Granola Breakfast Cookies

Vegan, Gluten-free, Refined Sugar-free 

One of my life goals has been to have cookies for breakfast. I always wanted Cookie Crisp cereal growing up, but my mom always said that cookies aren’t for breakfast. 

I took that as a challenge. 

Oatmeal is my absolute favorite breakfast. I think I ate it every morning for 3 years straight. The combination of oatmeal, granola and coffee is like the trifecta of breakfast perfection. 

Better with Buttah

I like to use vegan butter sometimes since it works just about the same as dairy butter. If you prefer to use dairy butter here, go ahead. You can also use a mixture of coconut oil and almond butter, but the texture might change a bit.

Just Sweet Enough

Coconut sugar is my favorite sweetener. It is a low glycemic sweetener, which means that your body won’t have such a sugar peak and crash. Aside from that benefit, coconut sugar works just like cane sugar and has a great rich, caramel flavor. Luckily it’s available pretty much everywhere (and online) so buy some and give it a go. If you would rather use cane sugar, go ahead, but use a half cane sugar and half brown sugar. 

T-oats My Goats 

Oats are a great source of fiber and other nutrients; they’re a little powerhouse ingredient that I like to use as much as I can. In this recipe, they are here for their nutrition, but also because they can soak up the moisture (no need to just add more flour) and give these cookies a bit of texture and chew. 

Granola In Everything

If I have a bag of granola in my pantry, I will snack on it endlessly. Grandy Oats Coconola is my favorite because it is not too sweet, paleo and full of healthy seeds and nuts. Also you get a crunch in every bite (we all know the crunch is the best part of granola). I added 1 cup of their Coconola to this recipe, crumbling any big chunks. If you have another grain-free granola that you prefer, feel free use it. 

So there you go. I give you my answer to my mom’s statement that cookies aren’t for breakfast. Give these a try and have some cookies for breakfast. 

Recipe

1/2 cup vegan butter (I like Melt Buttery Sticks)

1 cup coconut sugar

1/4 cup lukewarm brewed coffee

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

1 cup Gluten-free Measure-for-Measure Flour (Bob’s Red Mill is my go-to)

1 cup Gluten-free rolled oats (I used quick cooking since that is what I had on hand)

1 cup Grandy Oats Grain-Free Coconola (or sub your favorite grain-free granola)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp ground flax seed 

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsps powdered coconut milk (optional, but I like to add a bit for flavor and richness)

1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate (I like Taza Chocolate’s Deliciously Dark bars)

In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, flax seed, baking soda, salt, powdered coconut milk, dark chocolate and granola. 

In a large heatproof bowl, melt the vegan butter in the microwave in 30 second spurts (should take just over 1 minute). Add the coconut sugar, vanilla and brewed coffee to the melted vegan butter and whisk together until smooth. 

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together with a spatula to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. This is an important step; you want the oats and flour to absorb some of the liquid. 

After the chill period, preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge. Using a 2 tbsp cooking scoop or a spoon, scoop dough balls onto the baking sheet, leaving at least 1.5 inches between each. 

Bake for 11 to 14 minutes; these cookies won’t really brown, so don’t worry. And err on the side of under baking (there’s no egg in here to worry about). 

Let cool for 15 minutes before digging in with your cup of coffee or a glass of your favorite non-dairy milk.