Start Your Day with Breakfast Cookies
Think of these oatmeal breakfast cookies as portable porridge with all the toppings. Made with rolled oats, three kinds of seeds, raisins, dates, cinnamon, and some coconut oil, they’re good for more than just breakfast. I’ve been making these for almost a decade now and they’ve been a real staple snack for us.
I’ll have one as a snack at any time of the day, and they’re full of protein and fibre – perfect energy food. If you love oatmeal cookies, you’ll love this super easy, healthy breakfast version. The cookies are soft, surprisingly rich and buttery, and ultra filling despite tasting like dessert. Sunflower seeds add a lot of flavour and a nice shortbread-like bite.
It’s like a much more convenient form of granola and cookies are always more fun than bars, I think, but I’m sure you could make granola bars out of this too. They’re sweetened only with dates and hold together really nicely.
I first shared this recipe in 2018. It’s been updated with improvements to the recipe instructions and slight improvements to the recipe, new clearer photos including step-by-step photos, and more helpful information.
One reader, Gabrielle, commented: “I love these!! They’re just sweet enough and have a great chewy-crunchy texture. I have a little bullet type blender (though not as strong), so I used that to grind the oats and seeds but chose to soak and mash the dates instead. The ‘batter’ was easy to pull together and made 12 just as you said. I’ve shared the recipe with friends and will definitely be making them again.“
Another reader, Cheri, said: “Thanks so much for this recipe!! I have made it half a dozen times already. Switched the oil to butter once (amazing), another time tried olive oil (also excellent) and have tried substituting cow’s milk and even water for the liquid. Always delicious. We LOVE these yummy grab and go healthy treats.“
Ingredients You’ll Need and Why
These are flexible cookies, and you can change the add-ins – cranberries, seeds, spices – to suit your preference. If you keep the dates, oats, and chia seeds, you’ll end up with a tasty cookie that holds well. These are my notes from recipe testing and you can find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.
- Rolled oats: I imagine quick-cook oats could be used, but not steel cut. In my experience, using store-bought oat flour to replace the ground oat portion made the cookies denser and more crumbly.
- Dates: I never use medjool dates for this recipe, just the cheap smaller ones (usually deglet noor), and any work as long as they’re pretty soft. If your dates are hard, soak them in very hot water for 30 minutes and drain well before blending.
- Coconut oil: I haven’t tested this, but readers have said that they’ve substituted butter for the coconut oil with good results. It’s best to use a fat that’s solid at room temperature so that the cookies are more stable.
- Milk: water can replace the milk. You might need to adjust the amount slightly – look to the step-by-step photos to see the right texture.
- Add-ins: switch up the whole sunflower or pumpkin seeds for sesame, for example, or use dried blueberries or raisins in place of cranberries. Don’t alter the amount of chia seeds, they’re important for binding the cookies.
How to Make Breakfast Cookies
Be sure to you make the oat flour mix first, before blending the dates – this way you don’t need to clean the food processor in between steps.
Step 1: grind a portion of the oats and sunflower seeds into a fine flour. Making the cookies without a food processor is outlined below, but these really do work best with one. Pictured is a small food processor addition for an immersion blender and it’s great here.
Step 2: combine the oat flour mixture with the remaining dry ingredients and stir to combine. If you want to have cranberries incorporated into more bites of the cookies, roughly chop them first rather than using whole dried cranberries.
Step 3: puree the dates and other wet ingredients to a paste. I think the small food processor attachment is even more effective for this than a standard food processor, and an immersion blender in a blending container works too. Bullet blenders can also be used but a standing blender typically won’t.
Step 4: blend the date mixture into the dry ingredients and mix very well to combine. It’ll seem a little too dry at first but it will come together. Let the cookie dough rest for a few minutes while the oven preheats so that the chia can hydrate.
Step 5: form into balls, flatten slightly, and place onto a lined cookie sheet. Note that the cookies won’t spread much at all so they can be close together and must be flattened to the right thickness before baking.
Step 6: bake until just lightly golden and cool fully before storing or serving. The cookies will be crumbly until cooled.
If you can’t see the recipe video, please watch it here on YouTube instead.
Expert Tips for the Best Cookies
- Add milk if needed: you should be able to form cookies without the mixture crumbling, so if it’s dry – especially after making any substitutions – add another splash of milk.
- Only switch up the add-ins: the cookies will be best if you follow the base recipe and only change the additions, like the pumpkin seeds, whole sunflower seeds, and spices. If at all possible, keep the amounts of oats, sunflower seeds for grinding, dates, and oil the same for predictable results.
