need to add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of milk if the cookie dough seems dry and you can’t quite incorporate all of the oat + cocoa powder mixture. I can’t wait to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies!
Ok thanks so much your recipes help me be able to bake as I have anorexia and can’t eat high fat food. Like average cakes
It’s my pleasure, Lily! I’m always happy to help! 🙂
OMG!!! These cookies are incredible, they have an amazing taste. I love them, I wouldn’t want them any sweeter. And I didn’t use the chocolate chips but I think they don’t need them.
YAY! I’m so glad you loved them Lily!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
Almost really good. Might be my personal preference, but did not care for the acidic bite from the cocoa powder and applesauce. I subbed Dutch process cocoa and added 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to neutralize the applesauce.
I’m honored that you tried my recipe, Vickie! Did you make these cookies as written, then with the modifications that you mentioned because the originals were too acidic for you? I haven’t ever detected an acidic bite in the recipe as written (only really rich and chocolaty flavors!), so I’m just curious! I’m especially curious about your substitution of the Dutched process cocoa because I’ve found these cookies don’t taste nearly as rich or flavorful when I’ve done that. (Hence why I included a note about how I don’t recommend it in the Notes section! 😉 )
Also, perhaps these flourless chocolate oatmeal cookies would be more to your liking? They don’t involve applesauce, so there’s probably less of a chance of you detecting any acidic bite from that! 🙂
Just made these for Halloween treats. I couldn’t figure out how to measure out 1/15th, so I rolled it into a log with waxed paper and cut it into 16ths instead. Then, while I was shaping them for the cookie sheet, I got the idea to make them into black cats! Pretty funny looking, but the kids will be sure to gobble them up!
That’s such a fun idea, Debbie!! You’re incredibly creative! That’s so perfect for this time of year, with Halloween right around the corner… And since I know I’d LOVE super cute cat-shaped cookies, I’m sure your kids will be completely obsessed! 😉 I hope everyone enjoys these breakfast cookies!
These cookies are absolutely DELICIOUS! For everything that they are, Flourless, Eggless, and Dairy after they are unbelievable. My whole family loves them, and they are a very healthy but very good treat!
I’m so happy everyone in your family loves these cookies, Vanessa!! That truly means the world to me that you’d call them delicious and unbelievable. I’m incredibly honored — thank you for taking the time to let me know! You just made my entire day!! 🙂
Hi Amy, these cookies seem yummiest healthiest alternative to my regular cookie exploitation that I’ve begun in this lockdown!
Would olive oil work in sub for coconut oil?
I’m honored that you’d like to try making these, Brinal! I think olive oil should work in this particular cookie recipe. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies!
Amy, these cookies turned out soooo good! My go to recipe for chocolate cravings! Thanks a ton for this winner.
I also added some hazelnuts, because chocolate + Hazelnuts = match made in heaven for me! Thanks again! 🙂
I’m so glad you loved these cookies Brinal!! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. hat truly means a lot, especially that you’d call this you go to recipe for chocolate cravings! I’m honored!! ♡
What can I replace applesauce with? Cookies looks delish and I’d love to try!
I’m honored that you’d like to try this recipe, Rads! Mashed banana would be the best alternative for the applesauce. You may detect a faint banana flavor, but the texture will be exactly the same! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these breakfast cookies if you make them!
Cookies for breakfast? Oh heck yes. Our boys would be lovin’ life even more if I surprised them with these one morning!
Your boys are the cutest Matt!! With how well their homemade birthday cake turned out for their grandma, I have a feeling they’d be able to make these cookies themselves too — and maybe even surprise you with them for breakfast one day! 😉
These cookies are SO GOOD! I can’t believe how good they are for having no refined sugar. I’m dairy-free and don’t eat refined sugar, and I was so glad to find something chocolatey I could eat! 🙂 I subbed cut up raspberries for the chocolate chips, and the dough was a little wet and the cookies were a bit more delicate/easier to fall apart, but they were still awesome! Thank you for the recipe!!!
I’m so excited that you loved these cookies, Piper! That means so much to me — thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 If you’d like to use raspberries again, then you can reduce the milk by 1-2 tablespoons so the dough isn’t as wet and your cookies don’t fall apart. (Raspberries have so much juice, which adds a lot more moisture to the cookie dough and then causes the issues that you experienced!). But if you loved that more delicate texture, then you can completely ignore what I just said. It’s entirely up to you! 😉
This was supppppppper chocolate-rich. Next time, I would put less cocoa, but other than that, all good! I love that it’s so much healthier than it looks. I also subbed half the maple syrup for a tablespoon of monkfruit sweetener.
I’m glad you enjoyed these cookies, Melinda! That’s the best kind of compliment, if you’re already considering making them again. 😉 If you do end up making another batch, I’ve shared how to make them taste sweeter and not so dark chocolaty in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!). I know it can be easy to miss, so I thought I’d mention it, just in case you found those options helpful! 🙂
I did see those notes, but my thought was not that I wanted it *sweeter*, but just that I wanted it less chocolatey. Now that I read it again, I see that you’re not adding more sweeteners (which is usually what “sweeter” would imply), but rather just diluting the chocolatiness! I suppose it would have helped me if it said ‘For sweeter (less dark chocolaty) cookies…” Not sure if it’s worth changing the wording, but that’s my two cents haha. Thanks again!
Happy to help, Melinda! I appreciate your feedback too. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I made these and they were SOOOOO DELICIOUS!!!! I used baker’s cocoa because I find they give an amazing flavor instead of cocoa powder, and homemade applesauce because ya girl was out. They are soft and chewy, chocolaty……(stop, I’m drooling over my screen again!!!!!) and I love all your flourless cookie recipes, especially the oatmeal raisin ;). Thanks so much!
Hi Amy! Could I use oat flour instead of the instant oats? Do you think the same amount would suffice or would more be needed? Thanks in advance!