Breakfast Cookies

We are not a breakfast cereal family. Don’t get me wrong, I love cereal and have been known to eat a bowl for dinner when I am on my own (shh… don’t tell). My kids munch on cereal instead of popcorn on movie nights. But for breakfast, when my kids eat sugar, I mean cereal for breakfast they are hungry again within an hour. Most mornings I am making eggs or pancakes but there are mornings that I don’t have time for that stuff. Instead, I make what I call “Breakfast Cookies”. Cookies for breakfast makes me an awesome mom according to my kids but it’s quick and healthy when we have a busy morning.

Now, I am not a baker. I am not good at following recipes because I am very much, a pinch of this, dash of that, ooo let’s throw this in, kind of girl. This has served me well in cooking but I have had a few disastrous results with baking (it’s like chemistry, who knew?).

Breakfast Cookie Recipe

Click Here To Print Recipe
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 32 cookies

I took a basic peanut butter oatmeal cookie recipe and doctored it to suit my needs. I wanted less sugar and more protein because these are for breakfast. You can omit the chocolate chips entirely if you wish. I took out an entire cup or sugar and reduced the amount of chocolate chips. You can also add protein powder if you’d like (I use vital proteins unflavored collagen for both protein and collagen).

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks; 235g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (260g) creamy peanut butter or chunky
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups (180g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
1 cup (450g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping if desired

Instructions

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. (If you add protein powder, you would add it to these dry ingredients) Set aside.
In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed until creamed. Add the eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, add the oats. Once combined, stir in the chocolate chips. Dough will be thick and sticky. You can chill the dough in the fridge up to 4 days (I make the dough the night before so it is ready for warm cookies in the morning).
*If chilling for longer than 1 hour, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Scoop balls of dough, 2 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
*Ovens temps vary so check your cookies at 10 minutes to decide if they should stay in a little longer until edges are lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. While the cookies are still warm.
*Cookies will continue to bake slightly and set during the 5 minutes so it is important to allow this to happen.
Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 4. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw.