Breakfast Cookies are chocked full of fruits, nuts, seeds and oats. There’s a little bit of sugar in there too, just for energy, of course…and yes, those are dark chocolate chips…what’s your point?
I admit the concept of a breakfast cookie is a little bit of a stretch
But considering some of the stuff I see in my supermarket breakfast aisle, these are nutritional powerhouses! OK, maybe you should have a poached egg along with yours…but truly, these cookies have a lot of great ‘stuff’ stuffed into them.
They’re also quite delicious because I based them on my current favorite oatmeal cookie. I’ve always believed in sweetening the first days back to school, they can be so exhausting and stressful for both the kids and their parents! When my kids were young I tried to make it special in any way I could, and cookies and cupcakes made frequent appearances in our house, and in their classrooms, in those days.
What you’ll need to make breakfast cookies
These breakfast cookies are so crammed full of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, etc., that when they bake they develop yummy fissures and crevices around all those add-ins. You can mix and match whatever you like, but I used:
- almonds
- dried peaches and plums
- pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- chia seeds
- flax seeds
- dark chocolate chips
I like these cookies to be nice and big, after all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so I pack the dough into a 1/4 cup measure and then flip it out onto the baking sheet. I flatten them ever so slightly and bake for 13 minutes exactly.
Tips:
- Yes, I did use shortening in these cookies because I based them on an oatmeal cookie that I love. If you substitute an equal amount of room temperature butter, you’ll get a different texture to your cookies, they will spread more, and may not hold together as well.
- I don’t quite fill the 1/4 cup measure when I’m scooping out my cookie dough, but I pack it in firmly, because otherwise all the chunky bits won’t adhere together.
- Use any type of dried fruit, nuts, and seeds you like, but do chop them fairly finely or the cookies won’t hold together.
Back to School Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
wet ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
dry ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 3/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
add-ins
- 1 heaping cup of mixed chopped nuts, dried fruits, seeds, chocolate chips, etc.
Instructions
- set oven to 350°F.
- Cream the shortening with the sugars until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until combined, but don't over beat.
- Fold in the fruits & nuts, etc, until evenly distributed.
- Scoop the dough out with a 1/4 cup measure and pack it in. Flip it out onto your baking sheet and flatten just slightly. Set the cookies 2 inches apart, and bake for 13 minutes until they are just turning golden. They might appear slightly underdone, but they will firm up as they cool.
- Cool on a rack.
Nutrition
don’t forget to pin these Back to School Breakfast Cookies!
used to make Back to School Breakfast Cookies (photos are clickable)
These are not only great for breakfast, also great as the post workout snack.
If I go sit down and study a cookbook or something – is that the same as being a student? I would have been happy to take these to school for breakfast, a mid-morning snack or lunch! Love the combination of nuts and fruit – they are so pretty!
Who wouldn’t love these??? Awesome recipe.
Oh yeah Sue … cookies for breakfast is very doable not only for the kid but also for me. So good (BTW the fruit popsicles were a hit – just posted them on my blog 😉 Thank you for the idea)
Oh thanks Meeta, I’m heading over to see!
I can could eat cookies for breakfast. Even though I’m not going back to school. 🙂
You could also look at it as these breakfast cookies are waaaaaaay better than skipping breakfast entirely. . .which is what a lot of people do. And given how portable they are and the fact that they require absolutely 0 preparation once they are cooked (other than pouring a glass of milk perhaps), one no longer has a valid reason to skip breakfast. . .especially when it is as divine as this.
Good point!
I can see why you have called these ‘back to school’, as they are packed full of protein and goodness too
Wow! So much goodness in a cookie. I’ll have to tweak this for gluten-free and give it a try!
So much fun for kids and healthy too!!
I wish my mom had followed your blog when I was growing up, haha! It would have been fun to go to school with these yummy looking cookies in tow! Love all the good stuff you’ve got hiding in them.