This healthy Chocolate Cherry Breakfast Cookie recipe is perfect to make ahead and enjoy all week. It can also be a filling, nutritious snack for busy kids on the go.
Recently I have been asking some of my mom friends what kind of recipes they need in their life right now. What would make life easier? Make healthy easier?? (See what I did there?)
Amongst various dinner recipe needs, healthy, make-ahead breakfast recipes was the runner-up.
Yes and amen.
I don't know about you, but ANYTHING I can do to make mornings go more smoothly with my family is 100% worth it.
When my boys get up, we have about 40 minutes to get dressed, eat breakfast, comb hair, pack up, .... you know the drill. Some days it feels like a beautifully conducted orchestra. But sometimes it feels like 2 Godzillas are crashing around our home, crushing everyone's hopes and dreams for a good day.
So back to this healthy breakfast cookie recipe --- this could be a great solution for making breakfast happen quickly and taming my (or your) Godzillas. And it is!
For the record, this is Coach's most recent favorite recipe I've developed. He loves grabbing one of these for his breakfast to eat on his way to work.
What Makes This A Healthy Recipe?
Great question. I'm glad you asked. Here's why:
- The fat in this recipe is from natural peanut butter. This is a heart healthy fat source.
- The sweetener in this recipe is from honey and vanilla yogurt. So while that is still "sugar" it's a mindful portion and source as I like to call it.
- The Greek yogurt provides calcium and protein.
- Oats are the grain in this recipe providing good for you fibers. This also makes it gluten free (use certified GF oats to be certain), which is awesome for those who want that.
- Pumpkin seeds are an awesome food for health and this is a fun way to to introduce them to kids. They're not super obvious in this cookie which is helpful for those kiddos who notice things like nuts and seeds.
- Dried tart cherries are another superfood IMO. This ingredient addition is a hat-tip for my young athletes. (Read more about why I love tart cherries in this post: Chocolate Tart Cherry Recovery Smoothie.) It's always a goal of mine to create tart cherry recipes so here's another addition.
Who Are These Best For?
I developed this breakfast cookie recipe with a few different people in mind.
First, I think that these are perfect for active kids in sports. Whether it's between school and practice, a quick breakfast on the way out the door, or before a game on Saturday, these filling cookies do the job of quenching hunger and providing solid energy.
Second, families that need a quick, healthy breakfast need these healthy breakfast cookies in their life. You got protein, fiber, and fruit all covered in this cookie.
Thirdly, I think about athletes who want/need to gain healthy weight. I actually first worked on this recipe while creating my online course: How to Gain Weight for Teen Athletes. It can be challenging to find health foods that fill up active teens and help them maintain a healthy weight. This healthy breakfast cookie is exactly what can help them.
Lastly, I made this recipe for me. Yeah, I know. Sounds very self-centered. But I too wanted a quick breakfast or snack I could munch on while having a little quiet time in the morning. I can say from lots of experience, this breakfast cookie recipe goes perfectly with a nice cup of coffee.
If you're looking for some other favorite breakfast recipes, be sure to check out these:
Here's how you make healthy chocolate cherry breakfast cookies:
PrintRecipe
Chocolate Cherry Breakfast Cookie Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 8 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies 1x
Description
This healthy Chocolate Cherry Breakfast Cookie recipe is perfect to make ahead and enjoy all week. It can also be a filling, nutritious snack for busy kids on the go.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Natural Peanut Butter (or other nut butter)
- ½ cup Honey
- 1 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt (whole milk or reduced fat - do not use fat free)
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 3 cups Old Fashioned Oats
- 1 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (can use sweetened)
- 12 whole Dried Apricots, chopped (or any dried fruit)
- ½ cup Pumpkin Seeds (or sunflower seeds)
- ½ cup Dark Chocolate Chips, roughly chopped (or any type of chocolate chip)
- ¾ cup Dried Tart Cherries, chopped (or any dried fruit)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Prep a large baking sheet by covering with piece of parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the peanut butter and honey and beat together with an electric mixer on mid speed until well blended, about 2 minutes.
- Add the Greek yogurt to the bowl and continue mixing until blended. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the eggs to the bowl and continue mixing until fully incorporated.
- Add the baking soda and baking powder to the bowl and mix to incorporate.
- Add the oats and coconut and mix on low speed to fully incorporate, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the apricots, pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips, and cherries to the bowl and mix to combine on low speed.
- Using an ice cream scoop with trigger or large spoon, scoop and drop large balls of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet 2" a part. (The cookies do not spread much so it's OK to be a little closer.)
- Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes, until golden brown on the top an edges. Let cool on baking sheet for 1-2 minutes and then move them to a cooling rack.
Notes
Cookies can be enjoy for 3-4 days if left out at room temperature. Store in fridge if you plan to eat them over a longer period of time.
I have not tried freezing baking cookies and then defrosting right before eating but I am fairly confident this would work.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 53 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Breakfast
Nutrition
- Calories: 228
- Sugar: 14
- Sodium: 136
- Fat: 10
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 29
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 7
- Cholesterol: 1
Please, please, please make this recipe. I really think you will love them. I also hope it solves a problem for you whether that's breakfast, snack or food to-go. Enjoy my friends!
Jenna
