These healthy, gluten-free apple oatmeal breakfast cookies are chewy, warmly spiced, and ultra satisfying. Enjoy with a warm latte for breakfast or as an energizing afternoon snack.
First off, sorry for being MIA these past couple of months! Life with my sweet son (who is about to celebrate his first birthday) has been at once rich and full and demanding. I am embracing full time motherhood–it is such a gift and I wouldn’t trade it for the world–but boy does it not leave much time or energy for anything else outside of taking care of baby, cooking, cleaning, and fitting in some much-needed exercise… at least not at this stage! I have a few fall recipes in the queue, which I intended to post in October, but I am posting them in November instead… this might be my new normal for the next couple of years! It is my goal to get back into a consistent posting routine at some point down the road, however!
Since becoming a mom, I have made it my mission to always have at least one healthy homemade cookie or oatmeal bar on hand at any given time. I love having an alternative to porridge or toast at breakfast, and I love sending a healthy treat in my boyfriend’s lunch as well.
I’ve been making all sorts of breakfast cookies in recent months, and this apple oatmeal version is one of my favourites! While I call them breakfast cookies, they can be enjoyed at any time of the day–breakfast, snack, or dessert. They are big, hearty cookies made with wholesome ingredients like oats, applesauce, butter, almond butter, and warm autumnal spices. Think of them as porridge in handheld form!
If you’re looking for more healthy cookie or oatmeal bar recipes, check out these Peanut Butter Banana Date Oatmeal Cookies and these Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bars next.
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Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients you’ll need for these cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact quantities.
- Butter: Melted salted butter adds moisture and richness to the cookies.
- Almond Butter: Smooth almond butter works with the butter to add richness and a wonderful nutty flavour.
- Applesauce: Applesauce provides apple flavour and moisture to the dough.
- Brown sugar: I opted to use brown sugar because its flavour works so well with the apple and spices. Feel free to use coconut sugar if you prefer.
- Egg: Acts as a binder, helping to hold the cookies together.
- Vanilla: A classic cookie ingredient, it accents all the other flavours.
- Oat flour: A wonderful gluten-free flour that works so well in breakfast cookies.
- Baking soda: A small amount of baking soda helps leaven these cookies.
- Sea salt: Brings out all the other flavours.
- Cinnamon: A classic spice to pair with apples.
- Nutmeg: Another spice that is perfect with apples and perfect for fall.
- Rolled oats: Adds structure and texture.
- Apple: Diced apple adds texture and extra apple flavour.
- Optional mix-ins: You can add chopped walnuts, pecans, and/or dried cranberries if desired.
Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients, whisking after each addition.
- Step 2: Add ¾ of the diced apple and any other mix-ins, if using.
- Step 3: Stir to combine.
- Step 4: Use a ⅓ cup measuring cup to scoop mounds of dough onto the pan. Lightly wet your hands and flatten into desired thickness (the cookies do not spread much while baking). Press the remaining apple into the tops of the cookies. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Ingredient Substitutions
Here are some ingredient substitutions to consider:
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- Brown sugar: You can use coconut sugar.
- Butter: Use coconut oil to keep these cookies dairy-free.
- Egg: Keep these cookies egg-free by making a flax egg instead of the egg. Just whisk 1 tablespoon of ground flax with 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and let it thicken for a couple of minutes.
Equipment
To make these cookies, you’ll want to have the following items:
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Mixing spoon
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper
Storage
You can store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for two days, or in the refrigerator for up to five days. I have not tried freezing them, and I am unsure how the diced apple in the cookies would hold up to freezing and thawing.
Top Tip
This is not your typical cookie dough. It is on the stickier side, so I recommend using wet hands when flattening the mounds of dough into cookie shapes. The cookies also don’t spread much during baking, so flatten them into your desired thickness and shape prior to baking.
FAQ
It really depends what ingredients you use in them! These breakfast cookies are healthy because they are packed with fruit, oats, almond butter, butter, and only contain a modest amount of sugar.
Related Recipes
Looking for more nourishing breakfast recipes? Try these:
Pairing
I recommend serving breakfast cookies with a protein-rich smoothie, iced protein coffee, Greek yogurt, or eggs to round out the meal. Here are a few pairing ideas:
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Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These healthy, gluten-free apple oatmeal breakfast cookies are chewy, warmly spiced, and ultra satisfying. Enjoy with a warm latte for breakfast or as an energizing afternoon snack.
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted
- ¼ cup almond butter
- ⅓ cup applesauce
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup oat flour
- 2 cups rolled oats
Mix-Ins
- 1 large crisp apple (such as Honeycrisp or Cosmic Crisp), peeled and diced
- ¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
- ¼ cup dried cranberries (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Add the baking soda, salt, and spices. Whisk to combine. Add the oat flour and rolled oats and stir to combine.
- Mix in ¾ of the apple, reserving the rest for topping the cookies. Mix in the nuts and cranberries, if using.
- Using a ⅓ cup measuring cup, portion out ⅓ cup mounds of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Lightly wet your fingers and flatten down into a cookie shape (the cookies do not spread much in the oven). Top with the remaining diced apple.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on the sheets for 10 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies are delicate when fresh but firm up once they have cooled.
Notes
For best results, store the cookies in the refrigerator, where they firm up very nicely.
This recipe makes 6 very large breakfast cookies. For smaller cookies, use 2-3 tablespoons of dough per cookie and bake for 10-12 minutes instead of 15 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 403
- Sugar: 15.9 g
- Sodium: 282.3 mg
- Fat: 15.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 51.6 g
- Fiber: 6.5 g
- Protein: 9.8 g
Amiele says
I made these with the addition of cranberries and they turned out so chewy and delicious!!