Breakfast Cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with peanut butter and oats. No flour, butter, or oil—just big flavor in every bite! Ready in about 20 minutes.

Healthy Breakfast Cookies sprinkled with sea salt, ready to enjoy.
chelsea

author’s note

Cookies You Can Eat For Breakfast!

I love a good savory breakfast like an egg skillet or wrap, but let’s be real—I’m all about the sweet breakfasts. Crepes, pancakes, bread pudding…if it’s got sugar, I’m in.

So if there’s a way to justify cookies for breakfast, you know I’m on board! Sure, these have a little sugar, but they’re mostly made with peanut butter, honey, an egg, and oats. Honestly, depending on how you sweeten your oatmeal, your bowl might have more sugar than these cookies… or is that just me? 😅

And of course, breakfast cookies aren’t just for breakfast! They’re the perfect grab-and-go snack or afternoon treat.

signature
All the ingredients prepped for easy assembly, including oats, peanut butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla, honey, and peanut butter chips.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make Breakfast Cookies:

  • Peanut butter: Use creamy, not crunchy, for the best texture. Pick one you love! Avoid oily natural kinds—they won’t hold together as well.
  • Honey & brown sugar: Use super soft brown sugar for extra soft cookies. Lightly pack it in the measuring cup.
  • Oats: Old-fashioned oats work best. Skip quick or steel-cut oats.
  • Salt & baking soda: Add flavor and help with texture. Sift baking soda if it’s clumpy.
  • Vanilla & egg: Gives flavor and holds everything together.
  • Peanut butter chocolate chips: A delicious combo!
All the ingredients mixed in one bowl for these healthy breakfast cookies.

Breakfast Cookies Tips

  • Measure evenly: Use a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon so all cookies bake the same.
  • Flatten slightly: These don’t spread much, so press the dough balls wider, not taller.
  • Use creamy peanut butter: It mixes better than crunchy.
  • Watch the bake time: They bake fast! Take them out when the tops aren’t gooey or shiny—they’ll firm up more as they cool.
The dough is rolled into flat discs and baked.

Variations

  • Chocolate breakfast cookies: Use dark chocolate chips instead of peanut butter chocolate chips.
  • Fruit & nuts: Try raisins, dried cranberries, tart cherries, or nuts instead of chocolate.
  • Salty-sweet: Add a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt flakes on top.

Healthy breakfast cookies spread on a tray, ready to serve and enjoy.

Storage

Leftover Breakfast Cookies?

  • Room temp: Keep in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
  • Fridge: Store in an airtight bag for up to a week.
  • Freezer: Freeze unbaked dough in a sealed bag for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time.

More Delicious Breakfast Treats:

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4.92 from 58 votes

Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast Cookies are a peanut butter lover’s dream! Soft, chewy, and packed with oats, these cookies come together fast—just 20 minutes from start to finish.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Servings: 20 cookies

Video

Equipment

  • Sheet pan (15" x 10")

Ingredients

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter see note 1
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 4 tablespoons light brown sugar lightly packed
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter and chocolate chips see note 2

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients except the chocolate chips. (Do not warm the peanut butter or honey.)
  • Fold in the peanut butter and chocolate chips.
  • The dough will be thick. Use a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop a leveled dough ball, press it tightly into a ball, then flatten into a disc.
  • Arrange the cookie discs, spaced an inch apart on a sheet pan and bake for 6–8 minutes. Watch closely—remove when the bottoms start to brown, even if they look slightly underdone. They will continue cooking as they cool.
  • Cool completely before serving.
Final step! Please let us know how it was by leaving a review.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: I use Skippy. Choose a smooth, creamy peanut butter—avoid oily or natural varieties.
Note 2: You can also use dark chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries, or peanuts as a mix-in.
Gluten-free: For a gluten-free version, make sure oats are certified gluten free.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container at room temp for 3–4 days or in the fridge for up to a week. Freeze in a sealed bag for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 172mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 18IU | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Meet Chelsea


Hello, and welcome to Chelsea’s Messy Apron! I’m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. I’m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping by—I hope you find something delicious to make!

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4.92 from 58 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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198 Comments

  1. Whitney M says:

    These were so easy (but you did warn us)! My coworkers and boyfriend would have never known they were healthy, but of course I had to tell them. They were all quite surprised. Great recipe 🙂

  2. Raquel Raminhos says:

    Chelsea, just finished baking theese cookies and they are already gone! They are sooooo delicious!! I also added a chocolate cube inside of each one, that created a sweet melted center, and covered them in chocolate powder for a crinkled top… yum!! Thank you so much for another great recipe!
    Although it’s in portuguese, you can check my cookies in my foodblog: http://amor-as-camadas.blogspot.pt/2014/04/crinkles-de-amendoim-e-chocolate.html

    Kisses!
    Raquel

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Yay! Thanks so much for your comment and for trying them out! I just checked out your post and it is lovely! My mom grew up in Brazil and speaks fluent portuguese so I sent her your post! Have a great weekend Raquel!

  3. Kelly says:

    These cookies look amazing! Haha love that your hubby couldn’t believe these were healthy – that’s the best compliment:) I love how thick they are and yay – now I won’t have to feel guilty for having cookies for breakfast 🙂

  4. Sandi Gaertner says:

    These cookies look delicious and I know my kids will devour them pretty quickly.

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Thanks Sandi! 🙂

  5. Shauna says:

    These gluten free cookies look so delicious! Saw your link over at The Weekend re-Treat Link Party and had to stop by and check our your post 😉

  6. Evelyn says:

    Love these babies!! I can just smell them:))

    Pinning and sharing!!

  7. Chris says:

    OMG is there “breakfast” and “cookie” in the same title??? So I can have these FOR BREAKFAST?! Yes freaking yes!

  8. Rachel says:

    These look fantastic! I would totally eat these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

  9. Erin says:

    Get out of town! These look incredible! Gluten-free and peanut buttery chocolatey goodness? SO so in love. 🙂 Pinned!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Just for you Erin 😉 Thanks and thank you for pinning!

  10. Kim says:

    Pinning and making! I love adding pb chips to my cookies… such a wonderful addition!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Thanks Kim! I hope you love them! And thanks for the pin 🙂