These one-bowl Oat Protein Breakfast Cookies are 100% free of butter, processed sugar, and gluten-free! They're perfect for a quick breakfast before a workout or on a busy morning.
This post was updated on June 1, 2021.
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Table of contents
- These healthy protein cookies are...
- What ingredients are in Oat Protein Cookies?
- Recipe substitutions:
Break or prevent a breakfast or snack rut with these oat protein cookies. Using just 1 bowl, a fork or whisk, a rubber scraper, and a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, these cookies are easy to make and store well in the freezer so you and your family can enjoy them for the weeks to come.
I was in a weird mood on Sunday night. The kind of mood that even after I had completed my Sunday chore to-do list (that which usually is the main reason for any such weekend angst, haha ), I was still just feeling off. And being someone who likes to see cause and effect, being off and not being able to figure out why I just wasn't feeling things.
So, I started walking around the house looking for something to do to get my mind off things. To hopefully be its own kind of self-care therapy.
As I walked around, I noticed overripe bananas in my fruit bowl. The sight of them alone triggered memories of a weekend a few summers prior when, in a funk, I randomly decided to make sugar cookies in the middle of July. My weekend had started afresh by the time those golden goodies were out of the oven.
So, I started to think about cookies, but I had also just made Just So Tasty's Double Chocolate Chip Cookies a few days previous. Going too sweet of a baking direction sounded like too much. To go with the obvious direction of banana bread wasn't a possibility either because I didn't have enough bananas.
Breakfast, however, had been needing some spicing up. I'd been getting in a funk. I got on Google, typed in "Breakfast Banana Cookies," browsed a recipe that got my creative juice flowing. Before you know it, this gluten-free and high protein breakfast cookie was born.
Leftover bananas, peanut butter, oatmeal, hemp seeds, and nuts combine in a protein cookie recipe. Adding sugar is only optional (see the recipe cooking notes). They come together to create a cookie that satisfies the stomach and soul. That fuels & nourishes with both flavor and nutrition. A treat that turned my night around as a product of expression that nurtures from the inside-out.
This healthy protein cookie recipe is...
- Rich
- Nutty
- Chocolaty
- Naturally sweet
They're like trail mix cookies, but more nutritious and filling! Satisfying, but not too sweet to overwhelm those breakfast tastebuds.
Healthy breakfast cookie ingredients:
- Bananas - in particular, ripe bananas. The more brown spots on your bananas, the better!
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Nut butter
- Vanilla protein powder- preferably a plant-based protein powder but whey-based protein powders also work
- Oat flour - a naturally gluten-free and delicious flour. See my instructions below to learn how to make this flour.
- Cinnamon
- Baking powder
- Old fashioned oats
- Hemp seeds
- Peanuts
- Raisins
- Chocolate chips - use Lily's or Enjoy Life chocolate chips to cut back on sugar and/or dairy in your recipe
Recipe substitutions:
- Nut butter: you can substitute almond butter or sunflower seed butter in place of the peanut butter in this recipe. Whatever you and your family like and have on hand!
- Honey: don't have vanilla protein powder? Not a problem. Substitute honey (or agave syrup) in place of the powder. The flavor will be the same, but the protein count on each cookie will be slightly lower.
- Nuts, seeds, or dried fruits: have fun with the different nuts, seeds, and dried fruits you add to these cookies! Pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, whole flax seeds, hazelnuts, and almonds are all delicious in place of the peanuts, raisins, and hemp seeds.
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How do you make healthy oatmeal cookies?
First: preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Second: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 large mashed bananas, your peanut butter, egg, vanilla extract, and honey (if using).
Third: Add in oat flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and hemp seeds and whisk until everything is combined.
Fourth: Add in the oats, peanuts, raisins, and chocolate chips (if using) and gently stir the batter together with a rubber scraper.
Fifth: Scoop out the cookies on the baking sheets in about 2 tablespoon drops. Lightly shape or press down the cookies (they won't change much shape as they bake) and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and edges of the cookies.
