These Breakfast Cookies are like a bowl of homemade granola in cookie form! They’re healthy oatmeal cookies that taste like your favourite oatmeal raisin cookies – but they’re refined sugar free, gluten free, and will keep you full for ages.
Copycat of the popular Muesli Cookies sold in cafes across Australia, these are a terrific make ahead breakfast. Fill a jar with to grab ‘n run!
Breakfast Cookies
The only 2 ingredients in these Healthy Oatmeal Cookies that I don’t put in homemade granola are almond meal and egg. So I’m not exaggerating when I say these are like a bowl of granola in cookie form!
These are a copycat of muesli breakfast cookies I’ve been eyeing at my local coffee shop for years, wanting to make a version that was actually acceptable to have for breakfast. I’ve tried multiple times and they’ve always been meh – the main problem being too dry and hard to swallow.
Finally, the penny dropped when I was smushing soaked dates for Sticky Date Pudding. MASHED DATES!!!! Thoroughly unappetising and sludge-like as it looks, this is the secret to sweetness, moisture, colour and terrific texture for healthy sugar-free cookies!!!
Customisable!
These Healthy Oatmeal Cookies are great for customising. It’s actually a very forgiving recipe – thanks to the mashed dates that makes a solid batter base. These are the ingredients you can customise:
Flavourings: I’ve used cinnamon and vanilla. Try: orange blossom, almond essence, all spice, cloves – whatever takes your fancy!
Add Ins: I’ve used coconut, almonds and raisins. Use any combination of coconut, nuts and dried fruit that you want… or CHOC CHIPS!!!
Sweet: I use maple syrup or honey. Agave or any other liquid form of sweetness should work fine here. Sweetness can also be controlled – from a range of 1 to 4 tablespoons;
Oil: In the spirit of keeping this healthy, I use coconut oil (most of the time). Any oil will be fine here – or melted butter or margarine;
Almond Meal: Can be substituted with hazelnut meal / flour. I use these two interchangeably. Do not sub with normal flour – it makes the cookies dry and cardboardy.
Quick and easy
Breakfast cookies are so simple to make, you can make them today for a grab ‘n run breakfast tomorrow!! Soak dates, mash (strangely satisfying, despite how unattractive date sludge looks), mix with remaining ingredients, form cookies and bake.
No food processor, no beater – terrifically simple.
Go big or go home!
I’ve made these breakfast cookies hefty instead of wimpy little cookies because they are intended to be a breakfast. I made the mistake of having two of them when I took these photos and I was full for hours. So full for so long, I didn’t even have a full dinner that night.
Self control is a trait I admire from afar. – Nagi x
PS I don’t recommend making them normal cookie size/thickness. They are soft-chewy and lack the crispy edges you find in classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, I wasn’t thrilled with the texture. Best chunky and “meaty” – appropriate for breakfast!
More Make Ahead Breakfast – Grab ‘n Go!
And more cookie / cracker copycats
Other recipes I’ve created in the past for the same reason as these Byron Bay cookie copycat recipe (ie because I love ’em but they’re expensive!)
Byron Bay Cookies Copycat White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies – big, thick, buttery cookies loaded with white chocolate and macadamia nuts. Crisp with a tender melt-in-your-mouth texture, just like Byron Bay Cookies!
Gourmet Fruit & Nut Crackers for Cheese – homemade version of the rather expensive fruit and nut crackers to serve with cheese! Homemade is incredible – the flavour is so much better than the store bought. Plus it’s way WAY cheaper!
Breakfast Cookies
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients:
- 100 g / 3.5 oz pitted dates (1 heaped packed cup)
- 1/3 cup / 85 ml boiling water
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp maple syrup or honey (Note 1)
- 3 tbsp coconut oil , melted, or other plain oil (Note 2)
- 1 tsp vanilla essence (Note 5)
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup flaked almonds (Note 3)
- 1/4 cups desiccated coconut (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup raisins or sultanas (Note 3)
- 3/4 cup almond meal (almond flour) (Note 4)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (Note 5)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan/convection). Line a tray with parchment/baking paper.
- Roughly chop dates. Place in bowl, pour over water. Cover and leave to soak for 10 minutes+.
- Mash with potato masher or fork until it becomes a paste.
- Add remaining Wet ingredients. Mix well with wooden spoon.
- Add Dry ingredients. Mix until all flour is incorporated – should be a thick batter (see video).
- Measure out just shy of 1/2 cup (6 cookies) or 1/3 cup flat (8 cookies). Flatten to 1.7cm / 2/3″ thick rounds. (Note 9) Bake 20 minutes until golden.
- Remove from oven, leave to cool on the tray.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published December 2018, updated for housekeeping matters April 2019. No change to recipe!
LIFE OF DOZER
“C’mon, let’s play tug-o-war! I swear the rope is totally clean and slobber free!!”
