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Cookies that taste like banana bread AND are healthy enough for breakfast! You’re welcome 😉
Breakfast Cookies
Happy Monday! We have so much catching up to do. How was your holiday? What did you bake? Did you get any good presents this year? We are finally home sweet home, which after a month of traveling, is truly the best gift of all. If you need me I’ll be making banana pancakes and binging on Netflix in my new fuzzy pink robe. #homebody
Right now I’m sharing with you a recipe perfect for curving post-holiday cravings. I don’t know about you, but after a few days of cheesecake for dessert and sticky buns for breakfast, I find myself yearning for sugary treats a little more than usual. And by more than usual… I mean yesterday I fished out a full-sized Snickers bar from my stocking and ate it for breakfast. Obviously something had to be done.
Enter this recipe! Banana Bread BREAKFAST COOKIES! They’re sweet, satisfying, and so healthy you can scarf down one (or three) for breakfast without an ounce of guilt.
Today’s recipe is the second breakfast cookie I’m sharing here on my blog – and I have a strong feeling it won’t be the last. It all started with these loaded Cranberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies. They’ve only been on the blog a few months and they’re already a fan favorite! With their chewy texture and sweet taste, it’s really no surprise. And today? Things get even better because now we have breakfast cookies that taste like banana bread!!!
Cookies for breakfast… let’s start a revolution!
The KEY to good banana bread (and in this case, banana bread cookies) is very ripe bananas.
Ripe bananas add both moisture and sweetness to the cookies. I recommend buying your bananas a few days in advance so they can get soft, brown, and downright ugly. If you use “good” bananas for this recipe, the results will likely be a huge letdown.
Alright. So let’s bake some banana bread breakfast cookies, already! For this recipe you’ll need: honey, coconut oil, eggs, vanilla extract, banana puree (remember, RIPE bananas), old fashioned oats, instant oats, wheat germ, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and mini chocolate chips. I know that may sound like a lot of stuff, but you probably have most of the ingredients already in your kitchen.
The “cookie dough” will appear a little wet at first, but don’t fret! Once the dough has chilled (it needs 90 minutes in the fridge), it will be workable.
The hardest part? Letting the cookies cool. These banana bread breakfast cookies need to cool completely on the cookie tray… so put on your patience cap when you pull them out of the oven. Trust me – they’re worth the wait!
Banana bread in cookie form. For breakfast. Do it 😉
Banana Bread Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 3 and 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup banana puree (see post for more on this)
- 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 and 1/4 cups instant oats
- 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/3 cup mini-chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the honey and melted coconut oil and whisk smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating smooth after addition. Whisk in vanilla and banana puree. All at once add in both oats, wheat germ, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, mini-chocolate chips, and salt; gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until evenly combined. Cover the bowl and chill for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
When you're ready to bake:
- Preheat oven to 325 (F). Scoop 3 tablespoon sized potions of the mixture into your palm and roll it into a large ball. Press the cookie down onto the prepared sheet and using your palm flatten the cookie down to 1/4 inch (the cookies do not spread at all while baking); repeat with all cookie dough. Bake for 18 minutes. Sprinkle a few mini-chocolate chips on the top of each cookie right when they come out of the oven, if desired. Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before serving or transferring.
Notes
You may also enjoy:
Maple Pecan Banana Muffins (Vegan)
Greek Yogurt Strawberry Banana Bread
Healthy Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
I am totally making these!
Yay! I’d love to hear how they turn out, Alison! Happy New Year 🙂
These are great. I did also make a few substitutions and additions because I had stuff to use up but I will definitely be making these again! And so healthy! Lots of fiber! Look at these crazy healthy ingredients! I used flax meal instead of wheat germ and substituted pecans for walnuts. Also added chia seed and coconut. Yummy! Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
You’re so welcome, Toni! Thanks for letting me know they were a hit 🙂
These cookies were awesome!! I will definitely be making them again and very soon.
Ashley I found these cookies on your facebook page yesterday and felt like you made them just for me. With all the holiday madness I forgot about a few bananas I had sitting in the fruit bowl. I made a batch right away and they were amazing. Not too sweet, but the mini-chocolate chips make up for that. Even my 3 year old loved them. Thank you for a recipe I can make for my family and feel good about.
Lindsey that is awesome! Thank you so much for letting me know you and your family enjoyed this recipe. Happy New Year!
I made these cookies last night and wow they are so good. Definitely had to let them sit on the tray for a good hour, but like you said, they were worth the wait. A great treat for people like me who cannot have sugar and flour. Thank you Ashley!
You’re so welcome, Teresa! Happy New Year 🙂
But I don’t just have to have them for breakfast, right? 😉 There’s still lunch, dinner, snacks…..
That’s right, girl! Happy New Year 🙂
How many grams is a cup? En what exactly is wheat germ? I’m dutch and I am not familiair with this product.
Hi Manon. Wheat germ is a product typically used in baking. If you cannot find it in a grocery store, you can order it online. Here is a link to help you with conversions: http://dish.allrecipes.com/cup-to-gram-conversions/
What happens if you have only old fashioned oats?
