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Filled with oats, coconut, pecans, and cranberries, these hearty Breakfast Cookies have an incredible texture, delicious flavor, and perfect chew. Makes a great snack, too!
Meggan’s notes
The first time I made Breakfast Cookies was in culinary school. Made with oats, coconut, and nuts, these cookies remind me of granola in cookie form. Kids love the warm, buttery flavor of pecans without realizing they are eating a nut. Dried cranberries (or raisins) add a fruity chew and even more flavor.
And as for me, I think these are some of the tastiest cookies around. They double as a fantastic after-school snack, too, especially when they are fresh and warm from the oven.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Dried cranberries: Or substitute raisins, golden raisins, or dark chocolate chips. A dash of cinnamon would be delicious, too.
- Pecans: I love the buttery, nutty flavor of pecans, but you can substitute walnuts, almonds, cashews, Macadamia nuts, or hazelnuts in your cookies.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer fit with the paddle attachment on medium speed, or with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until mixture is smooth (these wet ingredients should not be gritty when you rub between your thumb and finger).
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat on low speed until blended, and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture in batches (about 1 cup at a time) and mix on low speed until just blended. Stir in oats, dried cranberries, pecans, and coconut and beat until just combined.
- Working with 1 heaping tablespoon of dough at a time, roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and lay on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. (I use the OXO medium cookie scoop, a size 40 portioner, and do 12 scoops of dough per baking sheet). If desired, press extra cranberries into the outside of each dough ball.
- Bake cookies until they start to brown around the edges, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe is scaled down to 60 cookies and is adapted from Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookie recipe.
- Storage: Store these healthy breakfast cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days.
- Make ahead: Wrap the cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days. When ready to bake, portion the dough as usual and bake.
- Freezer: Portion the dough into balls and freeze by arranging the balls in a single layer on a tray or plate that can fit into the freezer. Once frozen solid, transfer into a freezer-safe bag or container. Label and date, including the baking temperature and cooking time in the recipe. Bake the frozen cookies straight from the freezer in a 350-degree oven, increasing the baking time by a couple of minutes.
- Room temperature ingredients: The butter should be soft. Take the eggs out about an hour before you need them, or warm them up quickly in a glass of hot tap water. If you store flour in the freezer, measure it and leave it out for a while until it isn’t cold anymore.
- Preheat the oven: Make sure your oven is preheated to the correct temperature before baking. This is true with almost everything, but especially cookies.
- Sift dry ingredients: This is so the baking soda, baking powder, and salt can be distributed evenly within the flour. Also, here’s how to measure and sift flour properly so your baking recipes shine every time.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can substitute 2 “flax eggs” for the regular eggs.
1 egg = 2 ½ teaspoon ground flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water.
Mix the flax and water together and let it sit for a couple of minutes to gel.
You can also experiment with using unsweetened applesauce instead of eggs.
To make vegan, dairy-free breakfast cookies, substitute your favorite vegan buttery spread for the butter. Use flax eggs (see FAQ immediately above) for the eggs.
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Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 3/4 cup butter softened (1 ½ sticks)
- 3/4 cups brown sugar
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup dried cranberries (see note 1)
- 1 cup chopped pecans (see note 2)
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer fit with the paddle attachment on medium speed, or with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until mixture is smooth (not gritty when you rub between your thumb and finger).
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat on low speed until blended, and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture in batches (about 1 cup at a time) and mix on low speed until just blended. Add oats, dried cranberries, pecans, and coconut and beat until just combined.
- Working with 1 heaping tablespoon of dough at a time, roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and lay on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. (I use the OXO medium cookie scoop, a size 40 portioner, and do 12 scoops of dough per baking sheet). If desired, press extra cranberries into the outside of each dough ball.
- Bake cookies until they start to brown around the edges, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Dried cranberries: Or substitute raisins, golden raisins, or chocolate chips.
- Pecans: I love the buttery, nutty flavor of pecans, but you can substitute walnuts, cashews, Macadamia nuts, or hazelnuts in your cookies.
- Yield: This recipe is scaled down to 60 cookies and is adapted from Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookie recipe.
- Storage: Store extra cookies covered at room temperature for 4 to 5 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.