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Healthy Fruit-and-Nut Cookies

Kayla Hoang
Cook Time:
15 mins
Prep Time:
15 mins
Servings:
18 cookies
RATE THIS RECIPE
(121)

Chef notes

Cookies for breakfast? Yes, please! These sweet and salty cookies taste like a typical dessert but can be served up easily as a quick breakfast at home or on-the-go, then enjoyed as a healthy snack later. In addition to the warm, delicious ingredients that make them taste great, like some butter, brown sugar and whole wheat flour, these cookies get their nutritious value from protein-filled nuts, dried berries and rolled oats, which are a great slow-burning carb that can help reduces stress and keep you fuller, longer.

Life is all about balance, which means having cookies for breakfast every once in a while is totally acceptable. You won’t have trouble convincing your kids (or yourself) to eat breakfast each morning when these sweet little cookies are waiting for you. They’re a great on-the-go breakfast, but we also love to serve them as a healthy after-school snack. 

The process for making this cookie dough is similar to other cookie recipes — beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, mix in an egg, flavor it with vanilla extract and then add in the dry ingredients. Then comes any add-ins that you want to incorporate into the dough. Here, we’re adding protein and fiber in the form of rolled oats and natural sweetness from almonds, pecans and coconut flakes. Honey and cinnamon also add a subtle sweetness to the dough without the addition of processed sugar. 

This dough tends to be a bit soft, so it can be hard to scoop it just after mixing. We recommend chilling the dough for at least one hour, but preferably overnight. Once it firms up a bit, you can drop rounded balls of dough onto baking sheets, flatten them into disks and bake until just set. Don’t over-bake the cookies, since they can become dry and hard as they cool. Pull the cookies from the oven as soon as the edges are set and begin to brown, but the centers are still a little soft. Enjoy one or two of these breakfast cookies guilt-free.

Ingredients

  • cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup dried blueberries, cranberries or cherries
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted almonds or pecans
  • 1/2 cup coconut flakes
Fulfilled by

Preparation

1.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda together and set aside.

2.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until the butter is fluffy and light.

3.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the egg, honey and vanilla just until incorporated.

4.

Stir in the reserved flour, oats, dried fruit, nuts and coconut. The dough will be very soft.

5.

Chill the dough for at least 1 hour or overnight, up to 12 hours.

6.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Spoon the dough out onto the baking sheets into balls approximately 2 inches in diameter. Lightly flatten each ball with your palm to make a disc.

7.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, just until the top of the cookie turns from shiny to matte and a few browned spots start to appear at the edges. The cookies will still be soft in the middle; don't over-bake, or they'll be too dry and crunchy once they cool.

8.

Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool, or serve warm. Cookies can be stored for up to 3 days in a covered container at room temperature.