Gluten free healthy breakfast cookies are crunchy and packed full of raisins, dates and pecans. Naturally sweetened and vegan, they’re the perfect healthy breakfast to start your morning off right.
When my brother and I were younger, we used to go to my grandparent’s house {my mom’s parents} every summer for a week.
They lived in a very small town, so there wasn’t much to do except play out in their giant backyard, go to the small lake or take a quick jaunt over to the Castle Park {literally…a park that looked like a giant wooden castle}.
I have such great memories from those summers. But what I will remember most were the snacks we’d take to the Castle Park.
It was always grapes, Ritz Bitz crackers, raisins and M&Ms. I also remember my grandma always having a few of those Nature Valley granola bars hiding around somewhere. You know, those super crunchy ones?
So as a tribute to the Castle Park, summer-time {which I’m willing to get here faster with all my might} and time spent with my grandma, I decided to create some gluten free healthy breakfast cookies that combined a lot of those favorite snacks.
One bowl of goodness for gluten free healthy breakfast cookies
When you’re a kid and ready to go on an adventure, you don’t have time for complicated recipes or pulling out multiple bowls for baking.
No, we had a Castle Park to get to. So I opted for a simple recipe that was going to make a boat load of cookies you could take on any adventure you might be taking. And they take less than 45 minutes to put together.
Packing these cookies full of oats and quinoa means sustained energy while swinging on swings or maybe even taking a hike.
Peanut butter {for healthy fats and protein} and pure maple syrup {for natural sweetness} hold these gluten free healthy breakfast cookies together.
The coconut oil makes them nice and crunchy, just like those Nature Valley granola bars. But don’t worry, not so crunchy you feel like you’re going to break a tooth off.
Necessary add-ins for gluten free healthy breakfast cookies
Now, just a plain ol’ oat cookie would be pretty boring. So we’re jazzing things up with raisins {park snack staple}, some dates {for extra chewy sweetness} and pecans {heart healthy for running around the park all day}.
I love the chewy texture the raisins and dates impart on the crunchy cookies. Not to mention, they’re sweet without being overpowering.
Even though I should have {for reminiscent park playing purposes} added some mini M&Ms, I opted to leave them out. You could add those, or some dark chocolate chips if you wanted to give these gluten free healthy breakfast cookies more of a trail mix feeling.
Traveling with gluten free healthy breakfast cookies
These cookies are crunchy, but they’re also a bit crumbly. So it’s best to take care of them while traveling to the park or going on a hike.
Package a few in a sandwich bag and lay on top of the remainder of your hiking, biking, playing snacks.
I’ve actually also really been loving crumbling them on top of some fruit and yogurt in place of traditional granola.
Any way you eat them, these gluten free healthy breakfast cookies will become a staple in your outdoor excursions.
Looking for more perfect park snacks? Check these out:
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup quick oats
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 ½ cups natural peanut butter
- ⅔ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 flax egg {1 Tbsp. ground flax seed 3 Tbsp. water}*
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup chopped dates
- ½ cup chopped pecans
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Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a large cookie sheet with baking spray.
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In a large bowl, stir together the oats, quinoa, cinnamon, salt and baking powder.
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Stir in the peanut butter, syrup, vanilla and flax egg until oats are saturated.
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Add the raisins, dates and pecans and stir to incorporate.
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Scoop the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and press flat.** Bake for 11-12 minutes, until edges are lightly golden brown.
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Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
*Note: make the flax egg ahead of time so that the flax can absorb all the water. You can also use one large egg if not making vegan.
**Note: I used a cookie scoop to get a rounded cookie and then pressed it flat. They don’t rise or spread, so you can place them pretty close together.
