Cookies for breakfast are a great idea in my books. It’s a concept that appeals to your inner child, but is executed in a way that your mom would definitely approve of. Loaded with healthy, filling ingredients like spelt flour, oats and dates — and free from soy and can be made without nuts, in case you or your fam are allergic — these cookies make a great on-the-go breakfast or afternoon snack with a hot cup of coffee.
With this recipe I’m attempting to replicate a local vegan baker’s breakfast cookies, which I absolutely LOVE. However, I live in the burbs and it’s hard to get my hands on her cookies when I want them, so I did the next best thing; I made my own.
The best thing about making these Killer Breakfast Cookies in your own home is being able to customize them to your liking. Nut-free household? Use seed butter instead of peanut. Heck, use almond butter if that’s more to your liking, or all you’ve got in the pantry.
You can also substitute the maple syrup with agave or another liquid sweetener. If you don’t have Medjool dates, you could use 1/3 cup of raisins, just be sure to soften them in warm water for 10 minutes and drain before using. As for the spelt flour, all purpose flour will probably work, but I haven’t tried it with this recipe.
Once you have your chosen ingredients (why not start with the original recipe and go from there?), it’s time to get baking! Preheat your oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable baking mat (pictured above is a well-loved Cookina Cusine mat).
Next, get out a medium or large mixing bowl and prep your flax “egg” by mixing the ground flax seed and 2.5 tablespoons of water and set aside for at least 10 minutes. In another mixing bowl, combine your oats, flour, shredded coconut, baking soda, salt, spices and three tablespoons of millet (keep one for toping the cookies before they go in the oven).
Once the 10 minutes are up, add the rest of the wet ingredients, including the chopped dates, vanilla and a scant 1/4 cup of water, to the flax mixture and stir to combine. Then pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry and mix until no dry flour is visible.
Divide the batter into six large cookies — I find a heaped 1/4 cup is about the right amount and you split up any remaining batter among the cookies afterwards. Form them into balls and press them down, then take your remaining tablespoon of millet and sprinkle a bit on the top of each cookie for some extra crunch.
Pop the cookies in the oven for 12-15 minutes and then let them cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with a hot cup of coffee or tea or on their own. Store any remaining cookies in an airtight container or freeze for later enjoyment.
Killer Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- 2.5 tbsp water
- 1 cup oats
- 3/4 cup spelt flour
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp millet, divided
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 4 Medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine ground flax seed and water and set aside to get for 10 mins.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine oats, spelt flour, coconut, baking soda, salt, 3 tbsp millet and spices.
- To the large bowl with the flax mixture, add the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and dates and stir to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir together until no dry flour is visible. If the mixture is still a bit crumbly, add a scant cup of water and mix it in.
- Scoop one heaped 1/4 cup at a time and form into six large cookies spaced evenly on the baking sheet. Take the final tbsp of millet and sprinkle evenly over all six cookies.
- Bake for 12-16 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to three days at room temperature or freeze for up to two months.