I’m not usually a breakfast eater, but these absolutely hit the spot with a cuppa in the morning. Delicious!
Hi, I would love to try this recipe but is there a substitute for the eggs for some one with Egg allergies in the family
Hi M A – I haven’t tried this with any egg substitutes sorry – would love to know if you give it a go! N x
I make these regularly, such a great breakfast to take in the car on the way to weekend sport with the kids. Use one tbsp maple syrup only and swap choc chips for sultanas for half the mix (for the kids), other half sultanas for adults.
Perfect Sally!! N x
Great recipe- thank you! passed the taste test of 4 boys. I used – sultanas, pumpkin, sunflower and flax seeds & coconut. Hubby is GF so made with gf oats.
I travel a lot for work, and these are now my ‘go to’ travel breakfast on the road. They freeze really well. Takeaway coffee in my reusable cup and a breakfast cookie and I’m set up for the day. I have also added chia seeds on occasion for a bit of extra protein which worked well too.
6th time I have made these biscuits and have changed things up each time with different fruits and seeds… so delicious, but we have pushed it out to 8 biscuits as we found them a little to filling and are now perfect. This batch I have just tried half dried dates and dried figs as the binder, and they aren’t quite as sweet but still amazing… thank you for sharing you amazing recipes… chicken Korma, Bombay potatoes and your beautiful naan for dinner tonight xxx
Amazing cookies!! The whole family love them. Thank you for the great healthy recipe
So good… my hubby was worried about all the preservatives in the store bought ones… so I thought what does recipetineats got to offer??? So beautiful, and so easy to make 😊
May I know what the almond meal does for the batter? Can I swap it with something or leave it out?
Hi Mars, it’s just the base for these cookies, you could sub with hazelnut flour if you like! N x
Literally just tried one still warm out of the oven. Amazing. I was tempted to eat more but need to save them for breakfast for the family 😂
I used quick oats and chopped walnuts because had them in the pantry – came out beautifully. Thanks Nagi for this recipe and many others!
Hey Nagi,
First try and I’m scratching my head as to where I went just a little bit wrong 😑 I am positive I measured all and I know I used the exact ingredients in your recipe !
I measured out the 8 cookie size and baked for 20mins , golden brown outside yet cooling on the tray the bottoms went ‘soggy’.
Still a great flavour and an excuse to try them again and again till I get them perfect 👍
Hi Lorien, if your oven runs slightly cool they may take an extra minute or so. Maybe give them 2 more minutes next time and that should help with the soggy bottom. Alternatively, you could place the ones you’ve made on a baking rack and give them 3 minutes in a 180C oven to crisp them up 🙂 N x
Thank you so much for the tips Nagi! Look forward to the next batch 🙋♀️
In answer to Giselle 21/3/21
I substitute wherever I can for eggs with 1 tablespoon Flax Meal in 40-50 mls warm water, mix & let stand 5-10 mins. I haven’t made these cookies yet but will soon & I’m sure the flax meal substitute will work well.
I made this healthy cookies today Nagi. They are super delicious and turns out well. I grinded the oat into flour form..guess what, they hold the shape more firmly. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
I’m keen to make the recipe but we are a nut free household is there a substitute for almond meal?
Not for this one as written sorry Marieclaire! N x
I made these today and they are amazing! So filling as well. I omitted oil and honey from the recipe and added chocolate chips, walnuts and raisins. Everyone loved them and I will be saving this recipe. Thank you Nagi xoxo
I’ve been making these cookies and freezing them. I’ve just made my third batch as they’re an amazing midnight snack when I’m breastfeeding!
Hi Nagi,
Fantastic recipe- as always delicious and simple!!
Is there a non dairy substitute for the egg – I have DF AND EF friend I wanted to make them for. Thanks
Sorry I haven’t tried with any subs here – would love to know if you give it a go though! N x
Hi Nagi, I have been struggling to find gluten free oats. However, I have replaced the oats with cooked Quinoa and it tastes delicious! Similar texture, freezes well. This is a life saving recipe 😊
That’s great to hear Mai, thanks for the suggestion! N x
Hi Nagi, I just made this cookie yesterday and it was super good as a healthy alternative, I even omit the honey or maple syrup as the cookie will take on the sweetness of the dates and it sure did, no offence to others but to me sugar is a killer, again I was glad I bump into this recipe by accident and I sure will keep on making this cookie, thanks Nagi
Sorry, hate being *that* person, but could you remove this from the gluten free search results? Oats are legally not able to be labelled gluten free in aus/nz, and I’d hate for someone to make this for someone or try it without knowing they can’t eat them 🙁
Just made these and they’re delicious!! I did put chocolate nibs in my deacons batch tho!!
Hi Nagi – Longtime fan here! I am wondering whether you could make these into muesli bars instead? Could you pour into a baking tin instead of shaping into cookies? Thanks
I’m keen to know too!