- Make your own oat flour: these do turn out best when you grind the oat flour yourself, as it’s a bit coarser than store-bought, and makes for a better texture. While pre-made oat flour can be used, the cookies usually turn out a little dry and crumbly.
- Don’t worry about a green middle: sometimes the ground sunflower seeds will react to the baking soda, and the centre of the cookies will turn slightly green. This is normal and not a sign of spoilage.
Make Without a Food Processor
I get this question a lot, and you can indeed make breakfast cookies without a food processor! There are just a few more steps.
First, use pre-ground oat flour, which you can buy almost everywhere these days. Then switch out the sunflower seeds that you’d be grinding up to form part of the base with almond flour or another nut meal – this takes away the nut-free element, but I’ve never seen seed flour to buy.
Mash the dates with a fork, soaking them ahead of time if needed, and melt the coconut oil. Mix everything in a large bowl, and you’re good to go. If your dates are on the dryer side, or the mixture seems too crumbly, add a couple extra tablespoons of milk. Mixing by hand doesn’t bring the cookies together quite as well as in a food processor, so a little extra liquid might be needed.
If you don’t want to go through the extra steps, try these trail mix cookies (made with buckwheat flour) instead.
More Date-Sweetened Recipes
- Oatmeal Breakfast Brownies – made with oats and sunflower seeds, the base is similar to this recipe, but the brownies are surprisingly fudgy, chocolate-filled, and truly excellent
- Gluten-free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies – just six ingredients and no flour, these are made with peanut butter, dates, cocoa, and a couple add-ins
- Coconut Banana Bread – with whole grain spelt flour, chocolate chips, and dates
- Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies – chewy, lightly sweet cookies sweetened only with fruit
If you make these Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies or any other vegetarian breakfast recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Description
Ingredients
- 220 grams (2 cups) rolled oats divided
- 110 grams (¾ cup) raw sunflower seeds divided
- 60 grams (¼ cup) raisins or dried cranberries
- 50 grams (¼ cup) chia seeds
- 40 grams (¼ cup) pumpkin seeds the shelled kind, they should be green
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 120 grams (½ cup) soft dates
- 70 grams (¼ cup) coconut oil
- 120 ml (½ cup) non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Grease or line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place 110 grams (1 cup) of the oats and 70 grams (½ cup) of the sunflower seeds into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Mix on high for a minute or two, until a coarse flour forms.220 grams (2 cups) rolled oats, 110 grams (¾ cup) raw sunflower seeds
- Place the flour into a large bowl and stir in the remaining oats, sunflower seeds, raisins, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.220 grams (2 cups) rolled oats, 60 grams (¼ cup) raisins or dried cranberries, 50 grams (¼ cup) chia seeds, 40 grams (¼ cup) pumpkin seeds, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 110 grams (¾ cup) raw sunflower seeds
- Blend the dates, coconut oil, and milk in the food processor until the dates have broken down and a soft paste forms.120 grams (½ cup) soft dates, 70 grams (¼ cup) coconut oil, 120 ml (½ cup) non-dairy milk
- Add this to the oat mixture and use your hands to mix very well, until fully combined. There should be no streaks of flour remaining.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and set the dough aside for the chia seeds to hydrate while the oven preheats.
- Form 12 balls with the dough, each about ¼ cup in size. Press them with your hands to flatten to about 3 cm (1 in.) high and place onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat until all of the dough has been used. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden.
- Remove from the oven and cool for about ten minutes on the baking sheet before removing and cooling fully on a rack. They’ll be a little fragile until they’re completely cool.
- Store in a sealed container on the counter for up to three days, or freeze for up to a month.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
These are delicious and so easy to make. I’ll be making these cookies regularly!
I love these!! They’re just sweet enough and have a great chewy-crunchy texture. I have a little bullet type blender (though not as strong), so I used that to grind the oats and seeds but chose to soak and mash the dates instead. The ‘batter’ was easy to pull together and made 12 just as you said. I’ve shared the recipe with friends and will definitely be making them again. I think it’ll be cool to try with coconut next time. Thank you!
Mine fell apart after baking. Any suggestions?
Did you make any substitutions? Sometimes if I mess around with this recipe a bit, or if my dates are on the dry side, it just needs a couple tablespoons more liquid to make up for it. Add a splash of milk and that should do it.
