Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
These breakfast cookies are always a huge hit! They’re supremely soft and chewy with lots of delicious peanut butter flavor, and they’re great for meal prepping or quick grab-and-go breakfasts and snacks. Leftovers will keep for at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator (if they last that long!), and they freeze really well, too!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (64g) homemade creamy peanut butter (see Notes!)
- ¼ cup (56g) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup
- 5 tbsp (75mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¾ cup (90g) oat flour (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this – and see Notes!)
- 1 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together the peanut butter and applesauce until smooth and creamy. Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until fully incorporated. Stir in the maple syrup. Stir in the almond milk. Pour the oats and oat flour into the bowl, and sprinkle the baking powder evenly over the top of the oats and oat flour (to prevent clumping!). Stir all three ingredients in together until just incorporated. Chill the cookie dough for 20 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 8-10 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 and love!) Too much of either will dry out the cookies and leave them cakey, bready, or dry, instead of soft and chewy.
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These cookies don’t spread. They’ll look exactly the same before and after baking (just no longer raw!), so it’s important to flatten the cookie dough before baking.
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 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.
PEANUT BUTTER NOTES: This is my homemade creamy peanut butter recipe. You just need 5 minutes to make it! If using store-bought creamy peanut butter, make sure it only contains peanuts and salt — no other ingredients. It should be liquidy at room temperature. Do not substitute crunchy peanut butter.
UNSWEETENED APPLESAUCE NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Unsweetened applesauce can also be called “no sugar added” applesauce. I love using these single-serving unsweetened applesauce cups for baking. They’re so handy!
Sweetened applesauce may be substituted for the unsweetened applesauce. Other flavors of applesauce (ie cinnamon, strawberry, blueberry, etc) should also work. I don’t recommend Granny Smith unsweetened applesauce though; it often has a noticeable tart taste that can change the flavor of your cookies.
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup. I generally don't recommend substituting sugar free maple syrup. It's often water-based, which makes your oatmeal cookies turn out more cakey or bready. (For more sweetener options, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page.)
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
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.
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.
OAT FLOUR NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: This is my favorite store-bought oat flour (or this for the gluten-free version!), and I also show you how to make your own at home here.
Regular whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the oat flour. (For more flour options, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page.)
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: 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, EGG-FREE + VEGAN VERSION: No modifications necessary!
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, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, clean eating, low fat}
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.