Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies (Paleo, Vegan)

These real-food cookies are healthy enough to eat for breakfast! They are packed with protein and healthy fatty acids!

Okay, I may have fallen off the planet for a bit in the midst of our move!  But, I promise it will be short-lived!  In the meantime, please accept this cookie recipe as my form of an apology… ’cause cookies make everything better, right??? Especially when they are as good for you as they taste!

Cookies for breakfast?? Oh yeah! Breakfast cookies are seriously the best! They are convenient to pack and eat on the go, are completely customizable based on the ingredients you choose to use, and are so yummy! Best of all, they are also seriously good for you! They are grain free, contain no oats, are naturally sweetened, and can be made vegan.

I have been experimenting with different variations of breakfast cookies for a couple of years now, and this is my favorite combination. I actually make them anytime we have a cookie craving! They are easy to whip up and pack a serious punch of nourishment without trading any flavor. Just take a look at these ingredients! It’s like a who’s-who of super foods!

What makes these breakfast cookies extra nutritious:

• Almond flour (also called almond meal) contains 6 grams of protein per quarter cup! It also provides iron and calcium. Use high quality organic almond flours to avoid herbicides & pesticides since almonds are a highly sprayed crop.
• Quinoa (which is actually a seed, but often confused as a grain) has 8 grams of protein per cup. It’s a complete protein, meaning that it includes all 9 essential amino acids. It also packs a good helping of fiber, B vitamins, calcium, and potassium!
• Nut butters vary in nutrients depending the kind you use, but they all contain a good amount of protein, fiber and healthy fats.
• Flax seeds provides an extra boost of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, protein, and B vitamins.

How to Make Breakfast Cookies:

So let’s jump right in. Start off by gathering all your ingredients: almond flour, quinoa, nut butter of choice, honey, eggs (or substitute flax egg for vegan alternative), flax seed, cinnamon, and dark chocolate chips. This is an easy “dump and stir” recipe. The mixture does get pretty thick and sticky as you go, so I usually mix the ingredients in a little at a time to make it easier to stir.

Start by cracking the eggs into your mixing bowl and giving them a light whisking. Add the peanut butter and honey and stir with a wooden spoon until everything is nicely combined.

Next, add your quinoa and almond flour and stir everything up. At this point, the mixture starts getting pretty thick and sticky, so be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl when mixing.

Add your cinnamon and flax seed and stir until combined.

Now that you have your cookie “base recipe”, you can start adding in fun ingredients! For the pictures, I only added dark chocolate chips, but I have experimented with different ingredients such as pumpkin puree, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, dried cranberries, etc. You can really alter the cookies to be exactly what you want. No need to be stuck in a rut with these cookies!

Drop the cookies by spoonful onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, or my personal favorite: a silicone baking mat. (The silicone baking mats are zero waste, can be used over and over and you never have to worry about your food sticking! They seriously rock. Do yourself a favor and go grab one now if you don’t have one yet!) Okay, back to the cookies – I usually make mine about 3 inches round because they fit perfectly into a mason jar for on-the-go snacking! Pop your cookies in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. They will be golden brown around the edges and should lift easily off the cookie sheet.

And that’s it! Easiest breakfast ever! Plus, can you imagine how excited your kiddos will be when you hand them a cookie for breakfast? Probably about as excited as I get when I realize I can eat cookies with no guilt!

Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour
3/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup nut butter of choice
1/8-1/4 cup honey (vary for sweetness)
2 eggs (or substitute flax egg for a vegan alternative)
1 tbsp flax seed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or other stir in alternatives

Alternative Add-Ins (in addition to/or instead of chocolate chips):
Almonds
Cashews
Walnuts
Sunflower seeds
Shredded coconut
Dried fruit
Canned pumpkin

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crack eggs into mixing boil and lightly whisk. Add peanut butter and honey and stir to combine. Add quinoa and almond flour, stir to combine. Add cinnamon and flax seed, stir to combine. Add chocolate chips or other stir in options as desired. Stir until fully combined. Line cookie sheet with reusable silicone mat or parchment paper. Drop cookie mix by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and smooth slightly to form 3” round cookies. Bake 15-18 minutes or until cookies are golden brown and lift easily from silicone mat. Let cool and enjoy!

Yields: About fifteen 3” cookies

Pin for later!

And because we were getting pretty “glam internet-y” with some of those pictures (because I always put my cookies into a mason jar and tie twine around them instead of directly shoveling them into my face straight off the cookie sheet)…. I present, Internet Versus Reality ?