These simple, healthy breakfast cookies taste like a cross between banana bread, baked oatmeal, and a walnut chocolate chunk cookie, and are naturally vegan, gluten-free, and made in just 1 bowl!
Oh, hello. Welcome to another episode of LET’S EAT COOKIES FOR BREAKFAST.
Ever since daylight savings time ended, I kind of fell off the meal planning train. It’s not that I don’t love grocery shopping, meal planning, and prepping food ahead for my busy weekdays- oh no, it’s not that at all; I have an unusual love for meal planning- it’s just that I find myself enjoying my Sundays so fully, that before I realize what’s happened, the sun is setting and it’s already time for dinner.
What I’m saying is, I’ve been too busy living my life to plan for my future. It’s irresponsible, I know. But it feels so good. Sundays have felt so gloriously long, and are exactly the recharge I need for the week ahead. Still, a lady’s gotta eat. 
So, last Sunday when I realized it was 7:15 and I had done zero planning for the week ahead, I started scanning my kitchen for anything that could turn into breakfast. I had two overly ripe bananas- not enough for banana bread- and other than my usual pantry staples, not a whole lot else.
Well, one thing led to another and I figured I could turn those bananas into muffins. Maybe they’d be ugly and imperfect, but hey, they’d have chocolate chunks in them and they’d fill me up in the mornings as I rush out the door to work.
As I tend to do when I’m not testing recipes to share with you, I just threw a bunch of ingredients together and hoped for the best. The batter ended up much thicker than I had planned, and as it got later and later- well past dinner time- my willingness to wash muffin tins had significantly waned. So, I dolloped them onto a cookie sheet, said a few prayers to the baking gods, and slipped them in the oven.
While the cookies baked I threw together some leftovers for dinner, poured myself a glass of wine (p.s.- I just discovered this wine and am loving it!!), and prepared to be underwhelmed by my lumps of not-quite-muffins.
Obviously, there’s a plot twist here. When I sampled one of these after dinner, still slightly warm from the oven, I knew something magical had happened. The mistaken muffins ended up looking like big, lumpy cookies, and tasted like a perfect combination of banana bread, baked oatmeal, and a walnut chocolate chunk cookie. I mean…I probably should have just started this blog post with that description and called it a day.
Once I realized I had struck breakfast gold, I frantically scribbled down the ingredients I used and made sure to stock up on bananas so I could test them out again. By the second time I made them, I knew I had to share the recipe with you.
Other than ripe bananas and breakfast dreams, these cookies don’t have many ingredients. Bananas get mashed with almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla; then oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt join the party. I stirred in walnuts and chopped dark chocolate because, hello, I can’t not add chocolate to breakfast, and I wanted a little extra CRUNCH going on in these babies.
I should also mention, these Breakfast Cookies are definitely fluffy. Cakey? Soft? Related by marriage to muffin tops? Call them what you will, these aren’t crispy, gooey chocolate chip cookies. Yet, I loved them warm out of the oven, at room temperature the next two mornings, and cold-then-microwaved the following two days. In fact, I left one in my fridge when I went away for Easter weekend, and have been regretting it ever since.
If at any point in the near future you find yourself too busy to do any meal planning, and with two brown, spotty bananas threatening to start a fruit fly revolution in your kitchen, you’ve now been warned: these cookies are so good, you’ll want to start buying extra bananas and making alliances with the spiders in your house so they can eat all the fruit flies and you can eat all the breakfast cookies, all the time.
If you do, be sure to leave a comment below telling me what you think of them, or take a picture and share it with me in Instagram! I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen.
Chocolate Chunk Banana Walnut Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 large very ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- 2. Put bananas, almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla into a mixing bowl and mash with a fork til well combined. You can also do this with a potato masher, if that's easier for you to mash with.
- 3. Add all remaining ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula til fully combined. Use a 1/4 cup dry measuring cup to scoop batter onto lined pan. I got 8 large cookies with a spoonful of extra batter that I dolloped onto a few of the smaller looking cookies. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until just golden brown and cooked through. Cool completely, then store at room temperature for 3-5 days. For longer storage, these can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, or the freezer for at least 3 weeks.