Sixth: cool the cookies on a wire rack and enjoy!
Click the play button below to watch how to make the recipe!
Protein Cookie Recipe pro-tips:
- Use overripe bananas - this adds natural sweetness and moisture to these low sugar cookies. Use bananas with a decent amount of brown spots. You don't want to use all-black bananas, though.
- Flatten the cookies before baking - these cookies will not spread when baking, so you will want to flatten or press down on them after you have scooped them. Do this with a spoon or a drinking glass sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Use a cookie scooper for uniform cookies - this will change your cookie game!
- Don't overbake the cookies - since these are no butter cookies, they don't have butterfat to protect them from overbaking. So, overbaking them will make them dry and lifeless, not crispy and crunchy.
These cookies are naturally sweet. That is, they're sweet enough to enjoy for breakfast, a post-workout snack, or even a healthier evening treat, but they're not going to bowl you over with sweetness like a traditional cookie would.
If you'd rather go for a traditionally sweet cookie, I recommend you check out my Peanut Butter Chocolate Brookies, High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies, or High Altitude Peanut Butter Cookies.
Old-fashioned oatmeal is best for these breakfast cookies. It will provide a hearty texture to the cookies and it will also blend down well to make the oat flour for the cookies.
Just add oats to the food processor or blender and blend until the oats are fine like flour. To save on time, blend up a large batch of oats all at once. Store the oats in a dark and dry area for up to 2 months or freeze in a freezer-safe container to keep fresh for 3-4 months.
Dietary adaptations:
- Gluten-free: thanks to oat flour and old-fashioned oats, these cookies are gluten-free! Just make sure to use oats that are labeled gluten-free (and save money on gluten-free oat flour by making your own!).
- Vegan: You can make these cookies vegan by using plant-based protein powder (I like Orgain), a flax egg instead of a regular egg, and dairy-free or vegan chocolate chips
Are protein cookies good for breakfast?
Yes!! These cookies are fantastic for breakfast. Especially for busy mornings when you want to snag a bite on the way out the door. With whole grains, healthy fats, and dried fruits, these cookies are packed with nutritious ingredients while being super portable!
Storage directions:
These cookies store the best in the refrigerator or freezer:
- Refrigeration: store the cookies covered in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Freezing: cookies last covered in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave the cookies out at room temperature for 10-20 minutes or until no longer frozen.
What tools do you need to make these oat protein cookies?
- Cookie sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- Glass mixing bowls
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Silicone Spatula
- Cookie scooper
- Wire cooling rack
More healthy breakfast recipes:
- Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- Banana Waffles
- Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread
- Mountain Breakfast Skillet
- Blueberry Lemon Bread
- Peanut Butter and Banana Breakfast Oatmeal Bars
- Brioche French Toast
- Light and Fluffy Whole Wheat Waffles
- Maple Chai Breakfast Risotto
- Black Bean Breakfast Enchilada Casserole
More cookie recipes:
- High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookies
- High Altitude Peanut Butter Cookies
- Coconut Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
If you made and liked this recipe, don't forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went for you in the comments! It always makes my day to hear from you!
Oat Protein Cookies Cookies (No-Butter & Low Processed Sugar!)
Email FacebookIngredients
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large or about 1 ¼ cups overripe bananas, mashed
- 1 jumbo egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup nut or seed butter peanut, cashew, almond, or sunflower seed butter
- 2 scoops vanilla protein powder preferably plant-based
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups oat flour directions in notes below
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- 1 ½ cup old fashioned oats
- ¾ cup peanuts almonds (sliced or slivered), or cashews
- ¾ cup raisins
- ¾ cup chocolate chips optional but encouraged
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- In a large bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients with a large fork or whisk until well combined, creamy, and the banana is mashed.
- Add in the oat flour through hemp seeds and whisk until combined.
- Add in oats, nuts, and chips and/or raisins (if using) and turn in with rubber scraper until all are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Scoop cookies onto the baking sheets in about 2 tablespoon drops (they will be a larger cookie) and pat the tops down lightly to shape the cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are just starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on a wire rack until cool enough to serve.
