Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
A delicious and wholesome way to start the day! Supremely chewy and extra cozy, these breakfast cookies are filled with soft oats, warm spices, and festive flavors. The dough is lightly sweetened (similar to muffins or breakfast scones!) and comes together quickly. These breakfast cookies are easy to whip up any day of the week and perfect for the holiday season! If stored in an airtight container, leftovers will keep for at least four days (if not closer to a week or more) — if they even last that long!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 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) molasses (room temperature)
- 5 tbsp (75mL) nonfat milk (room temperature)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, egg white, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Stir in the molasses. Stir in the milk. Add in the oat mixture, and stir until just incorporated. 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. Flatten to ⅜”-thick using a spatula. Bake at 325°F for 7-10 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure both the oats and flour correctly using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either will dry out the cookies and leave them cakey, bready, or dry, instead of soft and chewy.
IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These breakfast cookies aren’t overly sweet — and that’s intentional! They have a sweetness level similar to muffins or breakfast scones. For sweeter cookies, substitute pure maple syrup, honey, or agave for an equal amount of milk. (For example, add 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and reduce the milk by 2 tablespoons to compensate.) Alternatively, use my true “dessert” gingerbread oatmeal cookie recipe instead.
For a “spicier” gingerbread flavor, increase the ground ginger by anywhere from an additional ¼ to 1 teaspoon.
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These cookies don’t spread. They’ll look the same before and after baking (just no longer raw!).
Do not over-bake these cookies! They’re ready to come out of the oven when the centers still feel slightly soft and underdone. The residual heat from the warm baking sheet will continue to cook the centers all the way through while you let the cookies rest for 10 minutes after pulling the pan from the oven.
OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are also known as “quick cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal.
In a pinch, to make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned rolled oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times or until the oats are about ¼ to ⅛ of their original size.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour. Oat flour (gluten-free if needed) may also be substituted, but be very careful when measuring it because it tends to be more absorbent than wheat-based flours!
EGG WHITE ALTERNATIVE: If you’d prefer to use a whole egg, then substitute 1 large egg, and reduce the milk by ½ tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolk.
MOLASSES NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I use this kind. I don’t recommend substituting anything for the molasses, if at all possible. It’s required to produce the iconic gingerbread flavor. Do not use blackstrap molasses; it’s too bitter.
However, I understand it can be hard to find molasses outside of the US, so in a pinch, you can substitute pure maple syrup, honey, or agave. They’ll produce the same soft and chewy cookie texture, but keep in mind your cookies will have a noticeably different flavor. (Regardless of which you use, make sure it’s at room temperature. If chilled, it will re-solidify the melted butter or coconut oil.)
I don’t recommend substituting sugar-free maple syrup. Because it’s often water-based, it makes the cookies cakey or bready.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: Use certified gluten-free instant oats (like these) and certified gluten-free oat flour (like this). Alternatively, for a non-oat-flour version, use the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.
DAIRY-FREE VERSION: Use the coconut oil option or stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one). Use your favorite dairy-free milk in place of the nonfat milk.
NUT-FREE VERSION: Use the unsalted butter option.
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container. If left at room temperature, they’ll keep for a couple of days. If refrigerated, they’ll last closer to a week (if not longer!). Once baked and fully cooled, these oatmeal cookies also freeze really well!
For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page.
{gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.