Hi Mary. I’ve never tried making these with all old fashioned oats, so I am unable to predict the outcome. If you try it, I’d love to hear how they turn out.
Hello. I’m trying to eat more of a gluten free diet so I would need to make these little beauties without the wheat germ. Is it added to your recipe to up the fiber content? I don’t know much about wheat germ so I was curious if I could use something else in it’s place.
Hi Heather, I think ground flax could probably be used in its place… or maybe even just extra oats! If you try the recipe I’d love to hear how it turns out 🙂
These look awesome! Can I use frozen ripe bananas? Would it change the texture at all?
Hi Fatema. I’ve never tried this recipe with frozen banana so I am unsure how they would turn out. If you try, I’d love to hear about the results 🙂
okay that makes no sense, the prep time is 10 minutes and cook time is 16 minutes and total time is 50 minutes can you explain??? or is it just a typo like forreal tho
The total time is actually 1 hour and 50 minutes. This includes the chill time.
Do you know the calorie count and fat grams that are in each cookie?
I’m sorry, I do not, Dena.
I look it up by entering the ingredients into a nutritional facts recipe generator I use and it says 169 kcal. It might not be perfectly accurate but it should be close.
I made these last night-they are delicious! I substituted the honey for maple syrup and the chocolate chips for raw cacao nibs and they still tasted lovely and are so gooey. Thank you for the recipe.
So happy they were a hit! And thank you for sharing your adaptions with us – always helpful for fellow readers 😉 xoxo
I didn’t have wheat germ, so I decided to blend up some flax seed I had. They turned out really awesome! My husband who is a super healthy eater tried them and loved them, too. He chowed them down and now I’m sharing the recipe with some of my co-workers! THANKS! 🙂
My oven runs hot so my first batch got a bit singed around the edges. I chopped of “the burnts” (as my son puts it) while the cookies were still hot and couldn’t resist eating them…then couldn’t resist eating a whole cookie despite your instructions to let them cool completely. DELICIOUS! It’s 11:30pm and I can’t wait to eat these for breakfast tomorrow morning!
Could I mix these up the night before and chill overnight?
Hey Angela. While I haven’t tried this, I think it should work. You may need to let the dough thaw a little so it’s scoopable 😉 I’d love to hear how they turn out!
how would this turn out with vegetable oil – or apple sauce instead of coconut oil?
Any alternatives tried?
Hi Jill. I have not tried those alternatives, so I’m unsure how they would turn out. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear your results 🙂
Does anyone have an egg substitute that would work for this recipe? My normal substitute is banana so that probably won’t work with this recipe. My daughter has an egg allergy, but I’d love to make these for us. They look delicious.
Thanks!!
Hey Kalyn. I think subbing in a 1/4 cup of applesauce for each egg might work 😉
These were a huge win with my three kids. I had to make a couple changes because of what I had on hand. I did ground flax for the wheat germ and pecans instead of walnuts. This recipe is a keeper. I will even double it next time and freeze half. Thanks!
Yay! So happy your kiddos enjoyed these cookies, Karen! And thank you for letting me know your adaptions 😉
Question… instant oats? Is that the same as oatmeal?
Hi Stephanie. Instant oats are processed differently than old-fashioned oats. While both can make oatmeal, they don’t work the same in baking. Typically the box/package of oatmeal will say quick-cook/instant/or old-fashioned.
Can you make these without the instant oats and only use old fashioned?
Hi Julia. That change will definitely effect the texture and make them less chewy.
These are awesome! Made them last night and had for breakfast 🙂 They are even better if warmed up in a toaster oven, they crisp up very nicely. Thanks for the recipe!
Could you tell me how many calories are in one cookie?
My husband keeps bugging me about make him some sort of healthy like breakfast bar/cookie etc. I saw your recipe when you first shared it and I’m now finally getting around to it. I wonder, do you think these will freeze well, after they’ve been cooked? I have a ton of ripe bananas that need to be used up and I’d rather just make a few batches and freeze them.
Do you know the fiber content of each cookie?
Hi,
This looks delicious!
Unfortunately, I am allergic to banana… Does anyone have a banana substitute that would work for this recipe?
Could I use flour instead of wheat germ? If so how much would I use. Thank you!
These were a hit at our house this morning. No wheat germ, so I used 1C of each type of oats, and added a heavy pinch of unsweetened coconut. Also used the chips we had on hand, which were Bailey’s and butterscotch. I made the batter last night, left in fridge overnight, baked this am. Yummy, thanks!
Love your recipes. Would be great if you could also put the metric amounts for the servings for each ingredient, in parenthesis. Thanks!
hi ashley, thanks for the recipe… looks absolutely delicious and i can’t wait to try making these! silly question… roughly how many bananas did you use? (to make 1/2 cup banana puree)
How do you store these? Do you think they’d freeze well?
How do I toast wheat germ
Another great recipe! I was so curious how the ingredients were going to work. So tasty and filing. Fun to make…I love using honey in baking.
Thank you!!
These cookies are delicious! I use 72% dark chocolate chips so I don’t feel bad about letting the kids eat these for snack time. Thank you!