Video
Notes
- 3 tablespoons honey can substitute for the protein powder, though it will impact the amount of protein in the recipe.
- To make oat flour, just blend old fashioned oats in a blender for 15-45 seconds, or until the oats are blended into a fine flour.
- The batter will be stiff when you scoop them out onto the sheet. They also shouldn't spread as they bake so re-shape so pat down the cookies and reshape before baking.
- These cookies keep covered in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days or in an airtight freezer-safe bag in the fridge for 6-8 weeks.
- If you don't have hemp seeds you can substitute in pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
Nutrition
This recipe was inspired by Five Heart Home's Banana Breakfast Cookie recipe.
Nick says
Sounds good, nice and simple too, might add even add a touch of protein powder.
Could you just clear up Note 4?
'this amount of sweetener'
I don't know what part of the recipe that is referring to.
I assume pretty sweet is sweeter than medium sweet? Not sure.
Oh, and the vanilla. Extract? Powder?
Chelsea | Mae's Menu says
Hi, Nick!
Great questions. "This amount of sweetener" refers to the amount of sweetener (2 tablespoons honey) in the recipe. I'll go back in and edit the recipe so that makes more sense. 🙂
The level of sweetness is definitely a personal preference, but 2 tablespoons make the cookies sweet enough that kids would enjoy it for breakfast but not so much so that it would feel like dessert instead of breakfast. Any more honey and it would start to be sweet enough it could also go as a dessert. I hope that helps!
And vanilla extract liquid is what I used in this recipe.
Thanks!
Nick says
Good stuff ????
Just tried these out of the oven... Wow!????
The texture is amazing!
I didn't have hemp so used sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
The nuts I had were whole hazelnuts, skinless peanuts and flaked almonds.
I threw in about 50 grams of protein powder (mostly stevia vanilla, bit of choc).
So this is a great base recipe for getting lots of different proteins and good fats into, incredibly, a cookie!
All in all, fantastic!
Chelsea | Mae's Menu says
Awesome, Nick! So glad to hear you liked it. 🙂
Jen says
These were really good. I grounded steel cut oats because I didn’t have enough oats and used half peanut butter half cashew butter. I chopped up some cashews. I used died cherries and raisins. I also added vegan protein powder.
Mae's Menu says
Hi, Jen!
Ooh, yum! That sounds delicious-- so creative! I'm so glad to hear you liked the recipe. 🙂
If you have a quick minute, can you rate the recipe by clicking the 5 stars at the top of the recipe card?
Thank you so much!
Michelle says
Can you please tell me if these are considered one of your high altitude recipes? I’m at 4,000 feet altitude and curious if adjustments would still need to be made. Thanks so much.
Mae's Menu says
Hi Michelle!
Yes, I live at 5000 feet, so any baking recipe that I share is high-altitude safe! No adjustments should be made unless if noted!
All the best,
Chelsea
Juli says
These were so easy and delicious! I actually substituted applesauce for the egg to make them vegan (about 1/4 cup i think, but I didn't measure it exactly). They turned out great. Flavorful and with lots of good texture. Will definitely be making these again!
Mae's Menu says
Thanks so much for the feedback, Juli! And great vegan adaptation-- I appreciate you sharing that!
Best,
Chelsea
Lyn says
I made these last weekend as part of my meal prep for the week! I loved the texture and the sweetness was spot on. I used the flax egg to make them vegan and it worked out great. Thanks for the recipe.
Mae's Menu says
Hi, Lyn!
Thanks so much for sharing. Glad to hear the flax egg worked well for you, too!
All the best,
Chelsea
Heather says
We are such fans of these breakfast cookies! I make a double batch to try and keep a lot on hand for the week, but with 6 people in our household, they go quick since everyone loves them!
Ashley Schuering says
You had me at cookies for breakfast! Also, love that this is a 1-bowl recipe. So easy, so delicious. Definitely a winner!