Amazing! I work at a café and do all the baking, so when I saw the pictures for this recipe I thought I’d give it a try. While mine don’t look nearly as beautiful as this, they taste awesome! A little crunchy, crumbly, nutty, perfect.
I subbed a bunch of the seeds out (even the chia!) for things I had in the kitchen, and I still love them. I also used wheat instead of the oat flour! Will be making these again!
Amazing! I work at a café and do all the baking, so when I saw the pictures for this recipe I thought I’d give it a try. While mine don’t look nearly as beautiful as this, they taste awesome! A little crunchy, crumbly, nutty, perfect.
I subbed a bunch of the seeds out (even the chia!) for things I had in the kitchen, and I still love them. I also used wheat instead of the oat flour! Will be making these again!
Can these be stored in the freezer by chance? If yes, how do you think is best and for how long? You think I should reheat after taking out of the freezer? Thanks so much!
They will store well in the freezer! I’ve kept them up to a month in a sealed container. No need to reheat, just let them thaw at room temperature and you’re good to go.
Just learned last night that my Sister is diabetic… (Great communication lil sister) Anyway… I’m on the hunt for easy meals and snack ideas for her mostly, and her family. I think these cookies will be a huge thing!!! Thank you
I cannot have ANY oil at all.
Do you think applesauce would sub ok in this recipe?
OR aquafaba?
Hi LouAnn – I think applesauce would be fine, but I have never baked with aquafaba and can’t comment on its efficacy. I’m not 100% sure, but I’m quite certain that I’ve had messages from readers who’ve subbed out the oil for applesauce with good results.
Thanks so much for this recipe!! I have made it half a dozen times already. Switched the oil to butter once (amazing), another time tried olive oil (also excellent) and have tried substituting cows milk and even water for the liquid. Always delicious. We LOVE these yummy grab and go healthy treats.
You’re so welcome, I’m thrilled that you’re getting such good use from the recipe! Thanks for sharing about your substitutions, they all sound great.
Made these just now and they are so delicious! I subbed the oat flour for spelt as I didn’t have enough sunflower seeds! I’m just wondering though,they are pretty crumbly, is that normal, took a bit of effort to get them into balls! I’m not sure if for some reason I was lacking wet ingredients? Will definitely make again! Thank you!
Hi Kirsty, the crumbliness you’re experiencing is likely due to your substitution of spelt for the oat flour – you need to use a little less as spelt is heavier, or use the same amount and increase the liquid by a couple tablespoons.
Thought these were going to taste overly “healthy” but holy moly do they taste good!! Like one-of-the-best-cookies-i’ve-ever-made type of good. This is now my go-to recipe and I will be making these for many years to come! A note on the cookies–they don’t really rise so make sure to shape them into what you want them to come out of the oven as!
This comment made my day! So happy you love the cookies, Alex! I get you with the overly healthy thing 😉
These look great! Your photography is always so beautiful. I’m a big fan of baking without added sweeteners, and have been craving oatmeal cookies lately – definitely trying these out (hopefully tonight!)
My favorite oatmeal cookies recipe so far. I love it because these are 1)Easy to adjust —— I don't have sunflower seeds at home, so I simply replaced them with almonds and they came out perfect! 2)Date-sweetened —— I always use dates in baking, I try to avoid sugar heavy foods and they are such healthy alternative. 3)Perfect go-to snack —— Between meal times I like to snack on nuts, granola , seeds, and these cookies have them all but tastes 10 times better!
I also see so many great recipes on your blog and I can't wait to try! thank you so much
These are AMAZING!!! I had 5 this morning. And I didn't eat more because the rest was home.
I love coconut, so I replaced 1 cup of oat by 1 cup of coconut flakes. Miam.
Thanks for this recipe! 🙂
Thanks Jacquie! As long as your dates are really soft you can use a fork to mash them up like you would with a banana. You can also use a regular blender or stick blender to do the date, coconut oil, and milk mixture if you have one. But good old fashioned elbow grease works too!
these look wonderful. i don't have a food processor so thanks for the information with regards to the oat flour. But what do i do about blending in the dates?
thanks so much for the help as i really want these for breakfast!
Please put a print copy of the recipes. So hard to print from this page…unless I'm crazy and don't see it. Help. Can't wait to make!
These look so hearty and delicious – I'm going to have to try them 🙂
I make a similar cookie with matcha and ripe bananas. No added sugar but still sweet and feels like a treat.
These look fantastic! Beautiful styling, Alex. Definitely going to give these a go 🙂
These look delicious! The perfect between meal snacks! So glad they are dairy free!