Strawberry Breakfast Cookies (Vegan and Whole Grain)

By Heather | June 10, 2024 |

This easy, one-bowl recipe is nutritious enough for breakfast but so delicious you’ll want them all day. Strawberry Breakfast Cookies combine sweet strawberries and whole grain oats in a handheld cookie form. The healthy cookies also happen to be vegan, nut-free, and can easily be made gluten-free too.

Kids in the Kitchen:

Chop the strawberries: Kids can help remove the green stem from fresh strawberries and/or chop up fresh or frozen strawberries. Great for practicing those knife skills. If you need a child-safe knife recommendation or tips for teaching kids to use a knife, check out my blog post Teaching Knife Skills Toddlers and Kids.
Measure and Mix: If baking with younger kids or if you want to reduce the mess, you can measure some or all of the ingredients before baking. If you want your child to learn and practice measuring, leave a few ingredients like the baking powder and oats for them to measure and add to the bowl.
Use a large bowl. Mixing in a large bowl means less mess when cooking with kids. I try and always and demonstrate what speed I’d like kids to stir before letting them have a turn. Most likely, their mixing will result in at least a little spillage, but that’s ok. With practice, kids will eventually learn to better control the spoon or spatula.
Scoop: Kids can help scoop the batter onto the pan by holding the scoop or measuring cup with you. If your child wants to do it on their own, you can point to the place on the baking sheet where the batter should go.

Subs and Tips for making Strawberry Breakfast Cookies:

Flour: White whole wheat flour has a more mild taste than the traditional whole wheat flour. I like to buy the King Arthur brand. If you don’t have white whole wheat flour, use half regular whole wheat and half all-purpose flour to get similar results. You can also use all all-purpose flour if you prefer a more bakery-style tasting cookie.
Gluten-free: To make these gluten free, you can use a gluten-free flour blend. You can also try using a combination of oat flour and almond flour (which I find is a good sub for regular flour). Make sure to use gluten-free oats as well.
No applesauce?: You can use mashed banana instead. Just be aware that applesauce tends to be a little less sweet than mashed bananas, so you can reduce the amount of sweetener or omit it if you prefer.
No sugar added version: For younger toddlers or for those that want a recipe only sweetened with fruit, you can omit the maple syrup and add a little more mashed banana or applesauce. You can leave out the chocolate chips, find a sugar-free chocolate, or use raisins instead.
Switch out the fruit: don’t have or want to use strawberries? You can replace them with frozen or fresh blueberries, raspberries, or diced stone fruit like peaches.
Helpful Equipment: Parchment paper sheets and cookie scoops are some essential baking tools that I couldn’t live without. See those and others on my Baking Essentials Amazon list HERE.

Strawberry Breakfast Cookies

Sweet strawberries and wholesome oats combine to make this handheld treat that's healthy enough for breakfast but delicious enough to want to eat all day.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 18

Total Time 28

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana
1/4 cup oil (avocado or canola)
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine salt
3 tbsp ground flax seed and/or hemp seeds (optional)
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour or 1 cup all-purpose or gluten-free flour blend
1 cup finely chopped strawberries

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone mat.
Add the applesauce, oil, maple syrup, and vanilla to a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
Whisk in the cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and seeds, if using.
Add the oats and flour then mix with a large spoon or spatula until almost all of the dry ingredients are combined. Gently mix in the strawberries until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Scoop the batter onto the baking sheet. (I like to make large cookies with a 1/4 cup scoop, but you can also make smaller ones.)
Bake until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and look dry in the centers, 15 to 20 minutes.
Allow the cookies to cool then enjoy. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, or freeze up to 2 months.